On Indonesia's National Children’s Day, youngsters in Jakarta were introduced to a new, modern, channel to voice their opinions.
Marking the day on Saturday, the UN Children’s Fund launched the “Voice Box", a room where anyone can record a 60-second message and have it uploaded to YouTube.
The Voice Box, a white, glass-panelled room on the second floor of Plaza Senayan in South Jakarta, with “Unicef” emblazoned in gold on its front, looks deceivingly small. Inside, aside from the Unicef information desk, is a room with a camera, voice recorder and a touch-screen computer.
Unicef Indonesia representative Angela Kearney said the vision for Voice Box was to create a nation of children who had a voice and the opportunity to voice their views.
In Kearney’s own Voice Box message, she invited others to come and share their views on the future of Indonesia.
“As individual people we may only have a voice that is very small, but when we speak together it is a sound that becomes universal. I ask you please come forward and speak with us,” Kearney said.
Airing issues
Nuraini Razak, Unicef Indonesia’s communication specialist, said she hoped the Voice Box would be a place where young people could express their opinions freely and “air issues that need to be heard.”
Nuraini said the Voice Box took advantage of the social media storm sweeping the nation. It was donated by Plaza Senayan, Wi-Fi hotspot provider Biznet, outsourcing services provider KPSG and retail store Columbia.
Among the first to record messages at the Voice Box were Ferry Salim, a Unicef ambassador since 2004, singer Denada Tambunan and Miss World Indonesia 2005 Imelda Fransisca. Ferry said that small ideas like the Voice Box could help bring about big changes.
“It’s about doing something,” he said. “I tell the children ‘you have the right to be number one.’ ”
During National Children’s Day, Unicef also announced the latest idol to join their cause — musician Yovie Widianto, who was named the organization’s new champion for children in the music industry. Yovie said he wanted to inspire youth to dream big through music.
“Music is a language beyond country or culture,” he said.
He said one of the biggest issues faced by Indonesian children was how to deal with a range of different cultures.
“It makes them prone to thinking difference is a big deal. But it’s not,” he said.
Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar, the minister for women’s empowerment and child protection, presented awards to three young people for their dedication in pushing for social change.
UNICEF Voice Box
REPORTING FOR THE JAKARTA GLOBE AUT journalism graduate Corazon Miller is now in Indonesia working on an internship with the Jakarta Globe. This is her first story. She is sponsored by the Asia New Zealand Foundation in association with the Pacific Media Centre and its Asia-Pacific Journalism studies programme. Watch for more stories by Cory.
Corazon Miller
