Students from 4 countries take part in mobile journalism course

(MissionNewswire) Youth from Zambia, Zimbabwe*, Malawi and Namibia came together at the Salesian Youth Center in Bauleni, Lusaka, Zambia, for a first-of-its-kind Salesian mobile journalism workshop nicknamed “Sal-MoJo.”

The workshop was led by Father Maciej Makula and his colleague Aleksandra Stankiewicz, a young journalist from Poland. Fr. Makula had a long career in Polish television and had traveled to Africa extensively. The pair wanted to teach youth a skill but were also interested in highlighting positive aspects of life in Africa, including the joy, music and the openhearted nature of the people.

The four-day workshop gave youth the skills to report in real time the happenings in their Salesian centers and communities. A key aspect of the workshop was to get youth up-to-date with the current trends in journalism. Fr. Makula said, “By making use of content creation, young people will be able to tell stories through their videos in real time, that is the way to go.”

He added, “Throughout the experience young people have also begun to tap into their creativity by bringing life to seemingly uninteresting happenings through the power of video. In one of the exercises, youth captured ants, flowers and buildings and gave them meaning through the use of the numerous techniques taught in the workshop.”

Although youth lack access to professional equipment, they experienced joy in learning a new skill and excitement about what the future holds for them.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

ANS – Zambia – Salesian Mobile Journalism workshop

Salesian Missions – Zambia

UNICEF – Zambia

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in these countries were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.