Stories about Youth from April, 2011
Canada: Indigenous Teens Share their Values on Video Contest
Indigenous teens in four different Canadian communities share their hopes, stories and dreams in a series of short videos in "My Space. My Story" where they speak about things that matter to them as indigenous youth.
Greece: Protesting football fans rampage in Thessaloniki
In an unexpected flareup up of football violence, fans of two local football clubs, Iraklis and PAOK, clashed in the center of Thessaloniki, Greece on April 26, 2011. They attacked storefronts, apartments buildings and parked vehicles, while riot police flooded the downtown area with tear gas.
Honduras to Implement ‘One Laptop Per Child’ Program
RNS in Honduras Politics and Culture says that the plan to give one XO laptop to every child in Honduras “would be ideal for deployment in Honduras.” However, the blogger shows some skepticism: “At the actual cost [$199], the original $3 million investment would buy 15075 XO laptops, not the...
Brazil: School Bullying and the Realengo Massacre
On 7 April 2011, twelve adolescents at the Tasso da Silveira City School in the west of Rio de Janeiro were shot dead. The culprit was ex-pupil, Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, 23, who then turned the gun on himself. The growing speculation about the killer’s profile, in both the blogosphere and traditional media, raised the issue of bullying in Brazilian society.
Taiwan: Lying Girls
After Japan's flying girl, here come Taiwan's lying girls. The Lying Girls will show you a really, totally, different way of viewing Taiwan…Come lie together!
Malaysia: Obesity in schools
Nuraina A Samad from Malaysia reminds authorities that addressing the obesity issue also requires a review of the physical education and fitness programs in schools
Malaysia: “Stateless Children of Sabah”
Anne Baltazar writes about the situation of poor children in Sabah in Malaysia whose migrant parents came from Indonesia and Philippines.
Iran: Students march for better conditions
Several hundred students marched and demonstrated in Amir Kabri University in Tehran for better conditions in recent days. Watch the film here.
Cuba: The “Queen of Incredulity”
1Click2Cuba profiles Claudia Cadelo, “one of the best-known members of the Cuban blogging community.”
India: Challenges Of A Single Working Woman
Neha Saxena at YouthKiAwaaz, a citizen journalism platform for the Indian youth, describes the challenges of a single working Indian woman nearing 30, who have a lot of pressure from the family and society to marry and settle down.
Malaysia: Boot Camp to “Help” Effeminate Boys
Based on their effeminate tendencies, 66 schoolboys from the state of Terengganu in Malaysia were recently sent to a boot camp aimed at "helping them behave in a proper manner". The boys were identified by their schools, who were instructed last year to identify students who displayed feminine qualities. The blogoshere in Malaysia is divided over this issue.
Thailand: Outrage Over Topless Teen Dancing
The buzz in Thailand in the past week was the scandal caused by the topless teen dancers during the Songkran Water Festival (Thai New Year). The photos and videos of the three girls dancing bare breasted immediately went viral and generated intense online debates on the real meaning of Thai culture and morality.
Puerto Rico: Art for a Cause
The digital artist collective UNDOdigital has opened a virtual art gallery [es] for a cause: the proceeds will be donated to the family of Yamil Emanuel, who was born with cancer.
Costa Rica: Climate Change Affecting the Cloud Forest
The Monteverde Now project documents the stories of 11 members of the Monteverde Community through short video interviews where they explain how their life has been transformed and how they are adapting to sustaining their diverse and delicate ecosystem in the face of climate change.
Trinidad & Tobago: Autism Awareness
“It wasn't until 1994 that Asperger's syndrome was officially recognized by the American Psychological Association. Fifty years. T&T's already behind the curve”: Blogging at Outlish, Nicole Greene “hope[s] it doesn't take us another 50 years before we're finally ready to properly support the autistic community among us.”
Colombia: Teen Produced Web Series about Gay Youth
Nineteen year old Jhoncito Arango's most recent web project has certainly caught the local media's eye in his native Colombia, where his web series Yonkis has had a very good reception considering that it tackles a topic that is still considered highly sensitive in this Catholic country: homosexuality.
Azerbaijan: The ‘Terror’ of Tiny Town
Tamada Tales comments on the detention of a small child and her mother at an opposition protest in Baku on Sunday. Captured on video uploaded to YouTube and shared online, the blog wonders what ‘havoc’ could possible be wreaked upon the Azerbaijani capital by the girl.
Central Asia: Ideas and Innovations of BarCamp Central Asia
The fourth educational non-commercial conference for professionals in social media (BarCamp Central Asia) took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 15-17 April, 2011, bringing together journalists and bloggers, IT and media specialists, web-developers and everyone connected with the Internet and new media.
Brunei: Twestival Unites Local Netizens
Brunei's first Twestival event gathered the country's leading bloggers and other netizens in support of the Child Development Centre, a group that provides assistance to children with special needs.
Morocco: Controversy Over International Music Festival
Each year the capital Rabat is the epicenter of a major music festival, Mawazine. Since its modest launch in 2001, Mawazine has grown, and in the last decade has become the top national entertainment gathering. With the backdrop of political protests and calls for change though, controversy is rising in the Moroccan blogosphere around the use of public money for sponsoring the festival.
Nigeria Votes 2011: Opinions From the Polls
Nigerians voted yesterday in the third presidential election since the nation transitioned to civilian rule in 1999. Thus far, the election has widely been declared a success, with only sporadic reports of violence and voting irregularities. News sources reported a large turnout, orderly queues, and voters waiting until polls closed to make sure their votes were counted. Bloggers discuss the experience.
