THE United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has set out to give children a special place in the media tomorrow with ‘Tune in to Me’, a multimedia campaign that honours children’s rights to be heard.

Joining forces with Unicef is ntv7 - home of the Feel Good channel. The programme is aimed at honouring children and their rights by celebrating their voice in fun and exciting moments as part of the station’s effort in the campaign.

Ntv7 is providing the platform for them to simply voice out their opinions. For the first time in the history of ntv7, a child will take the lead in hosting one of the special segments in the station’s signature programme The Breakfast Show.

Hosted by a cheeky 10- year-old girl named Sasha, the segment will definitely leave viewers astonished by her engaging personality while she chats on topics related to children’s rights with her mother, the iconic Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir. Sasha will also cover Marina’s input on children’s welfare and mass media as an important channel to battle for children’s rights. Catch the inaugural mum-and-daughter TV interview session on The Breakfast Show tomorrow at 8.30am.

Joining Sasha is the Show’s ‘original’ host, Joanne de Rozario. After recording the episode, what does Joanne think of the campaign? She gives it a thumbs up.

“I think it’s great that we’re not only talking about the rights of children but doing something about it so that people are made more aware of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). We often talk about the more prominent issues such as violence against children and impoverished kids but there are so many things in the CRC that we take for granted, simply because we already have and enjoy those rights.

“For example, a child’s right to a legally-registered name or their right to practice their religion, their right to relax and play and, of course, their freedom to express opinions and to have a say in matters affecting
their social, economic, religious, cultural and political life.”

Joanne didn’t seem to mind at all that a 10-year-old was co-hosting with her on The Breakfast Show. “I was quite excited and rather nervous,” laughed Joanne when asked of her experience.

“Kids learn so quickly and know so much these days that I did not even need to give her any help! But on a serious note, it was great to be able to help a 10-year-old get her thoughts and opinions across to the masses.

Kids aren’t often given a chance to speak out. So for parents and other adults, listen to your kids, nephews or nieces... you could learn something from them.”

Ntv7’s general manager, Airin Zainul said: “Datin Paduka Marina has constantly led the way in fighting for the voices of the people to be heard, thus, we are extremely thrilled to have her on board this show.

“And besides sharing the same sentiment in this worldwide issue, this strategic move is seen as timely to the station’s frontline role in shaping public discourse and increasing awareness on the equal rights for children.

“Today, while society has begun to acknowledge children’s rights and the importance of treating children with respect, there is more to be done, as children’s voices are still often too unheard in the media. So here at ntv7, we strive to fill in the cracks, bridge the gap and open the windows of opportunity for the little ones to share their amazing thoughts, be it online or on air,” Airin added.

Besides The Breakfast Show, the station will also incorporate the empowerment of children in its various programmes and promote the rights of children on the two-minute filler kids@fgw. Its hosts Asyraf and Zamaera will be boasting about the campaign in between cartoon shows.

Cool, hip and happening web promos of the ‘Tune in to Me’ campaign, as well as Public Service Announcements (PSAs) will also be showcased on the Feel Good channel.