DUTCH ONLINE-INITIATIVE ‘APNA HAQ’ WINS CONTEST FOR HIGH-IMPACT DIGITAL CONTENT

The European Youth Award announces the best 12 digital projects developed by next generation IT-pioneers addressing the most pressing social issues of today

Salzburg, Austria, September 27, 2013. The European Youth Award (EYA) has announced the 12 winners of its second edition and the Netherlands-based interactive platform ‘Apna Haq (Our Right)’ is among them. Selected as the best project in the Power 2 Women! category, the initiative aims to empower young women by teaching them to understand and utilize the strength of their voices to make a concrete change in their community and improve the toilets in the urban slums of South Delhi. Clean toilets are important for aspects such as dignity, self-esteem, personal hygiene and public health, especially for young girls. Nevertheless, they are a rarity in many regions of the world. The project does not only teach the participants how to use different forms of media, with an emphasis on photography, radio, and video, but also trains them in leadership skills. Armed with information, the participants will gather community support to put pressure on local government authorities to improve the condition of public toilets in their area.

“This year’s projects have set new standards for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said Professor Peter Bruck, Chairman of the EYA Board. “The award is a testimony to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators.” This year, ‘Our Right’ is the only Dutch winner of this European contest that celebrates outstanding content by young developers addressing the EU Digital Agenda.

The competition was fierce. Numerous projects from 24 European countries were initially submitted. From this choice, 12 exceptional projects will be awarded at the winners festival that takes place in Graz (Austria), UNESCO City of Design and Human Rights, from November 28 to 30.

WINNERS FESTIVAL

The winners will be celebrated at the EYA Festival in Graz (November 28 to 30). There they will have the chance to participate in hands-on workshops, inspiring World Cafés and keynotes by social business leaders, successful startup-founders and experienced experts from the ICT field. Moreover, the festival agenda features an Award Ceremony during which the young digital entrepreneurs will be honored in front of an international audience for their social commitment.

THE AWARD

Established in 2012, The European Youth Award (EYA) is a leading European competition honoring excellence in the use of Internet and mobile applications for social empowerment. As an annual contest it seeks to motivate young people under the age of thirty to actively contribute to the achievement of the EU Digital Agenda 2020.

 

About ‘Apna Haq (Our Right)’

Website: voicesofwomenmedia.org

A full list of the EYA winners can be found at www.eu-youthaward.org

Learn about the program of The EYA Winners Festival in Graz: http://bit.ly/1a05RJe