Qatar’s future media leaders - the alumni and students of Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) - have been sharing their knowledge and insights of the exciting world of media with local high school students. The Weekend Workshops are part of a series of events developed by NU-Q to help high school students in Qatar discover the exciting world of new media and taste a slice of college life.
The workshops offered a series of hands-on activities designed to explore the use of storytelling and digital media. Working in groups, 48 attendees chose specific topics and created stories about it using digital media. The three Saturday workshops focused initially on podcasting and audio, then writing short stories and lists, and creating infographics, and finally using their new skills to produce a Creativist page. To acknowledge their involvement, participants were recognized by NU-Q with an official certificate upon completion of the full program.
NU-Q alum Jaimee Haddad (Class of 2015) and current student Ralph Martins (Class of 2016) led and created the content for the workshops. Haddad said: “It was an honor to be asked to deliver these workshops. It was great to see high school students get excited about digital media and storytelling, especially when given the chance to explore and create with the ever-evolving tools and platforms available in media. I hope by taking part in this program and creating stories that are relevant and meaningful to them, students feel encouraged and inspired to further their education with NU-Q.”
Since launching the Weekend Workshops in 2010, more than 350 local high school students have attended the program.
"Many of our strongest applicants come through pre-college programming, especially the Weekend Workshops,” said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO of NU-Q. “It offers high school students an opportunity to see first-hand what makes the NU-Q experience so exciting and unique, while also promoting media understanding in the region.”
Local high school students interested in participating in the next series of Weekend Workshops can apply in the coming months for the February 2016 workshop on ‘Investigative Journalism.’ NU-Q is also preparing to take its workshops to an international stage, hosting an ‘Introduction to Podcasts’ workshop in Manama, Bahrain in Spring 2016.
To view a sample of the Creativist pages produced by students at the workshop, please visit:
Social Media Overuse: https://wookies.atavist.com/social-media
Social Media and Political Opinions: https://thenerdherd.atavist.com/untitled-project-pnx92
Is Qatar Boring?: https://anzish.atavist.com/is-qatar-boring
The Truth: https://orderofthephoenix.atavist.com/the-truth-
The Arabic Language: https://basmahazmi.atavist.com/the-arabic-language
Billie's Army Fights Bullying: https://billiesarmy.atavist.com/podcast
Founded more than 150 years ago, Northwestern University is ranked #12 by U.S. News & World Report and has more than 200,000 living alumni across its three campuses in the U.S and Qatar, including countless public figures, statespersons, and societal leaders.
