“Media Initiative for Children (MI4C)” is an initiative that aims to amplify the voices of children in addressing social issues that affect them as well as promote their rights. MI4C provides various platforms to amplify the voices of children and promote children’s participation in media through arts such as drama, prose, poetry, speech and voice-over.

We want children to tell their own stories in their own way. We want children to contribute to the social issues affecting their lives and communities and actively participant in driving solutions, innovations and social change. We want children to have access to media and communication platforms just as adults without fear, bias or prejudice. We want children to participate freely and unhindered in show casing their skills in all forms of educational arts.

The Nigerian child is faced with many challenges and affected by the impacts of natural and man-made adversities such as flood, conflicts and wars, poverty, deprivation, drug abuse, human trafficking, abuse, violence amongst others, which displaces, disrupts and deprives them of normal life. The innovations and solutions to tackle these challenges in terms of promoting peace, stimulating change in orientation, advocating for quality education, demanding policy changes also require the directly participation and perspectives of the children “in their own way”– this is one of the core objectives of MI4C. 

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 13 requires that the child shall have the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice. Article 17 recognizes the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health.

MI4C produces child-friendly media contents and messages, it advocates for adequate time and space in all media platforms to amplify the voices of the children. The mass media is an important tool for dissemination of and access to information. Involving children in media will allow them access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health. It will allow them air the views on issues and policies concerning them.

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