Launch of a videos series for Palestinian youth

Two 4-day training courses are being attended by 18 young people from all over the West Bank, the aim being for them to learn how to produce videos made with smartphones and designed to be posted on social media. The first course held in late February 2019 was led by the Palestinian trainer Walid Batrawi and focused on storytelling.

Following a call for applications by Sharek, which attracted more than 60 applicants, 15 young Palestinians were selected to take part in the two training courses and to produce the videos for the series. Hailing from Jenin, Tulkarm and Hebron, among other places, participants are provided with accommodation by Sharek for the duration of the course.

"Young Palestinians need role models, and that's what makes this project and this approach so relevant", explains Sahar Othman, the director of the NGO.
"Solutions journalism is of particular interest for our work and our mission", notes Naseer Abu Mariam, who has been working at Sharek for many years. "I'll be able to teach these new skills through one-day workshops." He will also be supervising the project to make the video series, which will be broadcast on social media from this summer.

Lana Abo Alrob, who is studying for a Masters in journalism in Jenin, "particularly appreciated the amount of practical advice given, in contrast to her academic education, which is very theoretical." She will be able to "teach these new skills to her fellow students back at university".
For the video series, she plans to "talk to inspiring women who have been able to escape the weight of tradition. One particular example is a woman who now works as a swimming coach in her city."

As for Nael Shalabi, he wants to focus on "a young comedian from Jenin who suffers from a serious illness and who has created a stand-up show to tell his own story with humour."
Naseer wants "to highlight the story of a young Palestinian who, after many years of unemployment, decided to invest in his parent's land to develop an organic business. The video is a direct response to a problem that affects many young people and illustrates one possible way out."

Mohamed, from Hebron, has "learned how to prepare for a shoot and to use the different kinds of shots. He is preparing a report on an animal shelter in the Hebron area." For Ahmad Abu Toul from the University of Jenin, "what caught my attention the most is solutions journalism – it's an innovative approach and adds real value for covering news stories."