NOTICE TO THE PRESS (Archive)
Worldwide Democracy Blog Contest Launched to Complement Democracy Video Challenge
CONTACT INFO: Nick Yeo, Development & Communications Manager, TakingITGlobal
Phone: +1-416-977-9363
E-Mail: nick@takingitglobal.org
NEW YORK - October 28, 2008 – TakingITGlobal’s Youth Media Exchange project has launched the Democracy Blog Contest to complement efforts and get young people’s ideas flowing for the Democracy Video Challenge. Like the Democracy Video Challenge, ymex.org asks its young members to create blogs completing the statement "Democracy is…" These blogs will be shared on ymex.org, tagged with the word “democracy” and then automatically entered into the contest as well as the global dialogue on democracy.
The Democracy Blog Contest is accepting submissions until United States Election Day, November 4, 2008. It is open to young people from around the world. Entries must be in English (translations are accepted). The two winners selected by the TakingITGlobal team will receive $100 Amazon.com gift certificates and will be featured in the spotlight on www.ymex.org
"It is our hope that by running the Democracy Blog Contest in parallel to the Democracy Video Challenge, young people’s voices will be increasingly infused into the conversation on democracy,” says Natalie Rodic, ymex.org Project Manager. “For many young people, taking the initial step of expressing their opinion on democracy happens with writing blogs which are essentially essays in digital form. Ideally they will then be inspired to add on to their ideas with a visual element - translating their words and concepts into digital video. A lot is happening there – increased civic engagement as well as enhanced digital media literacy skills."
Youth Media Exchange (www.ymex.org), an online social network where youth use digital media to share information on major global issues, is the ideal platform for bloggers and digital video creators to further expose their work as well as connect with their viewers and engage in critical discussions on the topic of democracy. All media submitted to the website and tagged with the word “democracy” will be featured on an “Issues” page which links to a Discussion Board Forum on democracy as well.
About TakingITGlobal
TakingITGlobal is an international organization - led by youth and empowered by technology. TakingITGlobal connects
youth around the world to find inspiration, information and get involved in improving their local and global communities.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with a growing worldwide presence, the organization's flagship program
TakingITGlobal.org, serves as the most popular online community for young people interested in connecting across
cultures and making a difference, with hundreds of thousands of visitors each month. TakingITGlobal works with global
partners – from UN agencies to major companies and especially youth organizations – to build the capacity of youth for
development, artistic and media expression, make education more engaging, and involve young people in global
decision-making. For more information, please contact Nick Yeo, Development & Communications Manager, at nick@takingitglobal.org or +1-416-977-9363.
About Youth Media Exchange (www.ymex.org)
Ymex.org is a new online space for youth to explore global issues by exchanging digital media that they have created
or that exists elsewhere on the web. Ymex.org was created especially for young people from all over the world with the
goal of increasing intercultural dialogue and collaboration, as well as improving digital media literacies for the 21st
century in fun and spontaneous ways. The media pieces featured on ymex.org are all submitted by members, are
mostly youth-created, and address a wide range of global and social issues. All aspects of ymex.org are fully
participatory, generated by the community's contributions, and are designed to enable peer-to-peer learning and
collaboration. This website offers a unique way for youth activists and media producers (or those aspiring to be!) to
interact and showcase their passion for social change and global issues.
