Sharjah24: Sharjah Press Club (SPC) of Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) hosted today the first Ithmaar Forum for the graduates of Ithmaar media training program at the University of Sharjah. Ithmaar is an annual media training initiative of the SPC that is dedicated to children and young people, with the aim of initiating and building their media capabilities and talents, and consolidating media awareness among the new generation from the ages of 10 to 17 years.

The SPC, which operates under the umbrella of the SGMB, is keen to maintain permanent channels of communication with members and graduates of the Ithmaar media training program and involve them in various media activities and initiatives that help build their skills and a media generation that is capable of pursuing its professional journey according to the highest quality standards.

The Forum featured the World of Ithmaar, which showcased the graduates’ stories and their interesting experiences and achievements in various media fields, including working as a television presenter, presenting radio programs and doing photography etc., which would have a positive impact on their colleagues. 

The Forum also featured ‘mind games’ and ‘media trends’ for students to come up with ideas that meet their aspirations. On this occasion, the Idea Hat method was used, which allows Ithmaar graduates to participate by writing ideas, voting for them, and discussing them.

Ithmaar program has so far trained 114 children and young people, who underwent 104 hours of training covering 33 topics presented by 41 qualified and experienced trainers who represent major local and international media institutions.

Support and training
Speaking on the occasion, Asma Al Juwaied, Manager of the Sharjah Press Club, said, this unique forum, bringing together graduates of the Ithmaar program since its launch in 2019, aims to enhance communication with graduates and create a special media community for them that is cohesive and supportive of exchanging experiences and knowledge, strengthening the media capabilities of graduates, and enabling them to face challenges and achieve distinguished achievements in the media field and their own professional career.

Al Juwaied stressed that the Ithmaar training program is constantly working to communicate with its members, support them, and train them for a career in media, in a way that emulates the goals of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau in developing media sector, building and preparing a media-conscious generation, refining emerging capabilities in accordance with professional values, and applying practices in accordance with the highest standards.

She shed light on the goals and objectives as well as key programs of the SPC, which is keen to enhance professional communication and continuous knowledge development for professionals in the sector, create effective platforms for dialogue, and exchange media experiences. She referred to the launch of a number of programs by the SPC that aim to serve the sector and enhance the positive relationship between journalists, media professionals and government agencies through various sessions and meetings held all year long by the SPC. 

Inspiring experiences 
School student Shouq Khalil Sahakooh said she is working towards realising her passion in the media sector thanks to the annual training program adopted by the SPC five years ago.

Shouq says that the annual training program (Ithmaar) helped her discover her passion for media and build her basic skills to launch her path towards the future and achieve many positive results by writing newspaper articles and participating in the Global Media Congress in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah Youth Debates, in addition to presenting the Together Friends program.

Student Ali Hamid Al-Loughani recounted his experience with the Ithmaar program, through which he acquired various skills in leadership, time management, and teamwork, in addition to various media skills in writing, photography, and montage, which led him to participate in the Fann platform for media discovery, through which he has been working on learning photography, writing scripts, and implementing projects with a creative vision thanks to the training offered by the Ithmaar.

Tala Hikmat said her Ithmaar training was the starting point for her media passion and learning skills and experiences in writing texts, press reports, public speaking, press coverage, photography and other skills that led her to achieve tangible results in the media field, including awards and appreciations, after going through training and internship in many stations. She even presented an innovative program on social media platforms on television, and is leading her school media team.

During the meeting, a brainstorming session was organised to understand the students’ needs in the field of media, their future expectations, and the training programs they aspire to obtain. An open space was provided for discussion about the requirements. 

A number of participants in the meeting reviewed their successful experiences after graduating from Ithmaar and its impact on developing their skills for a career in media.

It is noteworthy that the Ithmaar media training program won the Kuwait Creativity Award thanks to the program’s excellence and contribution to building the new generation of media professionals, and its role in empowering community members with high-quality media skills in cooperation with local and international partners.

The program contributed to establishing a promising generation that understands modern media trends and is prepared for the era of artificial intelligence. A number of Ithmaar graduates were honoured at the International Government Communication Forum. Ithmaar graduates have become ambassadors of conscious and purposeful media in local, regional and international forums.