World Summit on Media for Children Foundation - Global
Established in 1999, The World Summit On Media For Children Foundation is a not-for-profit public company incorporated in Victoria, Australia whose objectives are to encourage and promote the World Summit movement. Held every 3 years, the World Summit on Media for Children is a global movement for the development and improvement of media for children. As part of these events, producers, broadcasters, and regulators of media for children and other professionals and community leaders committed to the improvement of quality media for children gather in an effort to:
The World Summit On Media For Children Foundation oversees the process by which specific countries and organisations are given the right to hold World Summits on Media for Children. Its objects are to encourage and promote the World Summit, select host organisations for future World Summits, and help those organisations raise funds for and prepare for the World Summit. The Foundation is not a source of funding; any World Summit has to be self-financing. For each World Summit, countries wishing to be considered as hosts participate in a "tender proposal".
The World Summit movement was inaugurated with the First World Summit in Australia in 1995, hosted by the Australian Children's Television Foundation. There have been 3 World Summits since 1995; each has focussed on different issues in children's media to collectively encompass television, radio, and new media. Inspired by the World Summits, regional summits and forums have also occurred since 1995 and form part of the World Summit movement. Material from past summits is shared online via the World Summit on Media for Children Foundation website; it includes transcripts of sessions, research outcomes, final reports, and charters and declarations.
The Fourth World Summit on Media for Children is to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from April 19-23 2004. The City of Rio is supporting the summit, which will be organised by MultiRio and Midiativa. "Children in the Media Age" is the guiding theme for this summit, which includes the right of children and teenagers to quality media in television, video, film, Internet, computer games, radio, or children's publications. There is a separate website dedicated to this summit.
Research is central to the Foundation's work. The International Research Forum on Children and Media (IRFCAM) was established at the 1995 World Summit as an initiative of the Australian Broadcasting Authority. The forum promotes awareness of the need for research into children and the media, stimulating research as an aid to policy making. It aims to encourage the exchange and collaboration of international research. As an example of one specific initiative, the Second IRFCAM was held in Sydney in 2000. Participants from over 55 countries focussed on 4 main themes: youth production and consumption of media; globalisation and socialisation; policy and regulation of media for young people; and approaches to research methodologies. The Third IRFCAM will take place as an opening event for the 2004 World Summit. Organised by the Media Research Institute from Argentina, this event will promote discussions on a diversity of research and policy issues in all areas of the media.
- achieve a greater understanding of developments in children's television around the world.
- raise the status of children's programming.
- draw the attention of key players in broadcasting to the importance of issues relating to children.
- promote a charter of guiding principles in children's television.
- ensure that the provision of programmes for children will be guaranteed as the communications revolution proceeds.
- work in the developing world to provide opportunities for quality children's programming in the future.
The World Summit On Media For Children Foundation oversees the process by which specific countries and organisations are given the right to hold World Summits on Media for Children. Its objects are to encourage and promote the World Summit, select host organisations for future World Summits, and help those organisations raise funds for and prepare for the World Summit. The Foundation is not a source of funding; any World Summit has to be self-financing. For each World Summit, countries wishing to be considered as hosts participate in a "tender proposal".
The World Summit movement was inaugurated with the First World Summit in Australia in 1995, hosted by the Australian Children's Television Foundation. There have been 3 World Summits since 1995; each has focussed on different issues in children's media to collectively encompass television, radio, and new media. Inspired by the World Summits, regional summits and forums have also occurred since 1995 and form part of the World Summit movement. Material from past summits is shared online via the World Summit on Media for Children Foundation website; it includes transcripts of sessions, research outcomes, final reports, and charters and declarations.
The Fourth World Summit on Media for Children is to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from April 19-23 2004. The City of Rio is supporting the summit, which will be organised by MultiRio and Midiativa. "Children in the Media Age" is the guiding theme for this summit, which includes the right of children and teenagers to quality media in television, video, film, Internet, computer games, radio, or children's publications. There is a separate website dedicated to this summit.
Research is central to the Foundation's work. The International Research Forum on Children and Media (IRFCAM) was established at the 1995 World Summit as an initiative of the Australian Broadcasting Authority. The forum promotes awareness of the need for research into children and the media, stimulating research as an aid to policy making. It aims to encourage the exchange and collaboration of international research. As an example of one specific initiative, the Second IRFCAM was held in Sydney in 2000. Participants from over 55 countries focussed on 4 main themes: youth production and consumption of media; globalisation and socialisation; policy and regulation of media for young people; and approaches to research methodologies. The Third IRFCAM will take place as an opening event for the 2004 World Summit. Organised by the Media Research Institute from Argentina, this event will promote discussions on a diversity of research and policy issues in all areas of the media.
Development Issues
Children, Youth.
Key Points
According to the Foundation, "The World Summit movement was conceived by Dr Patricia Edgar and presented to a Round Table meeting hosted by PRIX JEUNESSE in May 1993. It was recognised that television programming for children was changing and under threat in a variety of ways, and could no longer remain a domestic issue if it was to survive with the values and objectives to which professionals in the industry aspire."
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