Since 2003, the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, through its Kidz Radio training projects, has been working to transform the vision of the African Children’s Charter into reality by developing training for children’s media. This 167-page handbook tells the story of this journey, through the voices of the children themselves, as well as the experiences of the professional media practitioners and children's organisations.

The handbook seeks to encourage everyone to look at the world from the perspective of kids, and to visualise themselves in children’s situations. It is designed to give facilitators of children’s radio programmes insight into children’s perceptions as they work together to create their own programmes. According to the authors, the book is reader-friendly, with pictures, text, and references combined to give a new perspective on current trends in children's radio in South Africa.

Each chapter of the handbook covers a different area on creating and producing kids radio:

• Chapter 1 focuses on the story of the Kidz Radio Project and its vision; children's radio in South Africa (case studies and examples); and international children's radio initiatives.
• Chapter 2 is designed as a market-place of ideas for kids, mentors, and teachers who work in the field of children's participation. It includes tips from Kidz Radio participants; tips from older people; thoughts on participation and power-sharing; and guidelines on how to create a healthy environment for learning.
• Chapter 3 explores a range of activities that facilitators can use in Kidz Radio training. This includes confidence-building games and energisers; activities to release creativity; role plays; and tools for teaching children interview skills, presentation techniques, and "writing for the ear."
• Chapter 4 discusses the most popular formats in children’s radio: magazine shows (including drama, storytelling, interviews, radio diaries, jokes, and phone-ins) and news (how to report the stories that matter most to young people in the community).
• Chapter 5 is a library of articles, toolkits, handbooks, and websites about children's radio - not just in South Africa, but in other parts of the world too.

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English

Media Development & Diversity Agency website on February 13 2009.