TRT World Citizen is creating programs to train young students in refugee camps in the basics of journalism giving them a platform to voice their experiences and share their stories.
The Journalism for Juniors program gives the students an opportunity to learn new skills including: Mobile Journalism, Storytelling, Field Production, Journalism Basics
Through interactive workshops the program combines theory and the opportunity for students to practice the new skills they learn we aim to motivate, educate and allow the students to express themselves in an impactful way.
This J4J program was held in Şanlıurfa from the 2nd–4th of March 2018. The program took place in the Harran Container Camp and provided interactive workshops and journalism classes to 65 students.
During the Journalism4Juniors program in Kilis, TRT World Citizen photographer in residence, Imaan Qureshy, spent time with Syrian families currently residing in the Öncüpinar Refugee Camp.
Mentors arrived at the Öncüpınar Refugee Camp in Kilis by the Syrian border in Turkey. Guest Speaker Ahmed Al Burai, a Palestinian correspondent for TRT World gave a motivating talk about goal setting and managing your priorities. The students, young refugees from Syria, then participated in classes about storytelling and mobile journalism.
Students continued their lessons in storytelling then field production. Many tried their hand shooting with different lenses, angles, and cameras. Some of our students were interviewed by TRT Haber who are currently featuring #Journalism4Juniors on their nightly news coverage. Working in groups, participants then filmed their own interviews with other residents from the Oncupinar Refugee Camp in preparation for their final pieces, tomorrow.
Certificates were prepared for the final day of the program. Mentors provided their final feedback after viewing all the news packages the students worked on. They were beyond impressive – considering the students completed them in a single day on mobile phones and tablets provided by the #Journalism4Juniors crew. Every student was awarded with their own J4J certificate for their efforts, and the mentors signed off with some inspiring speeches.
Our trip to the Hatay Altinozu Container Camp from the 3rd–6th of May 2018 and 25th–27th of April 2019 included mentors from TRT World and TRT Arabic who came to participate in the delivery of the workshops. The students learnt how to produce videos, make news packages and also had the opportunity to interact with the highly qualified mentors.
The camp is home to over 10,000 people – almost 65% of them are under 18 years old. The Turkish government has started a number of state-funded initiatives including karate, self-defence classes, music, looming, art, and textile-making. Most of the doctors and teachers are Syrians currently residing in the camp – offering skilled employment for those with accreditation and providing culturally sensitive services for residents.
Kicking off with the distribution of TRT World merchandise that included press passes, pens, and notebooks, the J4J cohort invited guest speaker Ahmed Diab from TRT World in Washington DC. Students participated in ice-breaker activities and began classes in storytelling and mobile journalism. Many shared their own stories and set goals to achieve in the future. Students attended further workshops in field production, journalism, social media and mobile journalism, and storytelling. Classes culminated in a news-package competition. Students were separated into small groups and challenged to utilise their newfound skills to create interview and story packages to be judged by J4J mentors. After the workshops, students were handed out their own personalised J4J certificates.
This time we’re off to Altınozu Container Camp in the Hatay again province, for another J4J program, April 25- 27 in 2019.We delivered workshops in journalism with TRT World and Arabi journalist for Syrian refugees living in Hatay. Students have utilised newfound skills in storytelling, video editing, interviewing, and field producing. They started to work in groups to complete their first ever news packages on their smart devices. They learnt unique and practical skills throughout to journalism training. On the last day, some students performed original spoken word poetry and our mentors became judges for news packages and a talent show!
This past weekend, TRT World Citizen piloted its workshop series, Journalism for Juniors, in the Nizip Refugee Camp about 45 kilometers from the Syrian border and home to nearly 4000 Syrian refugees. The project series hopes to move beyond providing traditional charity for the refugees and instead focuses on providing high school students with the knowledge, skills, and hope for a better future. The three-day introductory workshop to mobile journalism and story-telling, designed and run by TRT World staff, provided the young students an opportunity to learn the basics of journalism while empowering them to take control of their own narratives. After lessons in creative story-boarding, digital news-making, responsible social media usage, and verifying news credibility, the students went on to write, film, and edit original stories around the camp. They gained the confidence to tell their own stories and share their voice with the world. We wish our students the very best in the future, and look forward to seeing them as flourish into budding young journalists!
The Kahramanmaras Refugee Camp provides vocational classes for residents looking to learn a trade and earn an income. Proceeds from all items sold go back to the refugees who made them.
Students met the mentors for the first time. They learned about basics in journalism and pitching stories.
Students continued developing skills in production, interviewing, and basic editing on smart devices. They met with the local Minister of Education and the Mayor of Kahramanmaras.
Young Refugee students’ “DREAM”
Palestinian Refugee Graffiti artist Belal Khaled joined the J4J team to share his “dream” with Syrian refugee children in one of the largest refugee camp in the world, the Adana Sarıçam Container Camp. Belal, along with Mohamed Taha from TRT World’s Digital team, Racha el-Halabi from TRT Arabic and Suheil Damouny from News, mentored 80 kids on artistic video and photography production.
The J4J team spent 4 days in the camp training young refugees on the fundamentals of journalism, particularly mobile journalism, as well as other life skills. At the end of the program, the kids, families, and elders all came together to witness the children write their dreams on the wall of the camp school. The kids created a “dream wall” that will remind them every day about their hopes and dreams for the future.
TRT World aims to train journalists of the future and to increase the interest in journalism.
Between 14 and 17 August, the sixth stop of the program was Malatya Beydağı Temporary Residency Center where high school students had given basic trainings of mobile journalism, storytelling and journalism.
TRT World Citizen aims to inspire young people around the world. Journalism for Juniors is a part of this initiative where young people get the opportunity to learn more about journalism and its secrets.
Between the 12th to 14th of February 2019, the seventh stop of the program was at a Temporary Education Centre in Fatih Ali Nar Secondary School, Istanbul, where high school refugee students had given basic training of mobile journalism, storytelling, field reporting and journalism 101.
This time the J4J program was held in Zeytinburnu, Istanbul from the 26st to 28th of March 2019. The program took place at the Temporary Education Centre for Syrian refugee students at the Haluk Ündeğer Primary School and provided interactive workshops and journalism classes to 65 high school students.
The first Journalism for Juniors program in cooperation withe the Ministry of Education of Turkey was held at the Prof. Dr. Mumtaz Turhan Social Sciences High School. The workshop to mobile journalism, story-telling and what is journalism designed and run by TRT World staff, provided the young students an opportunity to learn the basics of journalism while empowering them to take control of their own narratives. After lessons in creative story-boarding, digital news-making, responsible social media usage, and verifying news credibility, the students went on to write, film, and edit stories. They gained the confidence to tell their own stories and share their voice with the world. We wish our students the very best in the future, and look forward to seeing them as flourish into budding young journalists!
