LONDON: A program on the sidelines of the Global Media Congress in the UAE will provide training to 300 young media professionals from around the world.
The Global Program for the Empowerment of Young Media Persons was launched by the GMC’s Higher Organizing Committee, overseen by ADNEC Group in partnership with Emirates News Agency (WAM).
It will take place during the inaugural GMC, which runs Nov. 15-17 in Abu Dhabi.
WAM, UAE’s official news agency, will host about 30 workshops at the event, providing in-depth training on a wide range of topics and skills, including digital journalism, AI and neuroscience media, fact-checking, the metaverse, scriptwriting, and audio content creation, among others.
WAM Director-General and GMC Higher Organizing Committee Chairman Mohammed Jalal Al-Rayssi said that the initiative will educate the future generation of media professionals on cutting-edge technology and inventive breakthroughs in journalism, expressing his hopes for the program to become a landmark event in the coming years.
“We do not look at it as a one-time initiative. Our objective is to sponsor similar participation in the subsequent editions of the Global Media Congress. We have lined up around 30 workshops, where attendees will learn the most important techniques and skills required in young people looking for a bright future in the media industry,” Al-Rayssi said.
The program will help young journalists from around the world learn how information and skills are disseminated and ensure, in an increasingly globalized world, a leveled growth of the media industry, he added.
“We consider it our moral duty that we provide rich exposure to the young men and women who will land in Abu Dhabi at our invitation. Our hope is that they will return to their respective countries with the feeling that they have had a fruitful learning experience, which they can put to good use in their workplaces, thereby contributing to the growth of the media sector in their countries,” the director-general said.
“We look forward to interacting with such a big group of young journalists representing multiple platforms, countries, continents and cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.”
Held under the patronage of UAE Deputy PM Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, GMC provides a forum for media institutions to discuss partnerships and collaborative ventures, as well as examine the latest developments in the industry within the region and beyond.
A number of high-profile media and government figures will discuss the future of the industry at the event, including CNN Arabic VP and Editor-in-Chief Caroline Faraj, Meltwater EMEA VP Zubair Timol and Zimbabwean Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsavangwa.