UNESCO's Academy for Young Women, II-nd Edition
Article published on 10-05-2019
The National Commission of Romania for UNESCO is organizing in Bucharest, between 13-18th of May, the II-nd edition of UNESCO’s Academy for Young Women, on the topic “Mass media as a tool for women's empowerment.” The project, which is organized with the support of UNESCO and in partnership with Burda - Romania editorial group, will generate, as well, a collaboration with the Romanian National Television (TVR), the European Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations (EFUCA), and the current Youth Delegates of Romania to the United Nations.
Following the success of the first edition of UNESCO's Academy for Young Women, held in August 2017, which concluded with a series of ideas for prospective projects, the organizers' attention headed towards mass – media, due to its capability to raise awareness, influence broad categories of people, alleviate stereotypes, and model mentalities. At the previous edition, participants had the opportunity to address the following question: "what can I do in my community and in my country in order to help solve women's problems and bring about a change for the better?" After two years, the organizers find that the question is just as current and resume it, targeting the field of journalism of various types, resorting to non-formal learning methods and experimental learning. This time, 25 young journalists from 10 European countries will attend courses and practical workshops on journalism, photography and social media, with specialized trainers.
Why did we select this theme? Because in all European countries there are laws and institutions that aim to ensure gender equality and equal opportunities for men and women alike. Nevertheless, statistics show that there is still a lot to be done to guarantee the proper implementation of those provisions, with the purpose of diminishing the stereotypes related to the woman's role in society and make sure women can fully exploit their talent, training, the ability to dialogue, and potential.
In the spirit of the UN/UNESCO regulations and recommendations that place gender equality between the priorities of today's world and as a factor of progress in humanity over the next decade, the initiators count on the enthusiasm and talent of young journalists to identify policy approaches that will open new windows to a future in which women will have a more prominent voice in society, will be valued for their contribution, and will be involved in the decision-making processes at the local and national levels.
A UNESCO Academy magazine will finally synthesize the contributions and ideas of the participants.
Not least, the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO supports through this project the plea for gender equality that our country is promoting during its current mandate at the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Project coordinator: Ms. Daniela Popescu, expert NCR UNESCO
dpopescu@cnr-unesco.ro
