How youth drive change 7th UNESCO YOUTH FORUM 17‐20 October 2011

YOUTH BLOGGERS/

AFRICA

Jennifer EHIDIAMEN

Jennifer is a tech savvy committed to working for positive change. She reports at Global Press Institute and freelances as a Feature Editor at Celebrating Progress Africa (CP‐Africa.com). Jennifer is committed to exploring and using the media as an advocacy tool for youth development and empowerment. In 2010, she received the LEAP Africa Nigerian Youth Leadership Award for her work as an outstanding Nigerian youth leader. Jennifer lives in Lagos, Nigeria and blogs at www.youthmakingchange.blogspot.com

Doudou‐Bienvenu KAJANGU Democratic Republic of the Congo

Doucou‐Bienvenu is a multimedia journalist based in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is the founder and Editor‐in‐ chief of MOSAIC, a newspaper on youth in the sub‐region of the African Great Lakes. He is a professional journalist. He was the head of programmes at a local radio station for 3 years before working as a Media Producer for "Search For Common Ground," a U.S. international organization in which he worked for the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Communications Officer in international NGOs, he is currently a correspondent in East DR Congo for the television channel TV 50. Since 2009, he has blogged at http://congoblog.net, http://mutaani.com and on his own blog http://doudoukajangu.blogspot.com in which he tells the everyday life of the people of Bukavu, and calls on policymakers to be more involved in the search for peace and social development.

ARAB STATES

Hend SALLAM

Hend is a writer and a blogger. She believes in the power of writing. She has been writing at “BIKYA MASR” International News Website. She has reported on various topics like women’s status in Egypt, religion, and politics. Being a political activist, she has also been reporting on the Egyptian revolution since its outbreak. She was a member of the Multimedia Committee in the Model of American congress, Cairo University. Besides reporting, she is interested in writing opinion pieces which can contribute to changing the course of ongoing incidents, correct misperceptions, and create a real change in her society and the whole world.

Ali FAKHRY Lebanon

Ali is a Lebanese writer born in Africa, journalist and full time human rights/political activist. Head of the media department at the Anti Racism Movement & at The Royal Danish Embassy, he is also the Co‐Founder of Youth Against Normalization and the Anti‐Racism Movement. He was selected by Lee Commerc De Levant as one of the Top 10 influential bloggers in Lebanon. This social and new media expert is eager to see democratic change across the world.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Kounila KEO Cambodia

Kounila has recently graduated in Media and Communication and is a multimedia journalist based in Cambodia. She has four years of experience in print and broadcast . She has reported on Cambodian politics, the economy, corruption, challenges for youth, the Khmer Rouge tribunal and other social issues. She is currently freelancing for Agence France Presse and different media outlets both in and outside Cambodia. Kounila has attended workshops and conferences on traditional and new media in Asia, America and Europe. Besides writing and blogging, Kounila has also given blog training to students and professionals in her country. She also blogs about various issues in Cambodia at www.blueladyblog.com. Social media is her new found passion and medium to reach out to the world.

Rajneesh BHANDARI

Rajneesh is a multimedia journalist based in Nepal with six years of experience in broadcast journalism. He currently works with Kantipur Television, one of the popular television networks in Nepal for which he reports on corruption, the peace process, conflict, and crime in Nepal. He is also a freelance writer and producer for different Asian and international media outlets. Recently, he was awarded KTV’s journalist of the year (2010‐2011) award for his investigative stories on diplomatic passport scams. Additionally, he is Transparency International’s young anti‐corruption journalist reporting on the 14th International Anti‐Corruption Conference held in Thailand.

EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA

Martina CASTIGLIANI Italy

Martina is a 24‐year old student and journalist. She is currently studying in Paris, at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales with focus on a research project on Iran. She is also a journalist working for different newspaper in Italy: la Gazzetta di Reggio, Il Venerdì di Repubblica, Il Fatto Quotidiano.it, Nigrizia, malitalia.it. She is one of the creators of the first participative web magazine based in Naples and writes about young people, the North and South of Italy, and mafia issues. Last summer, she worked as Editor‐in‐Chief for the web magazine "L'Oeil de l'Exilé", the weekly magazine of the “Maison des Journalistes”, where journalists are hosted as political refugees and protected while they try to rebuild their life. She loves journalism and that's what she would like to do for the rest of her life. And yes, she is a typical Italian girl: she loves pizza, pasta and caffè.

Andrew BURTON USA

Andrew is a photojournalist with a degree in journalism from Syracuse University. Most recently, he covered South Sudan’s independence, the Egyptian revolution, and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. He has also photographed the Vancouver and Beijing Olympics, completed a fellowship with the Carnegie and Knight Foundation, and interned at The Oregonian, Bloomberg News and The Post‐Standard. His work has been honored with multiple awards from the Hearst Foundation, Society of Professional Journalists and College Photographer of the Year. He was a student at Eddie Adams XXII. His work has been published in and distributed through Getty Images, the Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Newsweek, USA Today, CNN, MSNBC, Dateline, The Today Show, The Oregonian, Chicago Sun Times, AM New York and Syracuse Post Standard, amongst others. Burton is most interested in political and social movements around the globe.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Laura GARCIANDIA Cuba/

Laura was born in Havana, Cuba. Her passions include journalism and social work. Currently she is working in news production for Grupo Televisa, in Mexico City, and is an active member of the "Vanguardia Network" of EVAC. In this context, through AGENTS 360, Laura has become a "digital reporter" along with 200 other Latin‐American youth working on different initiatives in their communities. In particular, she helps migrants in the Mexican‐ American border, exposing the problems faced by them during their journey with the help of social networks ("AYUDALOS A LLEGAR"). She is also working on a documentary entitled "MENTE LIBRE", about the link between art and inmates in Mexican penitentiaries. Laura firmly believes that thanks to social networks all projects are possible, as there are no borders and we all become citizens of the world.

Miguel SOFFIA

Miguel is 24 years old. He completed a degree in Documentary Filmmaking at the “Escuela de Cine de Chile” in 2010, and has since been recognized in various international festivals as a director of short films. He has produced, recorded and/or written documentaries for channels such as BBC Panorama, Discovery Channel, BBC This World, TVN Chile and Al Jazeera. He has always been involved in independent media, working for radio stations and newspapers, as well as actively blogging. Nowadays, as a means of engaging society to tackle social challenges through the medium of film, he is working on an independent documentary about the Chilean miners’ accident.