“The Youth Media & Communication Initiative (YMCI) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation actively engaged in developing the involvement of children and youth in the media. YMCI equips children and youth from 10 to 18 years with media and communication skills on child rights, gender, conflict resolution, HIV/AIDS, environment, globalisation, leadership, and development to cope with living in a multi-ethnic and multicultural society, thus laying the foundation for social justice for future generations of Nigerians.
It is open to every Nigerian child/youth irrespective of religious affiliation, language or social background. YMCI aims to provide an opportunity for them to examine the country, its strength and shortcomings in a congenial atmosphere devoid of the tribal and religious tensions that have dogged Nigeria since independence.
The common purpose and focus for all participants in YMCI activities will be how to empower themselves to build a future that will give Nigerians equal opportunities. YMCI will provide a level playing field for children and youth in every nook and cranny of Nigeria. Our agenda is not to teach children and youth to become journalists, but to train them as agents for social mobilization and social change; to develop their capacity for effective communication and self-expression so that they can positively impact their schools, communities and society.
By fostering the culture of dialogue and debate among children and youth, YMCI hopes to develop a better appreciation of diversity, peaceful co-existence and national integration to enable young people play an active role in democracy and development. YMCI will initiate dialogue and collaboration between media practitioners and young people. It will train children and youth to develop media literacy skills to evaluate and respond to the media for a more informed and empowered citizenry. By adding children and youth voices to the regular mix of mainstream media, YMCI will ensure accurate, relevant and fair representation of issues that affect young people and their communities.”
