One World Media Youth Jury 2011
Each year one of the categories in the One World Media Awards is judged by a group of young people. They take part in a series of exclusive media activities before judging the Children's Rights Award, sponsored by UNICEF.
The four youth jurors for 2011 were selected in a national competition, in which they wrote about a piece of media they had seen. They were selected by a professional panel and then came to London for two days in March to take part in a series of media activities and site visits. The two days culminated in their jury meeting, where they selected the winner of the 2011 Children's Rights Award.
Their activities in London included visits to the BBC, Channel 4, and The Observer, plus workshops on journalism and children's rights at the headquarters of UNICEF.
Watch the video on the 2011 Youth Jury (right) to find out more on what they got up to.
Click here to read an article by Youth Juror Abigail Grace about the experience.
The winners
Abigail Grace, Ringwood School
Wrote about the documentary Slumdog Children of Mumbai: 'it provided an engaging insight into the lives of young people in developing countries, in addition to a glimpse of India's vivid culture ... it highlighted the problems faced by such children in a fair and moving way which lingers in the mind long after it's watched'
Jamie Lee, Caistor Grammar School
Wrote about an Observer article on child labour: 'The article is extremely powerful yet doesn't overuse the element of persuasion to the point where the writer blurs the line between quality, informative journalism and his own personal opinions'
Katrina Read, Alton College
Wrote about the documentary Pakistan: Children of the Taliban: 'Overall, this documentary appears to be a rational, sincere and compelling exposure of the Taliban's treatment of children in this area of Pakistan'
Simone Vibert, Bournemouth School for Girls
Wrote about the documentary Iraq in Fragments: 'One notably touching moment is when a young Kurdish boy insists that "Iraq is not something you can cut into pieces," directly contradicting the title and structure of the film'
Organised in collaboration with
What did they say?
Being part of the One World Media Youth Jury 2011 was a fantastic opportunity to meet inspiring, driven people and learn more about the media industry and the positive role that it plays within society. Each activity was both engaging and highly informative making my time with One World Media unforgettable.
Katrina Read
Being a part of the Youth Jury has been an unforgettable experience. I now feel so much more informed about issues concerning development and how exactly the media operates, as well as the way in which the two link together. Speaking to the people involved in the industry was insightful, and in many cases inspiring. I think it's great that young people can get involved in development and the media in this way, and to be given such a level of responsibility. The experience has definitely encouraged me to pursue a career in this area in the future.
Simone Vibert
The whole experience was really enjoyable; we met so many inspiring people and gained a real insight into the media industry.
Abigail Grace
What does the Youth Jury do?
- The four successful young judges are invited to London, with all expenses paid, to take part in a series of media activities.
- They select the winner of the Children's Rights Award.
- They come to London for the Awards ceremony to present the Award on stage with Jon Snow of Channel 4 News.
Why the Youth Jury?
One World Media values the way in which young people often have a unique perspective on children's rights issues. This initiative exists to highlight that perspective to the wider media industry, and to bring young people's voices into the mainstream of the UK media.
The Youth Jury initiative also recognises the increasing numbers of young people in the UK who are passionate about the media and international development. The Youth Jurors themselves have the opportunity to develop their interest, and gain valuable knowledge of how the media works today.