Media Education Seminar 5

By Fidelmah Urakupa

Port Moresby, PNG 22 June 2024 -- The 5th Media Education Seminar 2024, the second overnight program of the series of media seminars with the theme “I Have a Dream,” was held on Friday 14th - Saturday 15th of June 2024 at the Sivarai Namona Pastoral Centre in Bomana. With its very beautiful environment, quiet and peaceful, one finds peace and heartfelt joy.

“What I liked most about MES 5th is the venue, the hospitality, interactions between the participants from other schools, and moreover, the formation given by the animators. I will take what I have learned and give a workshop with the help of my animator to the students in the school,” a participant from Don Bosco Technical School, Gabutu, writes in his evaluation.

The overnight followed a rigorous schedule, forcing the participants to keep to the deadline of producing their own short films by Saturday afternoon. Beginning on Friday afternoon with an opening prayer and remarks by Fr. Ambrose Pereira, SDB followed by party games led by Miss Sheryll, the participants of different schools interacted and bonded in their participation in the activities.

“Socializing, praying and film making, learning something new, and broadening my knowledge towards something I already learned is what I am grateful for. I would love to share what I have learned to the media club in my school. Above all, I truly enjoy the program and the commitment each participant from each school showed. I would suggest that other schools join in more, and there should be more interaction with other students,” shared a participant from St. Joseph’s International College.

The Night Session on Friday had the students and animators watching inspiring films. The inspirational films were very emotional, for example, “Save Me,” which dealt with illegal poaching and caring for the environment. The participants shared their insights about the films they watched.

Early on Saturday, the participants had a beautiful Eucharistic celebration led by Fr. Ambrose. His homily was about the sacrament of marriage. He encouraged young people to regard marriage not as a contract but a covenant and part of God’s commandments. How wonderful is the comfort of knowing that God is at the centre of one’s marriage.

“What I love the most about the seminar was the venue because it was peaceful, the different sessions taught, inspirational film review, the activities and the fun games. To learn more and familiarize on how to create video using different software and teach the upcoming media students. The program was fantastic and outstanding,” shared the animators of De La Salle Secondary School.

Young people spend time online and are immersed in technology. They communicate, interact, and learn the technical skills they’ll need to succeed in the future. It trains them to become capable citizens of the digital era. The participants of the MES 5 were able to create a simple storyboard as a foundation before shooting and filming. With the Media Education Seminar, the youths are using media such as creating storyboards, shooting and filming in a positive way; by delivering a positive message to impact the lives of the other youths.

Mr. Leo Paraha, DBTS animator, led the session on Storyboarding and shooting their film. He also highlighted the importance of varying the shots, emphasizing specific emotions, ideas and movement for each scene. He also stressed the application of camera angles and keeping the camera steady at all times when filming and shooting to produce quality results. And produce quality results. At the end of the seminar, all six Catholic institutions were able to showcase the product of their hard work.

“Having a smaller group makes it more engaging and allows better interaction with the other groups. Aware of the other youths or colleagues about what we have learned here and their positive impacts or purpose towards the uses of media technology and the society as a whole. More time and allocation for sessions-explanation, questioning and interaction activities before the actual act,” shared the animator of La Salle Technical Secondary School.

With a concluding prayer and a drone shot for posterity, Fr Ambrose thanked all participants for coming and interacting and participation in the session and most especially to the sisters at Sivarai Namona, Bomana for the beautiful peaceful venue and hospitality.

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