AJMI – Doha

As part of its commitment to developing young people’s skills and reinforcing their connection with the Arabic language through media Al Jazeera Media Institute concluded the first edition of its “Arabic language and Media for Youth” program, which designed and organized by Arabic Learning Department.

The program brought together 14 male and female students across two levels, given that the content of both levels was delivered by a distinguished group of experts. Eman Al Ameri, Director of Al Jazeera Media Institute, said the program embodies the vision of the Institute to nurturing Arabic among young people as a language of expression, creativity and communication and not only a school subject. She added that the program sought to build participants’ self-confidence and encourage them to read, write and experiment, and hence helping them develop their own voices and ideas.

Al Ameri also praised the role of parents in supporting their children, as well as the efforts of trainers, studio experts and the organizing team. She stressed that the skills participants gained during the program represent the beginning of a deeper relationship with Arabic language and a more confident, impactful presence.

Dr Ibrahim Mansour, Head of Arabic Learning Program at Al Jazeera Media Institute, explained that one of the key strengths of these courses is the close attention paid to every detail of instructional design. The process begins with initial interviews with students to assess their levels and analyze their educational and linguistic needs and then design training experience around these findings. He added that the program offers a high degree of flexibility, allowing students’ interests and hobbies to be incorporated into language development and media training. Based on that participants learn Arabic through topics that resonate with their interests, then transforming those topics into reports, stories and media projects that reinforce their ability to express themselves, create and communicate with confidence.

In the same context, Ahmed Tahseen, one of program trainers, said the experience rekindled in him the spirit of a teacher who stays close to his students, understanding their needs, nurturing their abilities and giving them a safe space to express themselves freely and confidently. He noted that providing such a supportive environment encourages students to participate and experiment, while helping them advance their language, communication and expressive skills.

Speaking on behalf of participants, graduates Mayar Ahmed and Mohammed Jabr said the program gave them and their peers the opportunity to express themselves in Arabic with greater confidence through reading, writing, producing news and stories, and presentation in front of the camera and microphone. They also thanked their parents, trainers and studio experts for their support and guidance, adding that Arabic had become for them “a voice through which we express ourselves, an idea we share, and a bridge connecting us with others.”

The program focused on enabling participants to use Arabic language in writing and presenting news and stories, in addition to developing their reading and public-speaking skills. Practical studio-based training gave them the opportunity to produce Arabic-language media content in an interactive training environment.

“Arabic Language and Media for Youth” program is one of the initiatives of Arabic Learning Unit of Al Jazeera Media Institute. It aims to provide interactive learning experiences that boost the presence of Arabic language among young people and connect language learning with practical media applications, helping nurture a generation capable of expressing itself in accurate, confident Arabic language.