Radio Kidocracy Konfrence 2003

The conference which has attracted interest from various countries including Burundi, India, Ireland and Mozambique will be held at the Ganzekraal Conference Centre in Mooreesburg on the West Coast from the 28th September to the 3rd October 2003.

The first Kidocracy Konfrence* hosted by BUSH Radio in 2000, aimed to bring together groups of children and young people between the ages of 8 - 18 to debate the Africa Charter on Children's Broadcasting.

In 2001, a Radio Kidocracy event was organised to focus on radio and the Children's Radio Manifesto in response to rising interest in and demand for quality children's radio broadcasting. Sixty youth representatives from community radio stations as well as local youth organisations, with leadership from the Bush Radio Children's & Youth Radio Workshop (CREW) members, produced an outline Manifesto putting into words what children want from radio and how radio can respond to their needs.

This outline document then defined the starting point for Radio Kidocracy 2002, an event which aimed at youth involvement in taking the process a stage further, with the participation of groups from as many other countries as possible to collaborate on the draft of an International Children's & Youth Radio Manifesto.

Radio Kidocracy 2003 aims to further develop the idea of a participatory youth radio conference in practical terms, with radio production and recording workshops involving all delegates in active radio-making projects.

The long-term plan is for Radio Kidocracy to become an annual youth media event with global links to all levels of children's and youth radio activity from internet radio to the local efforts of grassroots NGOs and including national and international radio broadcasters.

Various partners have come forward to be part of the Konfrence, these include the City of Cape Town, West Coast District Municipality, Development and Peace, Fredriech Ebert Stiftung and the Broadcast Training Institute (BTI).

* The Kidocracy Konfrence name was specially created for the event to denote a form of society characterised by social equality and acceptance of young people with representation for and by young people.

For more information on the Konfrence contact Nazli Abrahams, Tel: 021 448 5450, e-mail: .