Youth Committee on UNESCO Media and Information Alliance

The UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee was formed during the Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2016 Youth Agenda Forum in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as an integral part of the Media and Information Literacy Alliance. Adopting UNESCO’s “youth as leaders” strategy, the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee involves young professionals and youth leaders in fields related to media and information literacy who participate in shaping the global media and information literacy agenda. They do this in partnership with multiple stakeholder groups, including governments, international organizations, youth organizations, youth networks, academic institutions, local associations and communities, NGOs, and private sector organizations.

The UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee aims to enable meaningful and structured youth participation in societies at global, regional, national and local levels. In close collaboration with UNESCO and the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance International Steering Committee (ISC), the Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee:

• Formulates youth programmes and activities, and monitors their implementation;
• Builds capacities of youth on engagement in national, regional and global decision-making processes and their understanding of policy and advocacy mechanisms in the field of media and information literacy;
• Provides expertise to youth in their planning and implementation of media and information literacy -related projects;
• Enhances the leadership of youth and strengthen their participation in media and information literacy -related activities, events and projects;
• Articulates strategic partnerships in eight key development areas identified in the Media And Information Literacy Alliance’s Plan of Action, including facilitating collaboration with youth divisions of other relevant international bodies.

All actions of the UNESCO Media And Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee that involve UNESCO’s name and logo require consultation with and approval of UNESCO.

The UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee consists of the following:

• Global coordinators, overseeing all actions by the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee in consultation with UNESCO and the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance ISC, serving as the Committee’s focal points with UNESCO, the Media and Information Literacy Alliance ISC, the other members of the Youth Committee, including the Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Ambassadors;
• Regional coordinators, Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee’s liaisons and coordinators of its actions in different regions, in cooperation with the Media and Information Literacy Alliance’s Regional Chapters;
• Youth Ambassadors, global champions for Media and Information Literacy and representatives of the Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee;
• Informal networks of operational partners in each country or region, which include a variety of organizations and entities implementing projects at local level.

Global Coordinator:

• Daniel Nwaeze (Nigeria), Media and Communications, Afrika Youth Movement

Regional Coordinators:

Africa

• Victoria Ibiwoye (Nigeria), One African Child
• Robert Chiwamba (Malawi), Sapitwa Poetry

Arab States

• Milouda Biouchou (Morocco), Agency of Digital Development, Government of Morocco
• Shereen Nanish (Jordan), Independent Journalist

Asia and the Pacific

• Cherry Agarwal (India), London School of Economics and Political Science
• Dun Oliver C. Abiera (Philippines), Youth Advocates Building Opportunities and Network in Governance

Europe and North America

• Polen Turkmen (UK), All European Academies
• Rachel Lister (USA), Los Angeles Times

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Abrahim Simmonds (Jamaica), Jamaican Youth Empowerment through Culture, Arts and Nationalism
• Alexandre Amaral (Brazil), Independent Journalist and Filmmaker
• Giannina Raffo (Venezuela), Center for Dissemination of Economic Knowledge for Freedom (CEDICE Libertad)

UNESCO Contact:

• Alton Grizzle, Programme Specialist

Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Ambassadors are part of the strategies to operationalize the Youth Committee globally. The Youth Ambassadors are representatives of the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee; they are champions of Media and Information Literacy from all regions of the world with a mandate to be global leaders of youth empowerment through Media and Information Literacy.

Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Ambassadors act in the interest of the Youth Committee. They are established according to UNESCO’s regional structure. They contribute to advancing Media and Information Literacy at the global, regional, national, and local levels through capacity-building, advocacy, strategic partnerships, and education. They pursue this goal by collaborating with operational partners and stakeholders in each region.

In 2019, 13 Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Ambassadors were appointed by the Media and Information Literacy Alliance Youth Committee.