Mass-line Media Centre (MMC) as a media focused non-government organization, has undertaken a project titled ‘Strengthening Children's Participation in Media' by the support of UNICEF. The project established a dedicated News Agency for Children named Shishu Prokash the last May 2005, The vision was to strengthening children’s participation in the media as well as to enhance both the quality and quantity standard of child rights based news in Bangladesh. Shishu Prokash started its journey as a pilot since last past .Basic on 7 months duration and achieved successfully its objectives completion of last December 2005 and started its developable phrase since June 2005 and continue till to date by intentional dimension.The project has started its third phase the last June 2009 and it plans to commend as the last November 2011.
MMC Brief:
A non profitable mass media focused organization, Open access to all including non caste, non racial and political non polarized org. Gender sensitize, poverty & child focused. Established in 1996 with obtain legal identify from NGO affairs Bureau, SWD, Participating to all level peoples for receiving information & media led support delivery to empower people & state. Working in central & grass root level in 64 districts, Special focus to empowering women and children through advocacy & media campaign. Supporting LGIs service quality through promoting mass media voices, Have longer experiences in LGIs capacity building & Media house development, Technical & capacity building support to Journalists, Journalism & grass roots media . A central working force with capacitated Journalists and Technical resource pool equipped with M&E,HR & Finance. Executive board with 07 active scholar members. Central and Regional level management to program implement , supervision & monitoring. District level networking and corresponding team. Regional level coordination & liaison offices. National and International Partnership and Joint collaborative program implementation. Decentralize Children focused interventions designing and execution as a pioneer media organization. Working with children and women, grassroots Media. Focus on poverty alleviation through inputting media based human capital development, Advocacy initiatives to support grassroots and central Media, LGIs to address poverty in rural & national issues. Acknowledged PRSP & Unicef-MDG in line with GOB 6th five year plan implementation as partnership assistance. Working with National & International allies. Dev children voices in local/national development planning, Raising children voices for CRC application & promotion. Develop decentralize communication & networking channel. Work as advocacy and news agency to support Govt.& PS
Journalism promotion and Journalists capacity building. Child Journalist practices and participation in Media to focus UN CRC. Ensure child participation in local level policy making and contribute child friendly planning. Working with MP and Policy makers, Mass campaign for free and fair election conduction, election monitoring, support EC for mass communication and information dissemination , Develop Media based information & communication(RC/NC) center, networking of Media information and regional forum (RJF).Working with tribal communities to raising their voices. National and Grassroots Issue based (Poverty, RTI, GEM,CC-E&M, FS & HRGG) Advocacy & Campaign initiatives. Networking forum with national and regional working partners and journalist forum, creating platform. Strengthen LGIs, CBOs, Youth & Adolescent groups, children,
About Shishu Prokash:
- Shishu Prokash working principles are
- Empowering Children through Capacity building;
- Ensuring and encouraging children participation in Media;
- Creating scope, platform and child friendly environment to ensure their access
- SP working aims to “Lets Speak to Children” with vow to promotion UNCRC through their own voices and their way
- The only children based News agency in Bangladesh
- Dev. phase of SP project was started in 2005 & completed 2011
- Dev. Advocacy platform and campaign for Children participation
- Encouraging children to advocate as Speaker/Representative for underprivileged children through their voice, pen and paper
- To raise children images upon the state policy makers and planners
- Initiative to create scope & space for the children(child friendly interventions, pro-poor access & active participation in national events)
Major Interventions & working Issues:
- Children friendly information and communication based capacity building initiatives
- Promotion of UNCRC led news & events, child rights and poverty focused issues dissemination, reducing female children disparity
- CRC supported policy reformation & planning advocacy assistance
- Nationwide children information networking & Journalism promotion based child journalists, child leader ship, actors,
- Participation in national and local HRGG based child issues including CRC, CC, EPM,GEM,FS, workshop/conference,
- Encouraging Child journalism, child spokesmen,
- Establish child rights issues through media advocacy
- Develop children IT based Media operation skill
- Children CR News production based practical training
SP Key Achievements:
- Trained and developed about 3000 children in general journalism
- 64 districts children network has been formed and underway to functions for sustaining
- SP & Child Journalist achieved Meena Media Award for the best work in the media for the last four years (2007,8,9 & 10)
- Child Journalist Reports drew attention of the concern authority and society to changes decision to work for children and community
- Build partnership with many children based GO and INGOs, LNGOs, Media houses and private institutions
- Impact track records of child journalist role in society and state dev.
