Port Moresby: Media students from eight catholic agency schools in Port Moresby were part of the 3rd Media Education Seminar (MES) that aimed at spreading hope through audio and video productions.
It was held at the Emmaus Conference Centre from 4th- 6th June under the theme ‘Hope amidst Covid-19’ with animation of the program by the Social Communications Commission (SOCOM) of the Catholic Bishops Conference.
The program commenced on the evening of Friday, 4th June with the first session on creating school news bulletin boards. This was followed by a time of reflection and discussion of issues faced by young people today.
The second day of the program focused on producing jingles to promote their schools and attract prospective students. Radio interviews was the second session of the day that had the students interviewing their teachers. Each of the productions were recorded and edited by Radio Maria. Following these, the third session gave the students the opportunity to speak on camera for 20 seconds on issues in PNG.
Storyboard and film shooting were the final sessions on the third day of the program that had the students unleashing their creativity and talent. They produced 8 short films on hope amidst COVID-19.
“The students’ outputs and production were reflective and displayed a quest for answers to the situation of COVID-19 that we face today,” said Fr Ambrose Pereira sdb, Secretary for SOCOM.
The intense weekend program concluded with a presentation of the jingles, interviews and short films. Present to witness the productions were Fr. Gregorio Bicomong, SDB, Provincial of the Vice Province of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (PGS), religious, catholic faithful, parents of students and teachers from the schools.
Speaking to the students, Fr Gregorio encouraged the young people to be creative with their talents and skills to influence others positively. “You will find so much rubbish on social media, and that rubbish is what is influencing the way young people think. You use your creativity and skills in media to positively influence others. When you influence you are leaving an impact on others,” he said.
Prayer moments and morning reflections were also a significant highlight of the program as students took part in a variety of faith-based activities that helped them to grow deeper in how they live and practice their Catholic faith.
The eight schools who have been part of the series of seminars are St Charles Lwanga Secondary, Marianville Secondary, De La Salle Secondary, Limana Vocational Centre, Don Bosco Technical School, Jubilee Catholic Secondary, La Salle Technical College and Don Bosco Technological Institute.
The seminar is part of the Media Education Seminars for 2021 that aims to educate our young people to be critical consumers and creative producers. It provides an opportunity and a platform for young people to share their thoughts. SOCOM is grateful to SIGNIS, CARITAS Australia, media personnel, the different schools and all those who have supported the program.
Comments from the participants:
“The seminar was fun, and I learnt a lot during the different sessions. The important thing was the time management and punctuality for the different sessions.”
– Jessicah Isifu, student at Don Bosco Technological Institute
“I like the positivism from the MES/SOCOM animators for encouraging and pushing everyone to meet deadlines.” – Luis Marampau, Teacher of Marianville Secondary School
“I really liked this weekend’s seminar because it really helped me to understand the ways of being a better person than I was yesterday, especially how and what problems are faced by young people like me today and dealing with these problems.” – Dian B Anthony, student at De La Salle Secondary School
“The seminar was very interesting, informative and practical. The energizers were really good and everyone looked forward to participating and having fun. Students from the different schools have different levels of interpreting information, however, since they have creative talents, they all made their presentations attractive and informative – Ms Claire Tsuga, Teacher of Limana Vocational Centre.
“I have been blessed to be part of the Media Seminar. I will do my best to spread Hope during this time of COVID-19. – Tanika Saulep, Student at Marianville Secondary School
“I learned that media is a form of communication method used to inform, educate and inspire people. I am thankful and grateful that I was given this opportunity to be part of the MES group for 2021. I am just so blessed and can't thank the Team SOCOM enough, for their tireless efforts they put into trying to make sure we learnt something new. To my friends who are part of the MES team; "As young people who are advocates of change, we must change the mindsets of our friends and families with what we have been taught by the hardworking SOCOM Team.”
– Simon Komae, student at Don Bosco Technological Institute
The students have learnt much and have displayed a high level of competency. The program is much needed by students today.
- Maureen Duwang, De La Salle governing council chair lady
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