· April, 2012

Stories about Youth from April, 2012

Colombia: 12-Year-Old Boy Bullied at School Dies

  30 April 2012

A 12 year old who had been bullied for defending a classmate passed away last week. Although forensics ruled the cause of death was bone infection, his mother and some physicians rejected the ruling and claim bullying was the ultimate cause of the boy's death. Colombian netizens react to the boy's death.

Angola: Youth Demonstration Against Alcoholism Violently Repressed

  28 April 2012

According to Facebook reports, today's youth demonstration against alcoholism, prostitution and domestic violence (April 28), was violently repressed, informed [pt] the blog Angola Resistente. On April 23, an opinion article [pt] from Makuta Nkondo stated that in a year of elections, the ruling party since 1975, MPLA, organizes “food and drinks...

Bulgaria: “Big Change Begins With Small Steps”

  26 April 2012

Various blogs [bg] and mainstream media [bg] were telling [bg] about a student initiative held in the capital city of Sofia on April 24. Many students and members of diverse youth organizations planted trees in the badly-maintained Studentski Grad (“Students City”), a welcome citizen initiative where the leitmotiv was “Big change...

Peru: The Festival of the Peruvian Cajon

  26 April 2012

The Peruvian Cajon is a very commonly used instrument in Afro-Peruvian music and Peruvian music in general. The fifth anniversary of the Cajon Festival took place this year and it was a complete success, particularly for the activity known as "La Cajoneada" that was able to gather more than 1,400 cajon players, which beat its own previous Guiness Record.

Accused of Molesting Children, Iranian Diplomat Leaves Brazil

  25 April 2012

An Iranian diplomat based in the capital of Brazil, Brasilia, was accused of molesting underage girls at a swimming pool on April 14, 2012. While Iran's embassy denied the allegations, and said they were the result of a "cultural misunderstanding", netizens both from Iran and Brazil didn't take long to react.

Ecuador: Refugee Women and Girls Turning to Sex Work

  24 April 2012

A video documentary examines the situation with Colombian women who had to migrate across the border into Ecuador due to violence. In many cases, without being able to gain legal employment, the women and their underage daughters find themselves turning to sex-work to make a living.

Jordan: New Website for Short Stories

Project Pen is an initiative to promote short story writing by Arabs and “encourage a new generation of writers, creating new kinds of stories, for a new kind of readership”. By sharing stories across social media, and by connecting writers with each other, Project Pen intends to bypass traditional publishing...

Nigeria: Nigerian Bloggers and Tweeps #SavedOke

  18 April 2012

Nigerian bloggers fought for the legs and life of diabetic youth #Oke and won the battle to keep him alive through social media advocacy. The successful #SaveOke campaign was ignited by some Nigerian bloggers and tweeps – spearheaded by Linda Ikeji to save Oke’s life.

Zambia: On the Ban of Popular Cheap Spirit ‘Sachets’

  17 April 2012

Two years ago, a blogger called for the banning of the sale of very potent alcoholic spirits packaged in 60 ml sachets which have come to be known as “tujilijili”. Whether government officials saw the blogger’s appeal or not, at least the Minister of Local Government and Housing, Professor Nkandu Luo on March 15, 2012 did just that. Zambian netizens weigh in on the government's decision.