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iSchoolAfrica Education Trust | 15 years of educational change

Media Change Makers

Giving young South Africa a voice

Four media change makers
iSchoolAfrica Media Change Makers Programme

Give young South Africans a voice by sponsoring a school Media Change Makers programme.

Designed to empower young people to become agents of change through media and storytelling.

The programme provides high school learners with the tools and skills to create impactful content that addresses important issues in their communities. By harnessing the power of media, the programme aims to amplify the voices of youth and spark meaningful conversations that lead to positive change.

How it works

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Media crews set up at schools, equipped with the right tools (including iPad, microphone and tripod).

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Our Media Change Makers are mentored to develop the skills and confidence they require to compete in this fast changing digital world.

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They brainstorm, script, film and edit their ‘masterpiece’ videos.

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The teams create a social media campaign to reach their own community, school and friends.

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Previous initiatives

#2010WorldCup

World Cup 2010

The iSchoolAfrica youth press team programme started in 2010 with the World Cup as a vehicle for youth to get involved in the historic event and share their views and capture the hype around the massive event. 20 iSchoolAfrica youth press teams were set up in four provinces to cover the FIFA World Cup 2010. Each team was set up with a video camera, Apple MacBook, iLife software and the brief to tell the story of the World Cup. In just over two months more than 100 videos were produced and seen by local and global audiences on TV and online.

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#AIDSFreeGeneration

Group of students and a teacher with certificates on a stage

#AidsFreeGen campaign was a partnership with PEPFAR (United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.) iSchoolAfrica Press Team’s innovative youth campaign approach was used as a vehicle to fight the war against AIDS. It inspired, trained and mentored DREAMS Girl teams, across South Africa, to create and share their own #AidsFreeGen call to action films about their realities and visions of an AIDS-Free Generation.

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#SafeGirl Campaign

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iSchoolAfrica received a grant from the Public Affairs Section of the United States (U.S.) Embassy. Through the youth press team programme, learners were empowered to combat gender based violence. iSchoolAfrica’s innovative youth campaign inspired, trained and mentored youth to create and share their own call to action campaigns and films. The programme enabled youth to develop 21st century skills for them to be heard as they contributed to positive social change in their own communities.

The campaign culminated in a one day expo with a series of empowerment focused talks, with 200 youth from PEPFAR target areas. The event created a space for delegates to network around initiatives to address GBV. The dialogue was robust and relevant, highlighting the impact of the media in changing behaviours and attitudes and encouraging the delegates to become Media Change Makers.

#GirlSafe campaign won the New Generation Gold Award for the best online strategy of the year.

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#NextUp ChangeMakers

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NextUp is an organisation that supports young learners to successfully bridge the transition from high school into post-school training and work. In partnership with NextUp, the programme was launched to give NextUp youth a voice and the skills to succeed in today’s digital world. Media teams were set up to create videos that talk to important social issues.

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