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7. Not just the voice, but the heart and soul of the conference
The Young Voices Project
"The Convention is the step towards changing
attitude and perception, which is the main objective of the Young Voices
Project, and ensuring that societies recognize that all people must have
equal opportunities to reach full potential, instead of considering
persons with disabilities as objects of charity and pity. Most
importantly, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal
enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedom by all persons
with disabilities, and to promote respect for our inherent dignity.” -
Daintowon Pay-bayee, Young Voices participant from Liberia
During the conference’s speeches and workshops, between sessions and behind the scenes, 18 young people with disabilities aged 16–25, from 18 different countries, were exploring their rights and learning how most effectively to tell their own stories. They were part of Leonard Cheshire Disability’s Young Voices program, which supports young disabled people to form groups in their own countries, to campaign for the ratification and implementation of the UNCRPD and advocate for disability rights.
Their presence set this conference apart from the usual international meeting. Many had never traveled abroad before and some had never left their home province. Suddenly, they were given the freedom of the UNECA conference center and professional training in video making by two award-winning journalists and filmmakers, Sorious Samura and Ron McCullagh. Their task was to practice using their cameras by interviewing conference delegates and each other, and recording video diaries. Ultimately, their goal was then to go home and make videos about the campaigning work of their Young Voices groups.
The Young Voices participants also gave presentations in some workshops and participated in others. Some surprised other delegates with their passion and eloquence, and their personal stories added a dimension that academic or political papers alone could not cover.
Their ultimate message was that they are the future. Everything being talked about at the conference is about them and people like them, who will carry its goals a long distance in both space and time. By electing a representative, Ephraim Segone of South Africa, as a keynote closing speaker, they also demonstrated that among their number are the future leaders of the disability movement, civil society and government. The real sense of confidence they gained by realizing that they could achieve and be listened to and that their opinions counted, will be invaluable for future campaigning work.
Specifically,
the training they received in a special two-day workshop before the
conference, helped the Young Voices participants to understand the
UNCRPD, what it means to them and the reality of the ratification and
implementation processes in their countries. Further, they learned how
to translate their life experiences into advocacy messages and distil
their needs and demands into palatable, bite-sized chunks for use in
film,
newsletters, lobbying and campaigns. Each participant received
one-to-one teaching and advice, to help him or her understand the
technical, informational and artistic sides of filmmaking.
This will contribute to the dynamic next phase of the Young Voices project, in which their films are being professionally edited and put on the Internet. A total of 26 three-minute films will be produced during the year, with each Young Voices group contributing at least one, and they can be viewed on www.LCDisability.org/youngvoices and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/youngvoiceslcd. Using a video diary style, the films will include personal stories, commentary and input from other group members, as well as footage of Young Voices group meetings, debating and activities.
Their media and communications training will also help the Young Voices representatives reinforce their existing campaigning activities and initiate new, in their home countries. For instance, in Sudan and Sierra Leone, Young Voices groups have used radio to raise awareness of disability issues among the general public, and to call for changes to the law and to issues over access, education and health care. In Sierra Leone, the Young Voices group has also composed a song advocating disability rights, which is included in the Young Voices website and has been played over Sierra Leonean radio. During the conference, the Young Voices participants from Southern Africa covered conference events in two newsletters that they wrote and produced for delegates. Young Voices participants also contributed an article about their experiences to Disability Studies Quarterly, a journal available on www.dsq-sds.org.