Published: Less than 20 min ago
The debate article below is written by sixth graders Zainab Eliwy, Zain Tayeh and Ibtisam Jaber at Värner Rydénskolan in Rosengård.
This is their winning entry in the “Young Journalist Prize 2022” competition.
The prize is awarded by Aftonbladet together with Mobile Stories and Mediekompass.
“The next two years are lined with fights, threats, harassment, police calls, drug sales around the school grounds and false fire alarms. Suspended students remain in the corridors and one day a student is chased with a knife”.
This is the quote that we encounter on a Sunday morning when we read the newspaper. This quote should thus describe our school, which until today has been a safe place for us. Many thoughts and reflections arise, at the same time an uncomfortable lump grows in the stomach. The class’s snapchat group starts pinging and the concern spreads quickly among the classmates. “Värner Rydenskolan is in the newspaper? Is our school bad? Are we bad? Did you know about this?” The atmosphere among the Year 6 students became uneasy and irritation was created.
School is an important place for every student, it is where we develop and acquire new knowledge. In school you create good but also less good memories, which will stay with you for life. We feel that every day we go to Värner Rydenskolan with joy and hope of becoming something good in the future.
When we read an article that brings up negative things that happened almost 10 years ago, we get very disappointed and angry. We do not agree with what is written in the newspaper. It is our school and our safe place that they write about. Something we also reacted very strongly to is how in the newspaper it is written that students at a school on the other side of town perform much better and succeed better in their studies than what we do. This appears as if we at Värner Rydenskolan are not performing or even having dreams about our future.
It is true that Värner Rydenskolan has today and in recent years shown very low target fulfillment. But this does not mean that we at Värner Rydenskolan do not struggle with our studies. Here there are students who perform well and study day and night to pass their studies. There are also students who are struggling, but even these students have hope for their future. Together we make small steps that we can follow ourselves, but apparently not everyone sees this.
Even those of us who attend Värner Rydenskolan have dreams of succeeding at school. Instead of talking about the low goal achievement, you can work together for an improvement. According to Article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we are all children of equal value, regardless of where in Malmö we live or which school we attend.
It is the third weekend in a row that we have been able to read and take part in a newspaper review about our wonderful school. Mixed emotions have emerged, ranging from being sad to being very angry. We absolutely do not recognize the school described in the newspaper, these are events that took place approximately 10 years ago.
As we have previously mentioned, we work hard to increase our goal achievement, but unfortunately we are negatively affected when we read about how people view us and our school. Our motivation in school work drops and we have already been labeled as failing in our studies. Already there, our dreams of succeeding in our studies are opposed. Once again, we want to point out that we get upset when people speak badly about Rosengård, where our school is located among the high-rise and low-rise buildings. Aren’t our feelings and feelings valuable?
We think that the newspaper has been able to set up its review differently and take into account the students who attend Värner Rydenskolan.
Newspapers only highlight the disadvantages about us students and our school and exclude the advantages.
Sure, it can get a little strange sometimes, or is it because Värner Rydenskolan is located in a residential area, Rosengård, where a lot of crime occurs. Rosengård’s residents consist of individuals with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, of which only a fraction of these people create problems.
Based on Article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we think it is important that journalists show consideration for all students who go to school and hear what they think and feel. Why not write about some of the good things we do at school? Here we learn a lot while enjoying ourselves and having fun.
Ibtisam Jaber, Zain Tayeh and Zainab Eliwy winner of the Young Journalist Award 2022.
You can read an interview with the winners here.
Facts
An award to help young people in the media landscape
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Motivation of the jury
“Students Zainab, Zain and Ibtisam have written a debate article about a current topic that they are really rooted in: How young people in Sweden’s suburbs are portrayed in the media – if they are portrayed at all. With their article, Zainab, Zain and Ibtisam give voice to many young people in Sweden who are rarely heard in the public debate. Their drive, formulation skills and wise thoughts mean that the jury for the Young Journalist Award is happy to appoint the trio as this year’s winners.”
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