- Develop child based News Agency to encourage other media to promote and adopt child issues and interventions to enlighten CRC
- Produced children Reports, raised Awareness on IEC materials and Publications, created partial space in the local and national media
- SP trained 04 Child journalists participated as an Ambassador of Bangladesh in Copenhagen CC conference with the support of Unicef
Learning from the shishu prokash intervention:
- Children should given space and scope to speak freely so that they could produce valuable outputs and outcomes
- Children have values, skill and strength to do innovative thing by their own efforts and merits
- Children could contribute in national and local policy to speak out their own need and demand
- Children could take appropriate decision if they would be encouraged, provide scopes, guide and facilitation.
- Children promote CRC directly through media engagement if they properly trained.
- Children can speak and do if they are accessed
- Many good things are overwhelmed or lapse if it is not properly stored or promoted to respective receivers/clients
Sustainability Context:
- 3000 children are working as child speakers for CRC promotion
- Created impact over media institutions as child speakers as well as contributing in child focus national development
- Children are encouraging by adopting local media participation (local planning) leading by DTL
- Web based Media practicing started and linking to other news agencies and children institutions,
- Adopting children operated independent Newspaper publication
- MMC is trying to continue the success & providing Tele communication counseling for developing new skills
- Nationwide fragile networking is trying to smoothing/sharpening
- Skill & trends of child journalist dev. efforts trying to continue for shaping as professionalism & CRC promotional initiatives
- Established partnership & advocacy network with children development agencies to work together
Way forward:
- New Intervention planning based on Bangladesh Children perspective and Unicef Development Strategy from 2012-16 & Shishu Prokash Project Evaluation reports & Children Journalists Recommendations.
- Designed & prepared a 5 years “Empowering Children voice in National development through Media Participation (ECNMP)”project for CRC focus & promotion
- Created options & scope to access children in participation & engagement to contribute in L/National Policy/Planning.
- Empowering children independently in media participation to promote rights through child operated Newspaper
- Institutionalizing children Platform and Networking in central and regional level through partnership approach
- Ensuring poor, grassroots and vulnerable children participation in the mainstreaming planning process.
- Child focus intervention and development projects to contribute their skills in changing better practices in the family, society and community to improve their livelihood.
Scopes and Opportunity to Address:
- Media focused CB initiatives for grassroots & vulnerable children to work for improving education, WASH & Poverty
- Exploring uncared fallen & veil rural resources through child media searching approach & design grass root inter.
- Child centric & child friendly CRC based Newspaper promotion and raising child voice & participation
- Developing advocacy platforms in district and regional level to institutionalize children efforts/rights
- Children participation in decentralize community Radio program in rural districts
- IT based Media children participation and promotion
- Effective collaboration and linkages with Children supported GO-NGO institutions, projects & private sectors
- Creating options and access for children to contribute in L/N level policy & planning
- Introduce Children ethics on moral, social and cultural values to grown up as an ideal citizen
- Developing journalistic knowledge & skill through advocacy on social communication & mobilization for uplifting UNCRC through their pen and paper
- Conduction of action research in recent development of children focus policy,
- Involve children in N/I Days and Events observation (campaign) UNCRC to aware of society, community and state for betterment of children rights
Key Proposed Activities/Interventions:
- Empowering children through human capacity building
- Children participation in Community Radio
- Development of IT based Media Communication
- Children operated newspaper (Shishu Prokash) introducing and distribution to children
- Development Information, Education & Communication (IEC) materials and distribution
- Collaboration, partnership efforts with children focused development projects(Unicef and GoB)
- Engagement of children in national and local planning development initiatives
- Action Research on recent child based development issues
- CRC related cross cutting issues (EPM, GEM, CC, FS& adolescent) acknowledge children development
Seeking Development Partners and Donors to support the proposed and on going Shishu Prokash children activities.
Please contract us:
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