“Grown-up stuff”: youth and children to engage in the G20 media coverage
Partnership between the G20 Brasil and the Imprensa Jovem [Youth Press] program seeks to make room for students from municipal schools of São Paulo City to participate in the media coverage of the G20, expanding the debates into schools and homes. Since its foundation, almost 100 thousand youth have been through the program. Currently, there are around 385 teams in the paulista capital city; the program has been recognized for its worldwide impact since 2020.
G20? Is it a new online game, a car model, a kind of virus? The students who are part of Imprensa Jovem [Youth Press] already know what it is all about: one of the main forums of international cooperation, which this year is under Brazilian presidency. Through a partnership with the municipal departments of International Relations and Education of São Paulo, young students from public schools in São Paulo City will participate in the media coverage of the G20 agendas — especially of the presential meetings taking place in the city. The product of their work will be broadcasted mainly through the project's channel.
One of the goals of the partnership is to bring the G20 closer to civil society, simplifying the themes on the agenda and build bridges through education. Imprensa Jovem first began in 2005, when students decided to join efforts to bring the issues faced by the community into their schools’ radio channels. Currently, there are around 385 teams across the city, with the participation of over 7 thousand students. Since it was founded, almost 100 thousand youth from the municipal education system have been through the project.
On one hand, a unique opportunity for these students to interview ministers, ambassadors and other authorities from the five continents on a variety of themes discussed at the G20, bringing in the perspectives of the youth on pressing issues and contemporary world challenges. On the other, a way to bring the debates and solutions proposed by the G20 closer to the lives of Brazilian men and women, taking them into the classroom and the homes of these young participants’ families.
“The dialog between children and adolescents and the G20 specialists will not only make the issues less dull for these students, but also open space for the creation of contents that are more attractive and relevant to them The youth have the capacity to bring information that speaks to their friends in their communities, establishing a student-to-student communication”, explained Professor Carlos Lima, coordinator of the Educommunication Center of the Municipal Department of Education of São Paulo.
Were you one of those children or adolescents who came up with plans to conquer the world with your buddies? Well, the students from Imprensa Jovem will have the chance to interact with those who, in part, make decisions about the course of world economy and politics. A date has already been set for the coverage to begin. It will be in the third week of February, at the Bienal Pavilion, in São Paulo, where the first meeting of ministers of Finance and central bank presidents of the G20 countries will take place. The Brazilian Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, has already confirmed his attendance.
“Having children participate in the coverage of the G20 generates an excellent opportunity to bring the G20 themes into their homes. There is nothing better than a child’s or teenager's question to make the adults step out of their comfort zones. When confronted with questions such as ‘Mom, dad, what is the G20? What is a sherpa?, parents will need to look for information in order to translate the meaning of the G20 to the daily context of their families”, stated Carlos Alberto Jr., communications coordinator of the G20 on behalf of the Communications Office of the Presidency of the Republic. “By granting these youth access to cover the meetings, we also achieve the goal of educating the population on issues that are most relevant to the future of the planet”, he stressed.
Those who think that these students do not take the task seriously due to their young age are completely mistaken. 14 year-old Vitória Calado, a student from Imprensa Jovem, is proof that the G20 is not only for grown-ups, but also for the youth. She sees the partnership as an opportunity to include the youth in debates regarding the economy. “The best way for the G20 to captivate young people is to help them understand that the economy has an impact on both the present and the future. Furthermore, it is crucial to create spaces where we are effectively heard on issues related to the global economy because, after all, we are the next generation, and we must participate from the start”, she declared. Currently a student at the Paulo Duarte Municipal School, Vitória's goal is to study International Relations.
Imprensa Jovem produces magazines, comic books, videocasts and other materials. They also run the Capsules for the Future, a student-led movement that aims to bring a more dynamic approach to social issues through the production of video-letters that circulate on social media. The project started during the 2023 Pan-Americanos games, in Chile, and is expected to continue until the 2024 Olympics, which will take place in France. Imprensa Jovem is internationally known, and has been recognized by UNESCO as an Informational Media Literacy practice worth being replicated worldwide since 2020. The São Paulo City Hall is currently examining a bill of law to transform the initiative into a municipal public policy.
What is Educommunication?
Educommunication is a pedagogical approach that uses different medias for educational purposes. It consists of a set of practices to develop capabilities that go beyond traditional social communication (writing, speaking, photography, editing), fostering youth protagonism and developing the students' critical thinking abilities through knowledge, culture and collaboration.