The programme aims to provide youths with the skills and the platform to share their stories with those who do not have access to Information Communication Technologies.
The first group of graduates were lauded at a recent ceremony in Harare. The guest of honour, European Union Ambassadord Aldo Dell’ Ariccia, hailed the MCZ training initiative and pledged EU support for the programme, which is also funded by Free Press Unlimited. Participants are taught to use an application called StoryMaker on their mobile phones and to use high technology devices and applications that enable the development and editing of short mobile videos.
The MCZ believes young people will derive benefits from uncensored information about and from different localities in Zimbabwe and from engaging with local communities in discussions and issues that directly affect them. “Over the past few years, the spread of mobile telephony in Zimbabwe, aided by the advent of the Internet, has occurred with astonishing speed. This has created unprecedented opportunities for the exchange of, and access to, information as well as active engagement of citizens in democratic practices in Zimbabwe,” MCZ said.