Youth Information Day

On European Youth Information Day (April 17^th), Chief Executive of ProMo-Cymru Marco Gil-Cervantes explains why Wales is leading the UK in the provision of high quality information and advice to young people in the digital era.

European Youth Information Day (April 17) provides an opportunity to reflect on how young people in Wales can access information in the digital age.

Access to information is increasingly important for young people as it can help them to make informed life decisions. With so many young people communicating via digital means, it is fundamental for us to take full advantage of the digital platforms available to provide young people with the tools to communicate quickly and effectively.

This right to information has been recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

In 2004, the Welsh Government adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as the basis for all policy-making relating to children and young people in Wales. Wales was the first country to make this convention part of its domestic law.

Article 17 of the convention states that “children have the right to reliable information from the mass media. Television, radio and newspapers should provide information that people can understand”.

In this digital era, we believe that young people should be empowered to create their own media channels using widely available technology.

Specifically, we believe in the power of digital platforms to give young people their own voice, and ability to develop and control their own media outlets.

This is what we have created with CLIConline an information and advice service which provides a safe platform for those aged between 11 and 25 in Wales to create their own content and access information.

The forward-thinking CLIConline is funded by the Welsh Government, with support from the European Social Fund (ESF) and managed by the team at ProMo-Cymru, a Welsh social economy and charity.

The CLIC project has developed a network of local websites which link to provide the Wales-wide CLIC Collective of sites. From a standing start just two-and-a-half years ago, the sites now attract up to 30,000 unique visitors each month.

The secret behind CLIC’s success is that we decided to allow young people to control their own editorial content. Now we have over 200 articles written for the network of sites by young people across Wales, covering topics as diverse as living with depression, healthy eating and entertainment reviews.

We recognise that we have to cater for young people affected by the so-called ‘digital divide’. For that reason we also produce a printed magazine version of CLIC.

There is no comparable service to CLIConline – where the output is entirely shaped by young people – elsewhere in the UK. In fact, a number of European countries are eager to replicate the successful model we have developed in Wales, which demonstrates that we are taking the lead in the provision of information services to young people.

The way CLIConline operates has spin-off benefits for other areas of policy, particularly health and education. By providing information on topics such as smoking, sex education and obesity, it is a channel for educating young people about major health issues.

Equally, by giving young people a forum where they can contribute information freely, we are providing valuable opportunities to write expressively outside of the confines of the school curriculum. This has a clear impact on literacy and the Welsh Government’s efforts to improve the reading and writing ability of our young people.

Today at an event in the Millennium Centre we will mark European Youth Information Day by signing the European Youth Information Charter on behalf of the Welsh Government. This charter will put in place minimum standards and quality measures in the provision of information for young people.

At a time when we are bombarded with negative media portrayals of the younger generation, it’s heartening to see the young people of Wales maintaining and developing their own dynamic digital media channel where they can share valuable content, support each other and develop their own collective voice.

 

Marco Gil-Cervantes is Chief Executive of ProMo-Cymru