Journalists attend a session at the ‘Train the Trainers’ programme organised by Doha Centre for Media Freedom.
DOHA: The Doha Centre for Media Freedom (DCMF) yesterday launched the second phase of its ‘Train the Trainers’ programme inaugurated last December as part of its comprehensive capacity-building strategy for media in the Arab world.
The second phase includes two five-day training workshops, with the first starting yesterday, and the second on Sunday. Eighteen veteran journalists from media outlets in 11 Arab countries will participate.
DCMF Director General Jan Keulen said that “the ‘Train the Trainers’ workshop is of special importance due to its reliance on sharing expertise and adoption of best professional practices.” As such, Keulen added, ‘Train the Trainers’ is not a traditional capacity-building programme, but a framework for continuous thinking about means to improve the practice of journalism.”
Keulen said: “The problem facing media outlets and media support organisations in the Arab region is the scarcity of qualified, Arabic-speaking media trainers.” The centre, he notes, “is working to address this issue through its comprehensive ‘Train the Trainers’ project built on a careful selection of participants and rigorous training on expertise sharing.”
The workshops will cover principles of media training, including training needs assessment, design and implementation of training programmes, as well as measuring the impact of these programmes.
Delivering the workshop is Yasser Abdelaziz, an Egyptian writer and media expert. Previously, he served as a regional consultant for the BBC World Service Trust. Abdelaziz also conducted training and consulted for UNDP, the British Council,the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Free Voice, the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, Saba News Agency, and the Omani Ministry of Information and Council of State. Abdelaziz is a co-founder and spokesperson of ‘The Egyptian Initiative for Media Development.’ He is also a Unesco consultant for a comprehensive project that seeks to improve Egyptian media, both public and private. The Peninsula
