Young Irish Encouraged To Grasp New Media

Media-savvy young people in Ireland need support to make better use of media, according to an end-of-year report from the Irish Film Institute (IFI).
The 12-13 Project Report by IFI Education was funded by the Broadcasting Authority Ireland.
It reveals high levels of "enthusiasm and engagement" of the 12-13 age group with both new and traditional media, as well as the "wide array of skills" already evident within the demographic. The report also lays down a blueprint for educators to help children develop such skills.
Alicia McGivern, Head of Education at the Irish Film Institute said: "This is a fast moving area but with the growing importance of media platforms in everyone's life and especially as new media is the preferred communication tool for young people in Ireland it's vital that educators find ways of enhancing these skills so they can employ them more creatively and responsibly whilst promoting a culture of online safety.
"The 12-13 Project Report both shows how Irish children are engaging with the media already in day-to day life and developed five pilot projects that worked with local media like Ocean FM and RTÉ, to show how children's enthusiasm can be even more fired up by engaging with the ways in which media content is being created –one of Ireland’s major industries."
Bob Collins, Chairperson of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland said: "Technology has begun to make possible ways of viewing and listening to programming not addressed in current broadcasting legislation. For this reason the BAI recognises the importance of fostering relationships and partnerships with other bodies, such as the IFI, which will further our strategic goal of empowering audiences.
"It is through building competence that audiences can interact with and participate in the media environment, which is why the BAI was particularly pleased to work with IFI Education and to support the '12-13 Project’'."
The 12-13 Project: Media Usage at An In-between Age looked at at the ways in which 12-13 year-olds in Ireland are using the media.
The results showed that the typical Irish 12-13 year-old already has a 3G/Wi-Fi enabled phone used for texting, internet-browsing and social networking. The report said 12-13 year-olds are using YouTube and Facebook, despite restrictions on the the latter through an official age bar to under-13s.
The demographic watches an hour of television a day, while 65 minutes a day is spent playing games consoles games console.
"As this age group is at a key junction in their education – moving from primary to secondary school, media skills can facilitate this transition to new subjects, new learning styles and situations," the IFI said.
"It's hoped that the report will continue to impress upon the Department of Education, teacher trainers, educators and parents of the need to continue building media literacy skills into the curriculum and extra-curricular educational opportunities. With such a high rate of media usage, at different skills levels, it's important that out-of-school media skills are given an outlet in school learning."
Image – A student from St. Aidans National School Monasteraiden, Sligo, taking part in a 12-13 Project pilot with Radio broadcast with Ocean FM
www.ifi.ie
(IT/JP)