DEADLINE APPROACHING: Young voices against poverty: What would you change? Have your say!

The EDD13 video contest 'Young voices against poverty' encourages children and young adults aged between 13 and 24 to make their voices heard in the dialogue on addressing global poverty. The task is to create a short video (120-seconds max.) that showcases visions for the world in 2030 and ideas for eliminating poverty.

There will be four contest winners who will each receive an all-expenses trip to Brussels to attend European Development Days (26-27 November 2013) and have their video screened and made available on the website. The winners will be determined by those videos attracting the highest number of votes on Facebook.

The final deadline for submissions is 1 November 2013 and winners will be announced on 5 November 2013.

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NEWS: Young Reporters 2010 join Brussels’ press pack

Thousands of people marked the occasion of the European Development Days in Brussels in early December 2010. A string of VIPs – from the Belgian heir to the throne to European, Middle Eastern and African premiers – sat in on debates and answered questions about the future of development issues. The key question? Who is going to pay for future development around the world.

Among the participants of course were many journalists, covering various different issues. Together with the usual Brussels media pack, 33 young journalists from all over Europe were also determined to make the most of the occasion. Picked as the winners of the inaugural Young Reporters Against Poverty (YRAP) competition, they won the opportunity to participate after submitting exceptional articles dealing with development and poverty issues as part of the Europe-wide student programme.

During the course of the Development Days, the young reporters were charged with reporting live as the event unfolded. They did so through articles, comments, observations, notes and made films, photos and tweets, all submitted to the unique YRAP online platform.

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Young Reporters Against Poverty 2010, Brussels from European Journalism Centre on Vimeo.

NEWS: Rio 'shanty town reporter' tells her story

Rio 'shanty town reporter' tells her story

Brazilian teenager Mayra Avellar was awarded the Children's Peace Prize in 2008 for organising a protest against drug-related violence in her shanty town. Here she tells how the battle between police and the traffickers affects the lives of people in her community.

I am 17-years old and live in Vila Cruzeiro, one of the shanty towns or favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Vila Cruzeiro is in the north of the city. Around 120,000 people live here and at times it can be a difficult place because of the violence. It hits us when we least expect it.

We are not able to do anything. We cannot go to school, people cannot go to work and we have to stop our lives.

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