NEWS: Cartoons created by young people address the risk of HIV/AIDS

SOURCE:  UNICEF Moldova

 

Young people from the Video Center (Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) talk to their peers about risks and AIDS through multimedia
 
By Aurelia Guzun, communication consultant

Four cartoons, two videographic films and 44 photos produced by children and young people from Youth Video Center were presented in premiere at the UN House in Chisinau, Moldova,  on 1 December 2004. The event was organized within the â??10 days against HIV/AIDSâ?? communication action organized by UNICEF.

The Video Center was created in 2004 due to the joint efforts of UNICEF Moldova, the municipality of Chisinau and  ARTI Studio NGO. It offers young people a friendly space and advanced multimedia technologies.  40 adolescents and young people have already acquired knowledge and skills on producing cartoons, videographic films, as well as knowledge on issues related to communication, team work, health, responsible behaviour and HIV/AIDS.

Young people tell their peers, through cartoons and photos, about the dangers of high-risk behaviours and protection measures against HIV/AIDS and other risks.

The  young  participants  say  that  they  have  become more open-minded, willing to communicate and sensitive to their peersâ?? problems. Also, they have discovered new ways of expressing their ideas.

Andrei Voica, 16 years old, 10th grade: â??Due to lack of information, a lot of young people consider that smoking and alcohol are nice ways to relax or to solve problems. I think that the information on the radio and TV is insufficient and not all of our peers understand it, this happens because it is not presented to the youngâ??s people understanding. This is why we try to address our peers in another way, an attractive oneâ??.

 

Ion Arama, 16 years old: â??I represent the team that created the cartoon â??The Motelâ?? and I can say that I worked a lot on this film. I had no idea that itâ??s so hard to make an animation film; it took our team of 5 people 5 months to make it. From the idea itself to the final result there is a quite long and difficult way, but still very interesting. We were the play-writers, directors, drawers, animators, editors.  We drew the background and the heroes... One would ask how cartoons are made. In only one second there are 25 scenes running on the screen, each scene is drawn for 4 or 5 times, and scanned for 5 or 6 times...â??
 
â??Iâ??ve became more attentive, since I came to the Centre. I started noticing people on the streetsâ??, Ion says. â??Some people smoke, others take drugs or alcohol. I started asking questions and discussing them with my schoolmates. Two of my classmates are about to quit smoking. I would be proud to know that there is some of my contribution to this decisionâ??.

 

 

 

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Chris Schuepp
Young People's Media Network - Coordinator
c/o ecmc (European Centre for Media Competence)
Bergstrasse 8 / 10th floor
D-45770 Marl
Germany

 

Tel: +49 2365 502480
Mobile: +49 176 23107083
Fax: +49 12 125 125 21981
Email: cschuepp@unicef.org
URL:  www.unicef.org/magic
Mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/youthful-media

 

The YPMN is supported by UNICEF and hosted by the ECMC.

 

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