SHARJAH, 3rd August, 2023 (WAM) -- The Sharjah Press Club, an initiative of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, successfully wrapped up the fifth edition of its Ithmar Media Training Programme Thursday at Al Qasimia University in Sharjah.

The Ithmar Media Training Programme targets children and youth, with the aim of inculcating in them nascent interest, skills, and awareness in the new generation, between the ages of 10 to 17 years.

Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, accompanied by Asma Al Juwaied, Manager of the Sharjah Press Club, honoured the training partners, experts, and specialists from national and international media institutions in the presence of students' parents and representatives of schools taking part in the programme.

The final component of the programme included a presentation of content and articles, prepared and presented by the participating students, showcasing their skills and the Ithmar's role in honing and developing their creative talents and capabilities.

The fifth edition of the Ithmar Programme witnessed a remarkable turnout of students due to the tangible results it has produced in line with the objectives. The Ithmar Programme participants are annually selected by an external committee of specialists and experts, following personal interviews with students and evaluating them according to the criteria specified for joining the programme.

Immensely useful training and insightful, interactive workshops conducted by leading media experts are provided to the students participating in the programme in cooperation with CNN Arabic, the Dubai Post news website, and the Job Shadow Programme by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau.

The training programme included field visits to various media outlets in the country, including the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, Dubai Media Corporation, Al Arabiya News Channel, AlHadath Channel ,and CNN Arabic.

The training workshops were held in various locations across the Emirate, including Al Qasimia University, the Sharjah Centre for Entrepreneurship (Sheraa), the Frisbee in Sharjah, and the Al Majaz Amphitheatre.

The students presented graduation projects that were implemented within phases divided according to the timeframe of the programme to identify the students' knowledge, skills, and to monitor the tangible outcome of the initiative leading to early identification of talents in young people in order to groom national media cadres supporting the UAE's march of progress.

The training programme focused on building awareness of true and false information, addressing rumours, and protecting against social media intrusions. During the month-long training period, the participants had an opportunity to learn about the many media skills and technologies, including Artificial Intelligence journalism, and the opportunities and tools that technology provides in media content production processes.

Students were armed with an essential understanding of various types of media and their impact, the various stages of news production, news research skills, steps to produce video and audio content, speaking skills, photography, mobile journalism, and the basics of preparing video reports.