Stories about Youth from May, 2008
Burkina Faso: Level four culture shock
In The United Kingdom a bit more than a week ago, the Office of National Statistics reported that in the past ten years, nearly two million Britons have moved abroad, making up the second largest emigration in the country’s history. Presently, that means that 5.5 million Britons live in foreign countries. So, what does this have to do with Burkina Faso? It proves a point, a fundamental truth really, about foreigners: They eventually go home. Or at least most of them do. It just happens that in Burkina Faso, a number of foreign bloggers are getting ready to pack up their things and head elsewhere.
Lebanon: Palestinian Children's Exhibition
Lebanese Rania Masri writes about a photography exhibition by the children Palestinian refugees, living in camps in Lebanon. “500 cameras were placed in the hands of 500 children in all the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon,” she explains.
China: 4-years Old Earthquake Pictures
Fang Li from mindmeters posted three pictures drawn by 4-years old children who survived from the Sichuan earthquake.
China: Open Letter to Plainclothes Police
Zeng Jingyan wrote an open letter to plainclothes police demanding them not to harass her neighbors and her kids [zh].
Armenia: Last Bell
Kyle's Journey in Armenia, a Peace Corps Blog, reports on the end of the school year in Armenia. The Last Bell is quite an occasion for graduates of 11th form students and the blog posts photographs and an account from the north-east of the country.
Connecting Cambodian bloggers
Clogger Corner attracts Cambodia bloggers, or preferably known as Cloggers.
Bahamas: Education Consequences
Christopher Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com blogs about the consequences of an ineffective education system, saying: “We are reaping that which we have sown.”
Puerto Rico, U.S.A.: Imagine That Conversation
Puerto Rican blogger Liza asks: “Can you imagine having to talk to your kids about the potential assassination of their father?”, adding: “What people don't get is how deep the wounds of political and social violence run in this country. To have people like Hillary Clinton dismiss political assassination as...
Haiti: In memory of a murdered teenager
La Dous Ki Vyen Pwezi posts in memory of Kareem Gaspard [Fr], a 16 year-old boy who was murdered in Port-au-Prince last Friday. “I've spoken to, smiled at, or shook the hand of so many people who have disappeared this way. Killed. Like dogs.”
China: After the quake, hoping for aid
From inside and outside China, concerned citizens are helping, and putting their hands out to help the victims of the devastating 7.9 in the Richter scale earthquake that leveled out industrial cities, transforming them into refugee camps where people are living under plastic bags, trying to find out their relatives and remake their lives. Four different videos bring us perspectives on how people are dealing with their losses all around the world, and how reaching out to help others could help help ease the pain.
Hong Kong: School Girl Punished for Mean Earthquake Comment
A school girl wrote down her lack of feelings on the Sichuan earthquake in her blog. Netizens found out her identity and she was force to make public apology. Her school also decided give her a demerit. The incident is recorded at evchk [zh]. Yeung Sir (a teacher) wrote at...
Bahamas: Social Breakdown?
Larry Smith at Bahama Pundit believes that the country's escalating violence, especially among youth, “is not crime. It is impending social breakdown.”
Trinidad and Tobago: Shame
As an eight-year-old girl is found dead in a canefield in Trinidad, Coffeewallah says: “They're killing the children…casually, as though they are no more than sand through our fingers”, while Now is Wow Too quotes the anonymous subject of one of her photographs: “We have failed our children. What's going...
Armenia: Youth Activist Beaten
The Armenian Observer reports that a pro-opposition youth activist was yesterday beaten in Yerevan, the Armenian capital. Arsen Kharatyan was called for an interview, but when he arrived at the location for the meeting he was instead attacked from behind. Unzipped comments on speculationthat the beating was probably connected to...
Japan: Mobile Web Access Restriction for Children
Serkan Toto from Asiajin blogs about the Japanese government proposed restriction on mobile web access for children.
China: Sunglasses Gate and Others
ESWN translated an article from my1510.cn on some strange reactions from local government, media and angry youths towards the Sichuan earthquake.
China: Children Protection
Wang Xiaofeng criticized mainstream media practice in interviewing the children earthquake victims as such interviews may have negative impacts on children's psychology [zh].
China: No Corruption in Building Schools
The education ministry has denied corruption in the construction of school buildings in the Sichuan earthquake zone. The comments in Zhaomu's blog showed that no one believed in the official statement [zh].
Africa: Learning by Ear
A new multimedia distance learning programme for Africa in English, Kiswahili, French, Hausa, Portuguese and Amharic: ‘The Learning by Ear program examines the challenges that young Africans face and engages listeners in an informative and entertaining way. The programming is a lively mix of in-depth reports, radio dramas and feature...
Lebanon: Clashes and Babies
Diana, who lives in Dubai and is expecting a baby in two months, is glad to have returned to Lebanon. She explains: “I cried my eyes out when I saw the fierce clashes in Lebanon and thought that I will never manage to come back and that I will be...
Saudi Arabia: Pyschiatric Help for Teachers
Saudi blogger Thamood [Ar] suggests increasing the salaries of teachers because of the harassment they are subjected to from students, who ask repetitive questions. He says the money would go towards paying of psychiatric help the teachers would need.