Yesterday was the official launch of a version of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples written specifically for the use of indigenous adolescents. It is an encouragement for them to know their rights and those of their community. You can find it here: http://www.unicef.org/policyanalysis/rights/files/HRBAP_UN_Rights_Indig_Peoples.pdf “It is so much more youth-friendly, because it is visual, didactic and contextual. When I first read the regu...

After the wonderful work and local impact of Voices of Youth Maps in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the initiative is embarking to Buenos Aires, Argentina. UNICEF Argentina is partnering with TECHO the leading South and Central American community development NGO focusing on reducing poverty in urban slums through community participation and advocacy. The development of the Voices of Youth Maps mobile application will allow youth mappers to directly participate...

Unlike various countries in Africa, the United States hasn’t really suffered any civil war in the last century. Given our technological efficiencies, and social services, there is no reason for this country to be considered unsafe. In many countries in Africa, one of the many general fears is a potential rape that could occur at any second of a woman’s life, often schools are looked upon as a safe haven. Although the United States is supposed to be “safe” many young people...

We are very proud to welcome two new countries to the Voices of Youth Connect team: South Africa and Zambia. In South Africa, the Young Reporters Network has been working in different provinces implementating radio programs in youth clubs and partnering with local radio stations allowing youth participants to investigate local issues and to initiate a dialogue within the community to address these issues. Voices of Youth Connect will join this wonderful initiative by providin...

Has anyone ever told you that you’re addicted to the internet? Would you qualify as an ‘excessive user’? A recent report from EU Kids Online unpacks the issue of excessive use of the internet by children in the European Union. It shows that while almost a third of children show at least one of the signs of excessive use, only 1 % fell into the most extreme category. You can read the full report here: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/EUKidsOnline/EU%20Kids%20III/Report...

When young people from Ethiopia ask their peers in Liberia “What are you proud of”, this is their answer: “ We are proud to have access to internet program and to communicate with students in and around the world because it helps us to have computer skills”. Youth participants have voiced their opinions, shared photos of their communities, and asked questions on Voices of Youth Connect forums because they always want to know more about how their peers in other regions and a...

UNICEF and partners explore the opportunities and risks that the country’s digital evolution presents for children November 2012, Hanoi -- As Viet Nam experiences rapid growth in access to mobile phones and the Internet, UNICEF and partners are focusing attention on the impact of this digital expansion on children in the country. According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Internet penetration in Viet Nam doubled between 2006 and 2011 while the number of mo...

While attending the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) recently, I went to an interesting session about the issue of hate speech in the context of the Internet. While some of the panelists argued that there need to be boundaries and actions taken when acts of hate speech are committed, others argued that we need to be careful when advocating for control over what people say on the Internet, lest 'hate speech' be used as an argument to suppress freedom of expression more generally. Fre...