Young People in Turkmenistan Produce Films on Child Rights -- UNICEF

New York, May 15 2007 11:00PM

Young people in Turkmenistan are using their creativity to produce short video films on children's rights thanks to an initiative cosponsored by the country's Government and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The "One Minutes Jr. Video" workshop which opened this week in Ashgabat aims to encourage youth expression and motivate children to share their opinions. "The workshop is a chance for young people to speak out to a broad audience, using their creativity to bridge the gap between themselves and the media," the agency said in a news release.

Over the next week, young people will develop their own scripts and produce 60-second videos on child rights in various parts of Ashgabat, including schools, parks, stadiums and markets, and 20 of these shorts will be launched at a National Children's Forum dedicated to child protection, and broadcast on TV, according to UNICEF.

The agency, which organizes "One Minutes Jr. Video" workshops throughout the world in close partnership with the One Minutes Foundation and the European Cultural Foundation, says in many countries the initiative serves as "as a tool for social change."

ENDS