The 7th World Summit on Media for 21stCentury Children was hosted by Malaysia in September 8 to 10, 2014. The Summit was organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and the World Summit on Media for Children Foundation and hosted by Radio Television Malaysia (RTM). Too many producers, broadcasters, media regulators, educators and community leaders committed to the improvement of quality media for children. It provided the chance for media professionals to see how children see the media, use technologies and envisage their future. 3 of CIFEJ members took part in the event :

Ms. Firdoze Bulbulia as moderator and speaker

Ms. Hania Asgari as delegate

Ms. Elham Shirvani as delegate

Pre-Summit Day

The 8 of Sep. was the pre-summit day in which 7 work shops were held. The titles of the workshops were:

Strong Stories for Strong children Writing appealing educational program proposals for television Working with kids Children’s media at the core of public service media in a multiplatform era Social media: advent of a new play ground An in-depth case study: From a TV documentary to feature animation films Media and children’s rights in the digital age  

Summit Program

Day 1:The summit started in Sep. 9 with the opening ceremony which included :

Welcome address by Dr. Patricia Edgar, founder of WSMC Keynote address by YABhg. Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, patron of 7th WSMC 2014 Launching 7th WSMC 2014: Performanced by Aank PERMATA Seni Koir, Atilia and Caprice

WSMC Theme song : We All Will

EMCEE by Associate Prof. Martin Hadlow, Secretary-General, AMIC

Then it continued with the following sessions:

Potential for Media to Transform Children’s Education

This session analysed how the media could contribute to the education and development of children. The speakers focused on the use of media as an instrument for transforming education and for catering to the needs of the children who are the global citizens of the future.

Kids 3.0: Living in a digital world

This session addressed how digital media environments would shape children’s minds and behavior. What do children watch? How do they engage with digital media? The speakers focused on patterns of accessing content from multiple platforms, children’s engagement with new media tools and the potential to use new media for children’s development.

Digital Age Storytelling: The everlasting Power of a Good Story

Despite digital innovations and technological advancements, good story telling remains the most important aspect of programming. This session showcased some of the world’s most innovative multimedia content that engages and inspires children and explored how storytelling could be educational and entertaining.

Programming for Children across all Platforms

Children of the digital age are early adopters of technological innovations. This session analysed how new and different programming formats could be effectively employed in a multimedia environment and how they cater to the needs of diverse younger audiences.

 

Bridging the Global Media Divide for Children

In this session different models around the world that produce and deliver content to children who have little or no access to the media were showcased.

 

Showcase: Social Media use by Young Children, Tweens andTeens – Best Practice in Social Media

This session turned the spotlight on the use of social media among young children and teenagers. The speakers examined current trends and explored examples of best practice in engaging this target group. It also addressed the use of emerging

technologies by children, adolescents and their educators.

 

The first day was finished with the Romanian Radio National Orchestra concert.

 

Day 2:In 10th of September, the second day of the summit continued with the following sessions:

 

Raising the Profile of Children’s Media

The increasing involvement of major stakeholders in media - including government and policy makers – should create a higher profile for children’s programming in television and on radio. In this session the challenges and opportunities for enhancing children’s programming as an important genre in mainstream media were addressed.

 

Showcase: Best Practice in using Media for Education

Some best practices employed by media for children as active learners were showcased in this session and focused on the challenges in improving media literacy. It also explored how media could assist educators in reaching out to children with special needs.

 

Media Law, Policy and Children’s Privacy

Some of the eminent media professionals and regulators addressed children’s privacy issues within the framework of media law and national policies.

 

Media Violence, Stereotyping and Advertising – Comparative

Perspectives of Adults and Kids

A panel of adults and young people shared their perspectives on violence in the media, advertising and media stereotyping aimed at children.

 

Best Practices in Interactive Media - Television, Gaming, Mobile and Online

This session examined the creative and ethical guidelines in producing interactive content for children. It also showcased some of the best examples of creating such content.

 

Funding Children’s Content: Challenges and Opportunities

Creating content for 21st Century children needs adequate funding. Most content creators depend on international and national funding sources to produce such content. This session explored different models of funding media - from those used by governments to commercial media and entrepreneurial models and analysed the challenges and opportunities of each in creating appropriate and compelling media for children.

 

Media, Social Responsibility and Children

This session addressed how media can increase awareness and plays an active and responsible role in making a difference in some of the most difficult issues that children around the world face: AIDS, poverty, obesity, child labour, trafficking and violence.

 

CLOSING SESSION: PLENARY

It was a wrap-up session moderated by experts encouraging participants to share their ideas and perspectives.

 

CLOSING CEREMONY

There was a report on the conference & adoption of Conference Declaration, although it was postponed to some days later in order to use given suggestions in the Declaration. Then all the guests were invited to take part in a live show in RTM TV Channel after the dinner.

The next World Summit will be held in Switzerland in 2017. It will be hosted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and Keynes Turkey.