DOHA: A panel on empowering children in conflict areas will be the highlight of the third Doha Giffoni Youth Media Summit, a part of the annual Ajyal Youth Film Festival presented by Doha Film Institute (DFI).
‘Children in Conflict Areas: Empowering Youth to Share Their Stories’ will focus on how young people’s lives around the world have been disrupted by socio-political conflict, illness and poverty and highlight the importance of film and media as tools to help children share their stories.
Panellists include photojournalist Matthew Cassel; Charlotte Giese, Specialist Adviser for Youth and Children, Danish Film Institute; Mohammed Abu Asaker, Public Information Officer, Middle East and North Africa Bureau, Office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees; Essa Al Mannai, Executive Director, Reach Out to Asia; and Farooq Burney, Director, Al Fakhoora programme, Education Above All.
The summit, which takes place alternately in Doha and Giffoni, will welcome over 40 participants from 31 countries. The global collective of like-minded organisations was formed out of DFI’s partnership with Giffoni Experience.
Summit workshops will focus on neurocommunication – how to harness the brain’s decisionmaking processes, and digital communication through a panel ‘The Digital World: How to Speak the Language of Youth; with speakers, including social media expert and Entube Brand Ambassador Yuri Drabent, and Entrepreneur and Celebrity Instagrammer, Max Stanton.
“We are proud to be hosting an important session on how film and media can empower children affected by conflict. In light of ongoing conflicts throughout our region and beyond, it is more important to highlight the importance of culture as a tool to create a better world for our youth.
“This topic has been raised in our previous gatherings and I am pleased to offer our delegates an opportunity to build on this discussion further with added insight of specialists with first-hand knowledge in the area,” said Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO, DFI, and Festival Director.
Claudio Gubitosi, Director, Giffoni Experience, said: “DFI and Giffoni Experience have promoted this project with the idea that the road to knowledge is fundamental to fulfil the needs of humanity. Our mission appears more fortified with the participation of organisations from challenged and conflict areas of the world.”
The Peninsula
