What is KWN? - Kid Witness News - Sustainability

KWN Initiatives

What is Kid Witness News?

Kid Witness News is a program that offers video production support to children at elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Panasonic launched the program in the United States in 1989, and the program has since expanded globally.

History of KWN

Support is provided for activities to schools wishing to participate, and children take the lead in producing films based on the theme of the SDGs.
After the best productions are selected in each country, a global contest is held. Awards are given at the Global Summit.

Summary

Contributing to educational support and growth for children around the world through KWN video production activities

Purpose

Participating in KWN offers the following four opportunities:

Benefits of
taking part

Participating in KWN offers the following four opportunities:

Benefits of taking part

KWN Initiatives

Benefits of taking part

Improved skills

The KWN program is not just about producing videos.
Children can expect to develop the following capabilities by producing videos independently.

Awareness
of social issues

By selecting topical issues for their videos, kids are given the chance to think more deeply about the social issues around them and make the issues their own.

Awareness of social issues

By selecting topical issues for their videos, kids are given the chance to think more deeply about the social issues around them and make the issues their own.

Awareness of teamwork and role sharing

Kids learn to recognize their role within a larger team.The program gets them to realize what actions are required to effectively fulfill their role and enables them to carry out the actions.

Awareness of teamwork and role sharing

Kids learn to recognize their role within a larger team.The program gets them to realize what actions are required to effectively fulfill their role and enables them to carry out the actions.

Communication
skills

Through the experience of taking on a project as a team, kids improve their communication skills for exchanging and coordinating ideas among themselves.

Communication skills

Through the experience of taking on a project as a team, kids improve their communication skills for exchanging and coordinating ideas among themselves.

Relationship-
building skills

Kids learn to tackle an endeavor through understanding themselves and others and cooperating with others.

Relationship-building skills

Kids learn to tackle an endeavor through understanding themselves and others and cooperating with others.

Future-
planning skills

Kids enhance their ability to apply their hopes and dreams in thinking about how they will live in the future and proactively plan their future.

Future-planning skills

Kids enhance their ability to apply their hopes and dreams in thinking about how they will live in the future and proactively plan their future.

Ability
to utilize information

Kids enhance their ability to apply their hopes and dreams in thinking about how they will live in the future and proactively plan their future.

Ability to utilize information

The program allows kids to develop their capacity. to examine a wide range of information and apply that information to make choices about how they will live in the future.

Decision-
making ability

Kids cultivate the ability to take the initiative and responsibility to make their own decisions and to take positive action on issues that affect them.

Decision-making ability

Kids cultivate the ability to take the initiative and responsibility to make their own decisions and to take positive action on issues that affect them.

Local community interest and understanding

By making videos, kids deepen their interest in their local community and their desire to make it better.

Local community interest and understanding

By making videos, kids deepen their interest in their local community and their desire to make it better.

International
understanding

Exposure to different cultures, values, and customs broadens kids’ perspectives and helps them understand the diversity of views people have around the world.

International understanding

Exposure to different cultures, values, and customs broadens kids’ perspectives and helps them understand the diversity of views people have around the world.

International exchange

International
exchange

KWN actively supports exchanges between participating schools.
In addition to meeting up at the Global Summit, Internet-based exchange programs are also available.
Interacting with other children from around the world helps children come into contact
with diverse values and expands their horizons.

KWN actively supports exchanges between participating schools.
In addition to meeting up at the Global Summit, Internet-based exchange programs are also available.
Interacting with other children from around the world helps children come into contact with diverse values and expands their horizons.

Global Summit

The Global Summit is attended by school pupils and children from around the world whose productions have been selected as outstanding. International exchange is encouraged by hosting the event live online. We discuss the SDGs, announce three awards in each category, and celebrate each other’s successes.

Global Summit

Global mini-exchanges

In a more relaxed atmosphere than the tension of the Global Summit, online exchange meetings are held between KWN participating schools. We promote international exchange by sharing the following perspectives: “The difficulties I faced in producing my KWN video” and “Questions about each other’s countries”.

Countries and regions that have participated so far

Fostering a journalist’s perspective

At KWN, we aim for each child to have a “journalist’s eye” and be active.
In addition to providing video production support, we also offer workshop activities (optional).
This can play a part in children’s career education.

KWN Subheading

“Kids’ Journalist’s Vision

What is “Kids’ Journalist’s Vision”?

To be journalists who work with four perspectives on world current trends,
affairs, and their familiar events through children’s filmmaking.

KWN Subheading

“Kids’ Journalist’s Vision

What is “Kids’ Journalist’s Vision”?

To be journalists who work with four perspectives on world current trends, affairs, and their familiar events through children’s filmmaking.

“Kids’ Journalists’ Vision” GIFT for the World from Kids

Global communication

Global
communication

Videos produced by the children and their activities are shown on the website, as well as via Facebook and YouTube.
KWN communicates various activities in addition to video productions,
including global summits and workshops (voluntary participation).
This gives participants the opportunities to share their activities globally.

Videos produced by the children and their activities are shown on the website, as well as via Facebook and YouTube.
KWN communicates various activities in addition to video productions, including global summits and workshops (voluntary participation).
This gives participants the opportunities to share their activities globally.

Facebook

Home page

Youtube

Activities

Video production

The theme is the “SDGs”
Producing a video entitled “What I want to tell people”
Aim to produce videos with a length of no more than 3-5 minutes.

Workshops

We hold workshops on how to use equipment and make images to meet participants’ requests.

Participate to the Global Summit

Outstanding video productions selected in each country can represent their country at the annual Global Summit.

Global Summit

SNS

The outstanding videos and Global Summit are shown on the website, Facebook and YouTube.

Facebook

Youtube

Introduction to global activities

The world seen through their eyes

34 years of kid journalists in action

34 years of kid journalists in action

Participate to the Global Summit

The Global Summit is attended by school pupils and children
whose productions have been selected as outstanding in their respective countries.
In addition to giving children the opportunity to meet up and discuss the SDGs,
the event is attended by students from schools
whose production videos have been selected as outstanding.

The Global Summit is attended by school pupils and children whose productions have been selected as outstanding in their respective countries.
In addition to giving children the opportunity to meet up and discuss the SDGs, the event is attended by students from schools whose production videos have been selected as outstanding.