AJMI - Doha

Al Jazeera Ambassadors Program of Al Jazeera Media Institute continued its efforts for developing young media competencies by holding two training courses, the first one in Istanbul and the second at the Institute's headquarters in Doha, both courses aiming at developing participants’ practical and literary skills.

The Program held in Istanbul “Creative writing” for 12 male and female trainees. The course was designed for 10 intensive training hours for the benefit of Compass Cultural Club and lasted for two days under the supervision of trainer Raghda Jamal.

In turn, the trainer said: The course focused on enhancing literary skills of participants,  developing their story writing abilities as well as writing abilities of various kinds of novels and creative texts, noting that the general performance level of the course is closely related to the level of  participants' interaction with activities and practical applications, as it is noticed that high interaction and participation reflects positively on the achievement of objectives of the training program and its effectiveness.

Trainees expressed their appreciation for the outstanding course content and inspiring training style of the trainer, noting that the course has transformed the way they express and write. They also pointed that they have acquired skills of planning ahead, building mind map, distinguishing between story styles and overcoming literary obstacles.

They affirmed their determination to apply new knowledge they acquired in their work, expressing their thanks for the Initiative and modern creative writing techniques it provided.

The course was not limited to theoretical aspect, but included practical exercises on writing short stories and turning them into future projects, as well as developing plans for writing novels. The course paid special attention to development of literary fiction and plot formulation, allowing trainees to transform abstract ideas into impactful creative texts.

It is noteworthy that the Compass Cultural Club is a cultural club affiliated with the Yemeni Students Union in Turkey, and it is the largest Yemeni cultural club in Turkey, established at the beginning of 2019. The club aims to promote culture through reading and various cultural and intellectual activities, and holds various events such as competitions and meetings.

In the same context, a Television presentation workshop for young people was held at the Institute's headquarters in cooperation with Qatar Career Development Center, presented by journalist Muhammad Shabrawy to thirteen students.

Student Khaled Al-Harbi, who participated in the workshop, pointed out that the training was an important platform that boosted his self-confidence and refined his practical experience. As to his remarks on the workshop, Al-Harbi highlighted the importance of fine details in media work, such as choosing appropriate clothes that match with the nature of media subject to show respect for the subject and audience. He also stressed the need to adhere to objectivity and professionalism, and time management during interviews to achieve clarity of message and content quality within the specified time limit.

Coach Mohamed Shabrawy said: "When I stand in front of young people between the ages of seventeen and twenty, I see in them the real passion for media and keenness to understand. Therefore, I start with them from basics, and balance between theory, explanation and practical exercises, believing that practical experience consolidates knowledge and enhances confidence.

He added: "My attention to details stems from my belief in the ability of this generation to innovate whenever given the opportunity; television technology is an integrated system for understanding and teamwork, and my goal is to graduate a trainee who masters his tools and his media presence not just a spectator.

These programs come in line with the vision of Al Jazeera Ambassadors Initiative that focus on qualifying a promising media generation, through providing interactive learning environment from basic stages onwards, where participants gain hands-on experience that put them on the right path to professionalism and gradually enabling them to develop their skills in order to integrate into media industry with full conscious and shape their future careers with confidence.