WORKING PAPER



OF




NIGERIAN YOUTH-MEDIA FORUM

















BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Young people ages 18 to 35 are over higher percentage of total population of Nigerian citizenry. Many of them are already making earnest contribution to their self-development whereby harnessing government contribution for national development, this initiative should be further published, acknowledged and strengthened.

Increasingly, youth are recognized as key pointers to any nation growth, decision-making and development, as reflected in the out growing presence of youth-serving NGOs, Social clubs and youth-led community driven initiatives in Nigerian. However, building capacity of and creating sustainable partnership with young people, government allies and stakeholders in youth development are crucial.

There is a process to be engage and that is “Youth-Media partnership.” The concept of Youth-Media is very unpopular to Nigeria media and society at large. Media as a sociological phenomenon which has contributed immensely to youth and socio-economic development of any nation should be engaged.

The term “media” is used to refer to all forms of written, spoken and printed communications. The mass media however, is used to refer to those forms of the media that are designed to reach a very large audience. The media exists to educate, inform, and entertain. There is a diverse range of types of media which are produced in a wide range of different languages. Types of media include print media such as newspaper and magazine; electronic media such as radio, television and the internet as well as traditional forms such as drama, music, dance and community theatre.

The degree of independence and accessible of the media varies between countries, in this context the mass media have a powerful influence on our Young people; over how and what they think act and shape their perceptions about particular issues and influence on issues are perceived to be important in contributing to their self development and national growth, therefore media has the power to affect them by harnessing their existing mechanisms for participation in development policy.

In line with the above literature, there is an urgent need to make Youth-Media partnership more popular in Nigeria by engaging the media to showcase what the Nigerian youths are doing in and outside the continent as it currently exist in, developed countries which youth are directly involved and affected by the development process through media and to provide “Active participation” of all stakeholders in the process of youth development.