Chiapas, Mexico Welcomes PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase for the First Time
In November, for the very first time, the PRIX JEUNESSE Suitcase was presented in the Mexican State of Chiapas, at the University in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. The participants were mainly teachers and university students.
The majority of the participants arrived with the objective of getting an overview of the best children’s programmes that are produced around the world, being aware that it is a material that would otherwise be difficult to access. They came with the expectation to identify what topics are addressed in other countries, and to analyze the perspectives and the way stories are presented to the audience.
The discussions, based on different experiences and areas of knowledge, focused on the narrative approaches and audiovisual techniques and, of course, also brought up a reflection on deficiencies that were identified from a cultural, Mexican perspective.
The feedback from the workshop participants proofed that the presentation of the Suitcase became a personal experience for them. Analysing the outstanding productions from different parts of the world enhanced their understanding of quality in children’s programming, and fostered their awareness of how to approach issues in programmes for young audiences. The Suitcase workshop broadened their horizons of what could and should be done in Mexico, always for the benefit of children and young people.
The students were keen to defend their analysis of the videos and confident to voice specific criticism, especially as some of the productions concerned them as immediate spectators, referring to a period in life in their near past.
It was great to see that the workshop participants draw inspiration from the diverse programme presentations, for own ideas and projects. They were acknowledging the quality of programming for young audiences that are being carried out internationally, which, above all, made them look at the challenges of producing for children, a field that it is little or not attended so far in Mexican universities.