Nobel Laureate gives children a voice

Imagine a news network that gave a voice to those most often kept silent, a spotlight for those left in the shadows and a forum for those with no place to plead their cause. That is exactly what Betty Williams and the World Centers of Compassion for Children International (WCCCI) are hoping to create with their new campaign, Not in the News Net.

Betty Williams, who attended the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit, will lead this campaign which provides youths who live in conflict situations, are threatened by poverty, diseases, discrimination and human rights violations a chance to have their voices be heard. NTNN will also be a source of inspirational stories of young people making a difference in the world.

Children have long been a focus for Williams and WCCCI. In 1997, they began a campaign to encourage governments around the world to adopt the Universal Declaration of Rights for Children, which Williams drafted. Williams calls young people “our littlest citizens”.

A close friend of Williams, a WCCCI Global Ambassador of Peace and fellow Vancouver Peace Summit participant, Mario Frangoulis spoke with the DLC to share with us a little bit about WCCCI and the Not in the News Net campaign.

DLC: What was the genesis of Not in the News Net?
MARIO FRANGOULIS: One of the key goals of the WCCCI is to impact legislation and increase awareness of the plight of children and families in war-zones throughout the world. Through NTNN, Betty fulfills one of her major goals which is to give a voice to children all over the world. Not just what others interpret them as saying or feeling, but what is reality in their own words. The central idea here is not in the news, those stories that we don't hear in the news. There are thousands of tragic stories, but also inspiring stories of the daily heroes who are never seen or heard. So many of these unsung heroes are children. That is what this effort is all about -- to give them a forum and a place to share their pain, their happiness, their stories, their hopes and their dreams. We have been looking for such a forum for a long time, and are very excited about the potential of this project.

DLC: How involved will the children be in reporting their stories?
MF: The plan is for them to be very involved, and of course, there will be correspondents in several nations throughout the world whose job it will be to make sure that there is at least one daily report that is not in the news that gets published in the country's local language and in English. There will be a central newsdesk to ensure coverage, and we will make sure that these stories get into the news because of a partnership we have forged with a newswire. This is supposed to increase two-way communication between children and the rest of us throughout the world in an open forum where we can begin to create a dialogue on a global scale.

DLC: You mention that there will be a balance of stories of conflict with positive stories. Why is this balance important?
MF: Of course this balance is very important because it isn't all doom and gloom out there. Even in the most dire, difficult circumstances the most amazing things happen, and usually out of sheer determination, courage and of course, love. We always hear about the tragic things that happen in the world, and there isn't enough out there to inspire us and yet there are people -- young and old -- doing amazing things every single day.
As I mentioned earlier, the everyday heroes who get up each and every day and try again. There are beautiful and inspiring stories that show how powerful the human spirit is.

DLC: While Not in the News Net is currently only available in Italian, part of its development includes making it available in several languages. Are there any other developments you are currently undertaking or that you envision undertaking in the future?
MF: After the start-up phase, which we're in right now, the news service which is currently in Italian will be offered in English, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese. Eventually, there will be dedicated services in the native languages of different countries with correspondents in those countries so that we can cover the world's major languages and make this accessible to everyone. The ultimate goal is to be a reference source for international legislation, and in protecting and promoting human rights.

DLC: Anything else you'd like to share about NTNN?
MF: One of the things that Betty often says, and I agree with her, is that children know what is happening most of the time, all around them, and when we live in a world where only adults speak for them and their own voices aren't heard, we aren't really hearing the truth as they see it/experience it. As an artist, and as an Ambassador of Peace for WCCCI, I am proud that the WCCCI has taken on this project, and am excited about the potential we have to create yet another forum for us to bring people together so that we can all focus on how to create a better world for all of us, and especially for children who are our future.