“It’s because I have something I want to say, and I want my voice to be heard!”
That is by far the most common answer when participants in Global Dialogues contests (http://globaldialogues.org/contests/overview/) – over 250,000 young people from 80 countries so far – are asked why they took part.
In the Global Dialogues writing contests, young people across the world speak out by creating stories for short films about important social issues.
The contests are a unique opportunity for young people to break the ice on subjects and share their views with others – including members of their own family – often for the first time in their lives.
Participants (http://globaldialogues.org/blog/introducing-nancy-saili-of-zambia-interview-and-contest-winning-poem/) create fictional stories or tell true stories that they have experienced and want people to know about. All the stories are studied by juries who not only select the winners, but also gain a much deeper understanding of young people’s thoughts and feelings. The jurors’ main job is to listen and to learn from young people; they then share that new knowledge with key decision makers.
Winning ideas are turned into Global Dialogues films (https://www.youtube.com/globaldialogues) by some of the planet’s premier directors and by emerging cinema talents, reaching over 200,000,000 people online and on TV every year.
Voices heard, loud and clear!
We hope that you will consider participating either by creating stories yourself or – if you’re over 24 – supporting young people in their efforts and spreading the word about the Global Dialogues contests.
Thank you!