Jalebi Ink

Jalebi Ink is an independent media content space for young people where they talk about, report and write on their world, and issues that matter to them. Mainstream media and society in general has been leaving out the voices of children or molding them to suit the current mould. We wanted to provide an accessible platform to young people. We also specialise in the development and production of media created by and for young people across multiple platforms, including online, television, radio, print and publishing. Several of our projects have won awards.

Our aim is to build children and youth as future citizens, put their voices and concerns into the mainstream agenda.

WORKSHOPS

OUR TEAM

The Jalebi Ink team consists of award-winning journalists, writers, artists, filmmakers, activists, youth and parents. Over the years, collectively, we have built a body of work that displays a consistent interest in engaging with issues that affect children. We have produced several award-winning products for young people – newspapers, films and documentaries. Our work has been screened in festivals abroad – from Brazil, Kabul, Tehran to USA, Hiroshima and Cairo.

WE CREATE CONTENT FOR PRINT & PUBLISHING; BROADCAST; ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Jalebi Ink specialises in conceptualisation and creation of media products aimed at young adults across multiple platforms – print and publishing (newspapers, magazines, books, journals); online and digital media platforms as well as television. We conceptualised, launched and edited YA! – a 16-page tabloid-size weekly newspaper for young adults for DNA (Daily News & Analysis).

It won a WAN-IFRA award in the Best Newspaper Supplement category. It was awarded a Proggy award by PETA for its consistent coverage of and campaigning for animal rights.

YA! was also highlighted by Parents’ Choice, a US-based nonprofit guide to quality children’s media.

PROJECTS & WORKSHOPS

My Mohalla

Jalebi Ink’s signature project  has won critical acclaim from all quarters. My Mohalla or My Neighbourhood is the story of neighbourhoods, and hence cities, through the eyes of children and youth. Participants compile a visual, oral, and written record of their neighbourhoods and communities. Through our MM workshops, children create portraits of neighbourhoods through interviews, surveys, photography, poetry, and research. My Mohalla tracks the past, present and future of neighbourhoods and communities.

MM walks are fun-packed. You never know what you will discover! Sign up with your friends from your area or from your housing colony. We need at least 5 eager beavers from each area. The project works by putting tools in the hands of the children– images, photographs, text, sketches, short videos, and a sense of how to mix these to create unusual, insightful results.

http://www.timeoutmumbai.net/client_coverstory/client_coverstory_details.asp?code=1056

My Mohalla reporters at a flour mill in their neighbourhood. Check our My Mohalla section for the full report.

The Book Detectives Club

Have you ever formed, or been part of, a book club? If you have anything to say about the world of books, or would like to be a J-Ink Book Detective, you can write in to us. Our book club members hold readings,  get to do book reviews, meet authors and illustrators, and generally natter on about the world of books.

The Way We Lived

Everyone has a history. The Way We Lived  project records personal remembered histories of people. Young people map the stories of the eldest members in their families through a personal storytelling process. And discover the past – the way they lived, childhood days, who their idols were, what they did in their leisure time, what were the popular games, what was in fashion etc.

Roving Reporters

Ever wanted to report on stories that you see in the news from your point of view? At this workshop, young people select their own news – they decide what ‘makes news’ in their world. We value independent thinking, and work with it. We encourage out-of-the-box thinking on what news can be – after all, the definition of news by mainstream media has itself changed over the past years. By giving them the chance to make their own news, the project will also interest young people in news of all sorts, and the world around them. The workshop will end with material and reports being uploaded on our site — audio reports, video footage, text and images. And in the process, they may just bring out an award-winning newspaper!

Girls Write Now!

Workshops that empowers girls and enhances a positive self image.

How to be…. A Museum Curator

Teaches children the art of curating.

Greenwatch

Jalebi Ink reporters talk to the children of Dharavi's recycling unit - 13 Compounds

How can youth become leaders in creating a more sustainable future? Our GreenWatch programme gives them a chance to do so. Children create a green mapping of their cities through news, trends and features on green practices and lifestyles, eco warriors and tips and how-tos on going green.

JunkNama, our newspaper (conceptualised, reported on, edited by our young reporters aged 9 to 19) was awarded at the Sanctuary Asia RBS Media Awards 2010. The newspaper was brought out in collaboration with global climate change organisation 350.org.

Collaboration with 350.org

As part of the global climate change party – 10.10.10 , Jalebi Ink organised a series of events with young adults around Mumbai from talks from green issue experts on erosion of mangroves to solar lantern walks, street plays in collaboration with climate change organisation 350.org.

http://www.350.org/en/node/23425

Solar lantern walk

Street play by Jalebi Ink youngsters

Trashy Monsters

Children learn to recycle at this fun workshop by making monsters out of rubbish, name them and create a story around them.

A participant at Waste Wonders - an upcycling workshop

A participant displays her creation at Trashy Monsters - a workshop on creating fun stuff from trash

A street play for animal rights

Video Workshops

Participants put together video shorts capsules — they have done one on the first car-free day in Mumbai (that took place on Carer Road in Feb 2010), on a protest against Shiv Sena about banning My Name Is Khan, on the keymakers of Bandra.

Jalebi Radio – Online Radio Podcasts

We have tied up with Tiffin Talk, an online radio show hosted by Arthor Danchest, a Brown University graduate  (DNA has done a feature on him). Through the partnership every month our young reporters will get trained on audio reportage. Every month, one report will be showcased on Tiffin Talk. We have had our young reporter Maitri Bheda interview award winning filmmaker Parasher Baruah about his film WASTE on the lives of child ragpickers in Dharavi. Maitri has already been to Dharavi and met the ragpickers for the newspaper workshop on green issues.

Filmi Chashma: A collaborative project with Comet Media Foundation that seeks to encourage and nurture recognition of children’s films as a special genre of media in India.

http://www.filmichashma.org/content/jalebi-ink

Jalebi Ink's street play crew

Check out Jalebi Ink’s Flickr photostream

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