The Sharjah Press Club (SPC), a subsidiary of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), launched on Monday a media education and training programe titled ‘Ithmaar’ for students aged 10 to 17. The Ithmaar programme aims to enhance media awareness among school students and introduce them to the concepts of journalism and media at an early age. The comprehensive training and awareness plan seeks to help create future media professionals in the country and contribute to its march of progress and development.
The Sharjah Press Club is hosting the Ithmaar media training programme in partnership with CNN Arabic, and will continue throughout the month of July. The programme includes both theoretical and practical training and involves field visits of students to various media organisations in the country.
The theoretical part of the programme is being conducted at the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa), and includes field visits to top media organisations and outlets in the country including the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, Gulf News, CNN Arabic, and Majid, the children's television channel.
Speaking on the occasion, Asma Al Juwaid, Manager of the Sharjah Press Club, said that a number of schools have evinced keen interest in the SPC-CNN training initiative and sent in requests for training their students. Successful candidates for training were selected after careful screening and interviews with them that involved gauging both the extent of their interest as well as personal aptitude, she added.
Al Juwaid said that the Ithmaar initiative is founded upon a comprehensive training and awareness plan to build future media cadres capable of supporting the nation’s march of progress and development.
The 7-day training programme features both theoretical and practical training targeting 25 students. Al Juwaid emphasised that the SPC-CNN training initiative stems from the keenness of the SPC and SGMB to promote media awareness in students and develop and hone their talents and skills, helping them pursue their future aspirations and careers in the promising media sector. This would benefit them and their communities, as well as consolidate the concepts of team work in these critical formative years, she added.
She pointed out that the media training plan for young students ensures that the participants are familiar with the various aspects of journalism, challengs of print and television media, in addition to the recent phenomenon of social media.
The participants will learn about the basic principles of media education and journalism, the various types of media, how to create authentic media content, the types of media, and, above all, how to distinguish between correct or authentic and false news.
The participants will also be trained in mobile journalism, radio and television skills, photography, presentation and interview techniques, infographics and their use in press material etc. In addition, students will be trained in publishing skills through social media, and how to create effective content.
Students participating in the Ithmaar programme will benefit from an exceptional membership of the Sharjah Press Club, as well as training certificates. A mini media club will also be launched in schools participating in the programme, added Al Juwaid.
The Sharjah Press Club operates under the umbrella of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau to serve the media sector and its employees through organising a number of specialised events and programmes throughout the year, while ensuring constructive cooperation with the leading stakeholders in the sector.
