childrenasmediaproducers (CAMP)

The videos that you see on the right have been made by school going kids! They're participating in a nine-month Participatory Video initiative called CAMP (Children As Media Producers), launched in the last week of June 2009.

A total of 24 boys and girls in the age group of 12-15 from traditionally marginalised sections of Medak district in Andhra Pradesh are participating in CAMP.

Partners: The Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad, Unicef, Hyd. Field Office & BCC Cell, District Collectorate, Medak.

CAMP sees 'Electronic grassrooting' of democracy as a means to possibly help reconstruct a new kind of civil society.

The basic premises of CAMP:

· Children must be seen as producers and contributors of information and not only as consumers.
· Community media can play an important role in strengthening cultural rights, and in particular, the rights of linguistic and cultural minorities, and indigenous peoples by providing access to the means of communication.
· Access to the means of communication must be supplemented by education and training to assist a critical understanding of the media and to enable children to develop their media and communication skills.

A set of six video camera units will be housed at the Behaviourial Change Communication Cell (BCC Cell) of Medak district which will be accessible to the participating children after the capacity sharing process is completed.

The Department of Communication will continue to associate itself with the children in their productions & constantly interact with them.