Medialabs, Paris (France)

Within the framework of its Media program, the Evens Foundation initiates and supports local structures for media production. Young people aged between 15 and 25 are introduced to the issues and techniques of audiovisual creation and news production. The objectives are to:

  • Enhance the young people's ability to reflect critically on dominant media discourses
  • Develop their creative capacities and propose a platform for expression
  • Involve the young citizens in the public life of their locality

For 2010/2011, the Evens Foundation selected two strong projects, each with its own distinct approach:

The association Plus Loin has been developing for some years non-formal learning projects in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. The Evens Foundation and the association coordinate the project Faistournerl'info where young residents learn to analyze the media and produce their own reports and documentaries on current issues and topics concerning local social life. A dedicated internet site serves as an online medium for the young people and is created and entirely managed by themselves.
The project is supported by ARCADI (Établissement public de coopération culturelle, Île de France).

Street Press is an online, participatory media platform created in 2008 by young journalists in Paris. To enlarge its network of correspondents, StreetPress runs a training program for young people to initiate them into the job of reporter, in the spirit of citizen journalism.
The Evens Foundation decided to support one of StreetPress's projects: La Rédaction du 19e, a local media facility in the 19th arrondissement. Initiated in partnership with the city administration's Conseil de la jeunesse and guided by StreetPress, this recently established facility covered, in 2010, local life and questions that interest young people, with the ambition of creating links and new interactions within the neighborhood.
The blog of La Rédaction du 19e.

On 20th September 2010, StreetPress reporters met a delegation of Israeli and Palestinian young people and exchanged their experiences and perspectives on media use. In partnership with Valérie Hoffenberg, Special Representative of France for the peace process in the Middle-East, and the Evens Foundation, the delegation came to Paris to present their plan for peace. The video coverage may be seen on the StreetPress website.

StreetPress with the support of Conseil de la jeunesse.