Children & Youth FPU

Details

Created on 01 February 2012

In April 2011, UMDF entered into a development partnership with the Free Press Unlimited (FPU), to implement a two year project on up-scaling Youth and Child rights through radio in Northern Uganda. 

Free Press Unlimited (FPU) support is under the Conn@ct now coalition involving [WarChild Holland, Child Helpline International, TNO and T-Mobile and HIVOS]. FPU funding is assisting to build the capacity of UMDF to effectively promote improved programming and reporting of the Child and Youth programmes at select Radio stations  in West Nile and Northern Uganda.  

Overall objective: The project focus is on increased and better attention for children rights and young people in the media in Northern Uganda and West Nile.

The expected outcomes of FPU/ UMDF activities are: 

•Increased number and capacity of journalists who report on or make programmes for children and young people;

•Increased attention and space in the media for children and young people;

•Increased number and quality of participatory programmes with children and young people in the media;

•Increased quality of the content of (educational) programmes for children and young people.

Participating Stations

There are twelve radio stations participating in the project. These were selected after  a needs assessment conducted in May by Ian Nkata from AKISEMA Ltd. The study established a gap in skills for producing children and youth programmes at stations in northern Uganda and West Nile. 

The selected radio stations include eight stations in Northern Uganda namely; Megha FM, Speak FM in Gulu District, Radio Wa, Voice of Lango in Lira District, Radio Apac in Apac District, Radio Palwak, Luo FM in Pader District, and Pol FM in Kitgum District. 

Four stations were selected from West Nile including; Radio Pacis FM, Voice of Life both in Arua, Radio Paidha in Zombo district and Trans-Nile Broadcasting Service (TBS) in Moyo District.  

Training activities

The stations have had training in child friendly reporting which was done in July 25-5th August 2011. It was hosted at Bomah Hotel in Gulu town northern Uganda. It was facilitated by Ms. Fiona Lloyd, from Media Monitoring Africa and co-trained with a local radio Consultant Mr. Ssemakula Martin from AKISEMA Ltd. 

Each of the twelve participating stations sent one participant related to production or presenting the children programme. Seventeen (17) participants in total attended the workshop including three UMDF staff and the two trainers. Among participants were 4 females and 8 males. The group was also joined by Britte Van Tiem from WarChild Holland.

There is improved children programmes delivery as a result of this training. Before they received training in Gulu, the majority personally presented the children’s programme but after sharing new approaches, more stations use children themselves to present the programme. Further, there is evidence that children also contribute the topics for discussion, which producers and moderators on Shows have adopted and broadcast. As a result there is increased community participation and more voices of young people on air during the children Shows. The news editors also have increased coverage of the children news than previously done.

Online platform

Producers of Children and Youth programmes also participate in an online Google platform where they further engage with the consultants and each other to strengthen acquired skills in packaging children radio programmes. The platform is called the ‘free-children- forum’. They have also used the platform to submit an online mentoring form exchanged with the mentors. 

Training the Trainers

UMDF coordinates a pool of trainers. They attended a five day training from Sept. 26-30, 2011.  It was facilitated by Ms. Abi Daruvalla, a training consultant from Free Press Unlimited. The trainers in the project include Racheal Mugarura, David Rupiny, Hassan Ssekajoolo, and Gilbert Kadilo. Others who participated include J.B. Wasswa, and John Matovu Sylvia Nankya, and Rita Ssimbwa.

During workshop, the trainers were able to realise the value of formulating SMART learning outcomes and to revisit the principles of adult learning. They were able to compare the methodology of training introduced in this workshop with traditional training approaches they had conducted.

They appreciated the novel and mind stimulating methodology used for exercises, brainstorming sessions, the course design assignment and the mini-training sessions. The popular elements of the course dwelt on: learning domains, formulating learning outcomes, course design, selecting learning activities and their application using principles of adult learning.  

This enabled them to design effective and relevant training courses and deliver proactive training sessions. Subsequently, participants appreciated the need to address knowledge, skills, and attitude (motivation) when designing training modules.

Training Adult Radio Monitors and Child Facilitators, Muyenga International Hotel

The training aimed to give skills among Adult and Child Radio Monitors to assess the portrayal of Children at the 12 participating Radio stations in the project area. The training took place at Hotel International Muyenga, Kampala from 20th – 25th November 2011. Facilitators included Ronell Singh and Musa Rikhotso from Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) South Africa.

The training involved 9 participants namely, teachers, social workers and media personnel, five (5) females and four (4) males. Six (6) of them were Adult Radio Monitors and two (2) social workers from TPO which co-hosted the workshop with UMDF. All the participants but for one media person, mobilized children  and usually escort them to children programmes at radio stations in Northern Uganda and West Nile project area. 

The facilitators introduced Adult media monitors to the MADOAT (Make Abuse Disappear Online Assessment Tool) monitoring radio user-guide to capture the various abuses and rights (National and International) that accrue to the child.

The User-guide was modified to suit include the national Government institutions, NGOs and other stakeholders dealing with children issues in Uganda. 

The Child Radio monitors Social Workers’ media monitoring training addressed children’s rights and used manual as points of reference for subsequent training with children radio monitors.

At the end of the training each participant took a media monitoring guide manual with a digital audio recorder and practiced with the tools in a test period through December and before the second follow up workshop in 16th -19th January 2012. During the test span, Adult Radio Monitors submitted hard copies of the filled MADOAT tool to UMDF which relayed the results to MMA team in South Africa. The actual monitoring will last one month and starts February 2012. The results will be published in March 2012.

Participatory Youth Radio, Lira 

UMDF also participated in a workshop was organized by Warchild Uganda for its staff and youth to earn radio making skills. The activity took place between December 5- 16th 2011.

Participatory Youth Radio in Uganda’ is part of the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. programme that is cooperation between Warchild, Child helpline International, Free Press Unlimited, and TNO. The training programme relates to Free Press Unlimited objectives in the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. programme. 

The workshop was facilitated by Jessica  Maria Ross (USA) . It was preceded meeting among coalition partners under the conn@ct now coalition  where the UMDF Coordinator attended.

The youth trained came from Warchild operating areas in Abim, Barr, and Olilim in Otuke District. One UMDF staff Syvia Nankya participated in the training. They learn how to produce and edit radio items by themselves using the Adobe audio software.

As a result of the training, radio stations participating in the project will be guided in the production of programmes to collaborate with War child Youth groups (where these exist) to create, record and air participatory radio items. The stations will also get on location coaching lasting five months.