Cutting, burning, hitting oneself are all forms of self-harm. It’s important to grasp why young people do it and for schools to help them manage stress. (Image courtesy of the University of Oxford) If you’re a high school student in a class of 20 pupils,...
What’s the best way for a country to curb heroin addiction? My nation, Switzerland, offers an example for the world to follow. This video won first prize in News Decoder’s 11th Storytelling Contest. The year is 1985, and Switzerland is faced with one of...
Video is the flavor of the day for both mainstream and social media, but few know how much work goes into a quality product. Kai Lengwiler of Realgymnasium Rämibühl Zurich weaves extensive research, including exclusive interviews, and compelling music and images into his 14-minute video that examines Switzerland’s controversial approach to combating the use of hard drugs. Lengwiler promises that viewers will have a better understanding of drug epidemics and how to fight them after watching the video, and he lives up to his promise.
Exercise: Ask your students to produce a three-minute video exploring an issue of global concern, including excerpts of at least one exclusive interview and rights-free music.
Millions of women try to lighten their skin although governments warn of health risks. Can anti-Black racism in the cosmetics industry be stopped? (Shutterstock/Mary Long) Social media manager Chand Bhangal constantly received negative comments about her complexion...
Kamuskay Kamara grew up in the streets of Sierra Leone’s capital. He saw young people in the clutches of drugs and now is saving their lives. “I want to actually change the lives of young people.” Kamuskay Kamara has created an NGO to combat drug...
In Africa as elsewhere, many schools have shut classes due to COVID-19. With more girls at home, teenage pregnancies have spiked in some nations. A new-born baby in Chiradzulu, southern Malawi, 26 May 2021 (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi) In much of the world, COVID-19 has...
COVID-19 has dominated headlines for the last year and a half. But the public health impact stretches beyond the virus. School closures did not just interrupt learning; they removed an essential form of protection for vulnerable youth. News Decoder correspondent Stella Mapenzauswa reports on the alarming rise in teenage pregnancies across the African continent since March 2020.
Exercise: Ask your students to enumerate some of the unanticipated consequences of the pandemic in their community. How are schools or governments addressing those challenges now?