New human rights magazine by and for young people launched in UK

I stumbled into a very exciting and unexpected new magazine called The Right Stuff - a human rights magazine by and for children and young people.

When you’d think that young people are only interested in appearing cool on Facebook or the latest fashion and celebrities’ antics, here is a bunch of under 18 year-olds from across England, who have designed and written a magazine to try to promote young people’s interest in children’s human rights and encourage them to take action.

The first/taster issue, launched last week, covers wide-ranging topics, such as the experiences of children in care; how children seeking asylum in the UK are treated; student protests; human rights fashion; protest music; and discrimination based on hair colour.  The magazine feels passionate and relevant. It is engaging, accessible and visually appealing.

A management team of 10 young people made sure the project ran smoothly and made decisions about the budget, distribution and the launch event, while more than 20 others contributed creative content, illustrations, photographs, and worked with the design company.

Young people were supported throughout the project by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) and received advice and training from media and human rights experts.  The project is funded by Mediabox, a consortium, which enables young people to create media projects and get their voices heard.

Phillip, 18, a member of The Right Stuff’s design and content team, says:

“I was really surprised to hear this would be the first ever magazine dedicated to children's rights, so it was great to be able to get involved! It's so important that young people can gain this type of knowledge through a medium they can enjoy. I have learnt a lot, such as the inner workings of creating a magazine and I have had a great time doing so."

Kiran, 13, a member of the management team, adds: ''I really enjoyed the project of creating the magazine. It was great getting to know people from all around the country and learning more about the rights that we have. It felt so good knowing that there are people out there who are working hard for children’s rights.''

1,000 printed copies of The Right Stuff will be distributed to children and young people across England. To read an electronic version of the magazine, click here.