WoW! News... Why?
WoW! News exists to show children that there's more to the world than what they see and read in other media. That, sure, the world has problems, but people are also fixing them. The big idea? Give kids the confidence to get in on the action and make their world just that bit better.
WoW! News is based on the observation that our children need an accurate, balanced view of the state of the world that they inherit so that they build the confidence to venture out and explore it , to build up their resilience in the face of problems and develop their natural urge to make their own contribution. This balanced vision of the world is often lacking in other media. That's why Catherine created WoW! News en 2019 – to show preteens, just at that age when they are beginning to take an interest in what's happening in the wider world, that it's not all about crises and disasters, but that there are inspiring folk out there looking for - and finding - solutions to our problems.
Our blog, designed for parents and teachers of 8-12 year-olds, provides a forum for researchers and experts who share our values on children's wellbeing to explain in more detail the aims of WoW! News. The WoW! project draws inspiration from the principles of Solutions Journalism and applies concepts of NonViolent Communication® and positive psychology in the way it addresses children. All content onWoW! News is entirely written and produced by our own professional journalists, in English and in French.
Let's show our kids that for all the problems in the world, there can also be solutions - and that they too can be part of the solution.
Check out the video to find out more!
It all started with a question: "Why does the news always seem bad?"
In an age of 24-hour rolling news streaming into our homes and following us wherever we go, Catherine started to question the impact this is having on how we see the world. "Do you journalists realise that there isn't just bad news to report?" she asked Alastair, a veteran correspondents. The answer was WoW! News - a new media that adapts classic forms of TV and print reporting to show preteens a more balanced - truer - version of the world around them. To further boost their confidence in the future, WoW! News also encourages kids to discover their own strengths and talents - the tools they all possess to change the world.
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Catherine Bahl
Catherine brings to WoW! her love of children, her practice in NonViolent Communication® and positive psychology and long experience in the world of business and finance. She believes that our view of the world can become fixed very early in life and that the media have a powerful impact on children’s wellbeing.
Alastair Macdonald
As a correspondent for Reuters news agency, Alastair did his share of filling our screens and front pages with bad news from around the world. Now he is determined to show children that there are also solutions to our world’s problems, to give them the confidence to find their own responses to difficulties they face.
Fanny Laemmel
Fanny is a multimedia journalist. She’s always much preferred to talk about solutions rather than problems and these days she writes, films and produces videos for WoW! News. Mother of a three-year-old, she loves pedalling around Strasbourg with him in snug in her cargo bike.
Julia Balashazy
Julia handles communication and editing functions for WoW! News
Loubna El-Gersifi
Loubna joined us as an intern and is now serving her apprenticeship, managing communications, our social networks and partnerships.
MAAC Lab
MAAC Lab is an NGO created by psychologists who saw people struggling to satisfy the basic human need to feel useful to others. They invented the concept of MAACs (Massively Accessible Actions for Change), which we have adapted to show kids they too can change the world, even in small ways, using their own "superpowers".
