What Works in Youth Media: Case Studies from Around the World

"This publication grew out of the International Youth Foundation’s (IYF) core focus on promoting active youth participation in the communities where they live." Written by Sheila Kinkade and Christy Macy, with a foreword by Christiane Amanpour, this is part of IYF's 'What Works' series of publications. "IYF believes strongly in the power of young people to serve as agents of positive social change at the local, national, and international level. This report celebrates that power."

"Youth media programs provide a potent example of young people’s passion, creativity, and engagement in the broader society. They also nurture the positive development of children and youth by actively promoting what IYF refers to as the 5C’s: confidence, competence, character, connection, and contribution. From IYF’s perspective,an added benefit of youth media is the role these programs play in engaging young people in the development of civil society. Today’s young reporters are actively involved in their communities, casting a spotlight on some of the most critical,and all-too-often overlooked, issues around them....

Our goal through this publication is to profile a diverse range of youth media projects operating internationally in the hope their experiences and lessons learned will help inform and guide the work of others contemplating or undertaking similar activities. We acknowledge that this is merely a sampling of the many inspiring youth media projects that exist today, not to mention the plethora of newspapers and other media produced by students around the globe.

Described in the following pages is a broad cross section of programs operating within diverse national contexts and employing diverse media, whether it be print, radio, television, or the Internet."