Together instead of alone

Neo was looking forward to the upcoming radio project week at the Pestalozzi Children's Village. Then came the lockdown and, like all other organisers, the Children's Village had to cancel its programme. Neo was so disappointed that his mum asked the radio team for alternatives. And there were: the Pestalozzi Children's Foundation's children's and youth radio station launched a programme under the hashtag #powerupconnected with the aim of giving children like Neo a voice. «We used the digital meeting place of radio as a medium to connect children and adults during the coronavirus crisis,» explains project manager Cinzia Hänsenberger. By people sharing their personal experiences of dealing with the crisis, solidarity becomes tangible.

From teenagers to senior citizens

The radio team went on air at 11 a.m. on 23 March. Initially, the one-hour format was still very structured: the sections were called Wish Concert, Happy News or Analogue Game Corner. The community for the new format still had to be activated.

But the first children soon began to speak up. Radio educator Samantha Kuster remembers her parents' neighbour's son, whom she encouraged to take part. Despite his very quiet nature, the 13-year-old mastered the conversation with aplomb. In the second week, he then called into the programme of his own accord to talk about his favourite book and say hello to friends and family. «That's when I realised that this experience was very important for his self-confidence.»

There were bonding moments, for example, when a girl shared a book tip during a programme and greeted a friend who no longer lives in the same village - who then got in touch. Older people also talked about their everyday lives in quarantine. Cinzia Hänsenberger, for example, had the parents of a friend on the line who are soon to be 80 years old and who very much appreciated being able to reassure those around them and greet their grandchildren in this way.

The school met digitally

#powerupconnected was born out of necessity. After the coronavirus spread so rapidly, numerous projects at the Children's Village had to be cancelled. With radio and exchange programmes that connect people and create a sense of community, the aim was to continue as far as possible. «We wanted to show the children and their families that we are there for them and that they can use us as a platform for dialogue,» says radio teacher Adrian Strazza.

Strazza had planned to organise a project week with a primary school in Gais at the end of March. If the project fell through, at least the preparatory work by the children and teachers would not have been in vain. The pre-productions resulted in an all-day programme with plenty of room for interaction. «We moved away from the analogue principle with as many on-site encounters as possible to a version that conforms to social distancing, where people meet digitally.» The programme was a complete success, says Adrian Strazza. Among other things, he was touched by the joint message of greeting from all the kindergarten teachers. «I think it's a nice thing when teachers can say something: We like children and are looking forward to starting again.»

Mobile Reporter

But the organisers didn't want to stop there; #powerupverbindet was to become an even stronger mouthpiece for all pupils. So-called mobile reporters were deployed - former project participants who were hooked on making radio programmes. Equipped with laptops and recording devices, they realised their own contributions. Five children have been involved since the third week of broadcasting. They were assigned interview partners such as the media spokesperson for the farmers' association, a master baker or the director of a children's zoo, who they interviewed live from the programme by telephone.

The aforementioned Neo was also a potential mobile reporter in Samantha Kuster's eyes. On the same evening that he was on air for the first time, he wrote an email asking to be allowed to do his own report in the coming week. In the eyes of the radio educator, this is a great example of how radio can empower children to become active themselves and express their own opinions. #powerupverbindet gave Neo the opportunity to try things out for himself in a difficult situation and boost his self-confidence. He has also found something he enjoys doing. Samantha Kuster: «He mastered the task with flying colours and independently delivered a very high-quality contribution about his basketball hobby.»

Community Radio #powerupconnects - the most important facts in brief

• The Pestalozzi Children's Foundation's radio connected children and adults in times of coronavirus and gave them a voice during the lockdown.

• Listeners told each other how they were coping with this extraordinary situation and encouraged others to do the same. In this way, solidarity became tangible.
• The programme put helpers in touch with people seeking help and thus strengthened the sense of community.
• While the coronavirus dominates media coverage, positive events are being forgotten. The programme countered this trend with a positive attitude.

• For school classes, #powerupverbindet offered a change from online and home schooling. In their own broadcasts, they set the topics, made their voices heard and entered into an acoustic dialogue with their community.
• With the resumption of lessons at compulsory schools on 11 May, the radio programme was discontinued.
• You can listen to the programmes here: www.powerup.ch/podcasts

About the Pestalozzi Children's Foundation

The Pestalozzi Children's Foundation is an internationally active children's aid organisation. Children and young people have been at the centre of its activities since 1946. The Children's Village in Trogen is a place of peace-building, where children from Switzerland and abroad learn to deal with cultural and social differences through exchange. The foundation provides disadvantaged children in twelve countries with access to quality education.
www.pestalozzi.ch