Listening to Learn: Children's Experiences of Participatory Video for Global Education in Australia and Timor-Leste

Abstract

The process of creating participatory videos can enable children and young people to tell their own stories, reflect on cultural identities and build new social connections. Yet, while much research on participatory video focuses on voice and empowerment, little research has explored it as a tool for listening. This study compares children's experiences of a global education program in Australia and Timor-Leste, to examine the role of critical literacy and listening in participatory video exchanges. Drawing on recent studies concerned with global citizenship education and the role of ‘listening’ in participatory media theory, this study identifies three challenges for the use of participatory video for global education: the need to provide spaces for critical literacy and listening; to consider the impact of meta-narratives of development on children; and to allow for intercultural difference and difficult conversations.