It is crucial to prepare young people in Mali to critically navigate the increasing use of social media, online platforms, fake news, and hate speech, which can be misleading and detrimental to human rights, democracy, and good governance. To address this, JHR has initiated education and awareness programs for young people in the Bamako district, encouraging active citizenship, civic responsibilities, and the fight against fake news.
The first session of these educational and awareness activities took place at the University of Bamako Unit of the Catholic University of West Africa (UCAO-UUBA) with 36 students, the majority of whom were girls, from the first year of a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication. Participants shared positive feedback, expressing increased awareness and understanding of their rights and duties as citizens.
I did not expect such a session. It created awareness in me.
Sitan Founé SOW, a participant in the session
This educational session will be useful to me in the future because I understood several things such as the rights and duties of a citizen.
Michel DARA, a young participant, reassured
The students also proposed various causes to champion, including advocating for social equality, defending the rights of young girls, and protecting the rights of widowed women and orphaned children. The program aims to reach at least 250 young people through five educational sessions by the end of November, targeting Youth Spaces, Community Centers, and Schools in the Bamako district.
In 2023, JHR conducted 12 educational sessions in partnership with the Press Forum, reaching 299 young people, including 191 girls, as part of the project “Amplifying women’s voices through the media in the context of transition and reforms in Mali,” with the support of NED.
