New Youth Media Council members pledge to be peers’ voice

ABU DHABI: Members of the Youth Media Council for the year 2018-2020 have had their first interaction, which testified to their competence and knowledge. This was the first time the members interacted as a group after their selection by the National Media Council (NMC). The Youth Media Council comprises 12 young men and women from across the UAE

The announcement of the Council’s formation was made in the presence of Dr Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and NMC Chairman; Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs; and Mansour Ibrahim Al Mansouri, NMC Director General.

The Youth Media Council members expressed their gratitude for NMC’s confidence in them and voiced their readiness and enthusiasm to contribute towards the development of the media sector.

Maitha Al Gergawi, one of the chosen members at Youth Media Council, said: “I am pleased to be a member of the Youth Media Council with my brothers and sisters who have been selected. We hope that with this membership, we will work with the National Media Council on innovative initiatives and programmes that will support and engage young people, allowing them to present ideas and initiatives through workshops and brainstorming sessions, vocational training, jobs in media institutions, and establishment of media companies, among others.”

Meanwhile, Shehabaddin Al Serri from Yemen said: “I am looking forward to strategically contributing to creating a positive impact on the minds and hearts of young people through initiatives and ideas that we will implement through the Council. We could help build awareness of the sector among young people, as a large group of them are drawn by what is published.”

MEDIA AWARENESS

Hadeel Hussam from Egypt said: “My aspiration as a media student at Abu Dhabi University and a member of the Youth Media Council is to highlight the importance of media awareness in educational institutions among young people, as they are the largest constituent of society, and to exploit the multiplicity of cultures in the UAE to provide opportunities for young people to present and discover different ideas. This, in turn, serves to strengthen the status of UAE media in different countries.”

On a similar note, Hameed Yousuf from India said: “With over a decade of experience in digital and social media, my objective is to generate game-changing ideas and seamless initiatives to shape the future of media. One of my goals is to bridge the gap between the Arab and non-Arab media, and to work as a community and share knowledge, ensuring the UAE’s voice in the media space is united.”

Originally from Syria, Manar Mohamad said: “Perhaps one of my most important aspirations is to contribute to the creation of the UAE’s media landscape, to consolidate its image, and to develop and improve the sector to have more influence on all levels. I look forward to utilising the climate of freedom of expression and opinion in the UAE, all the while remaining responsible.”

Mariam Al Zaabi from the UAE said: “I am fully aware of the size of the responsibility entrusted to us, we were selected from a group of young people who excelled in media. We will work to improve the media sector in the UAE and highlight the efforts of the UAE’s leadership and its people. We hope to bring the institutions of higher education and the media sector closer together with initiatives that transform curricula to be more consistent with the realities of the media field of today.”

INNOVATIVE IDEAS

Abdulla Al Neyadi from the UAE said: “I would like to thank the National Media Council for providing an opportunity for creative young people in the field of media, in line with the vision of the wise leadership in supporting youth in all fields serving the UAE and from the vision of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. I look forward to presenting many innovative and new ideas in the media arena.”

Furthermore, Alia Bujsaim said: “I would like to share with members strategic plans of Youth from Youth, go to the field, listen to the causes, opinions and aspirations, and then bring in the outputs, create initiatives and create a new link. We will work closely with the National Media Council and be involved in media activities of the state and make us ambassadors of the UAE media and highlight all talents and serve the nation.”

The Emirati members of the Council are: Hamad A. Alaydaroos, Abdulla Al Neyadi, Rafed Ahmed Al Harithi, Mariam Al Zaabi, Shaima Al Ammari, Maitha, and Alia. Meanwhile, Shehabaddin from Yemen, Hameed from India, Manar from Syria, Amira Mohammad from Palestine and Hadeel from Egypt were also appointed as members.

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