Troc - Albania

Broadcast Saturdays at 6:00pm and Sundays at 10:00am, Troç is based on video news packages filmed and written by 13- to 18-year-olds in eleven Youth Video Bureaus around the country. The Troç project has been conceived to emphasise maximum participation of young people. Young people choose the stories and determine the shape and tone of the programme, with adults merely facilitating their vision and ensuring that professional standards are met. Seventy young reporters are in charge of story selection, research, filming, reporting, interviewing, scripting, and narrating the stories. An adult facilitator works with each bureau to guide and coordinate the after-school work; 2 professional television producers conduct in-service training and edit and compile raw footage and voice tracks filed from the bureaus. Training focusses on the use of recent advances in digital video technology like mini-DV camcorders and professional microphones. The young reporters receive up to 6 days of formal training each year that includes composing and recording a stable video picture; selecting a good TV story; conducting a TV interview and writing a TV script or voice-over segment.

The young reporters informally adopted the slogan "Changing the World with Children and Young People!"; it is now shown between segments. Troç stories have focussed on high unemployment and boredom among young people, the beauty of Butrint and Southern Albania, perspectives of young students on their changing relationships with teachers, village girls being prevented from further study in state boarding schools in urban centres, lack of internet facilities, sub-standard conditions in pediatric hospitals, the concern of a group of young people in Gjirokastra city about the demolition of monuments, students who do adventure sports rather than drugs and alcohol, discrimination against minorities and the disabled, and peer-to-peer education in life skills.

Children, Rights, Youth.

Young Albanians have experienced major changes related to the end of Communism in 1991, including the collapse of governance and the rejection of traditional collectivist ideas. Data from a UNICEF/OSCE youth opinion poll reveal that 44% of Albanian youth (9-17) expect to live in Western Europe or North America as adults, and fewer than 1% believe that politics will have a positive impact on their future. Partly fueled by the acute pressure to migrate, Albanian young people have increasingly fallen victim to trafficking, exploitation, and crime. Troç is an effort to assist young people in developing a sense of meaningful participation in the development of their new society.

As of early 2004, more than 100 Troç shows have aired on national TV. Analysis of the Young Reporters stories shows that roughly 40% of their stories focus on problems and issues facing youth, 25% explore cultural and natural heritage, and 20% feature on talented, unusual, or distinguished young people. Click here for a list of some of the stories. A 2002 evaluation found that a total of 1.5 million people (44% of the population) watch it regularly, including 90% of the 11-20 age group. Click here to view a summary of this evaluation.

The programme appears to have increased community awareness about child rights issues. For example, in response to a story about the lack of textbooks in high school classes in Korca, the education authority provided the books in time to allow students to prepare for final exams.

Troç is a member of the Young People's Media Network in Europe and Central Asia. Increasing demand from neighbouring countries is now resulting in exchanges between Troç reporters and young people in Macedonia, Yugoslavia, and Kosovo.