The Foundation works towards empowering the youth in Palestinian camps and gatherings in Lebanon through training in journalism; social media, article writing, TV reports, short films and photojournalism.
Training is carried out through two main steps:
- Educating and training Palestinian individuals in journalism and provide the means in which enables them to both learn and produce.
- Create a website that acts as a platform that showcases all the work produced by the children and youth. For example videos, pictures, articles, etc. (Coming soon)
Step 1:
Training of journalists and potential ones will empower them on numerous levels:
1) Equip them with an important tool from which they can gain a living.
2) Equip them with an essential tool through which they can actually practice democracy and freedom of expression and not just hear about it.
3) Allow them to make an impact in their respective communities through daily interaction with refugees to research and convey stories of success to encourage them to be doers, not mere observers.
Step 2:
A selected group of those trained will establish a website and run it themselves under MASMF’s supervision. The web magazine will serve as:
1) An upbeat window to the world that will allow Palestinian refugees to present themselves the way they choose to and not the way they are continuously being portrayed as in the mainstream media.
The image of impoverished Palestinian refugees will be replaced by that of empowered Palestinian refugees, who despite their harsh living conditions in camps and gatherings, are actual doers not mere observers.
2) A databank of success stories for donors and all other interested parties. The web magazine will highlight positive individual and small-scale collective projects taking place in the Palestinian camps and gatherings. Accordingly, the website aspires to become a credible and reliable databank of successful initiatives which donors can consult and build on for funding ideas.
3) An informative venue in Arabic and in English to readers around the world to keep them updated about the life of Palestinian refugees in camps and gatherings the way they view it not the way others do.
Who benefits from the foundation?
Our beneficiaries are:
- Children (ages 14-18): Students who express interest in journalism in general. But in order for this age group to participate, students have to meet high selection criteria in their school performance.
- Youth (ages 18-25): Looking to study journalism or work in the field. They will be given courses in written, visual, audio and online journalism.
Why the need for the Majed Abu Sharar Foundation?
- It caters for the real need of journalism training in Palestinian camps and gatherings in Lebanon.
- It empowers Palestinian children and youth in a field previously unknown to them.
- It works to change the image of Palestinian refugees from one portrayed by the mainstream media to one drawn by refugees themselves.
- Create a web magazine that will work on becoming a credible and professional databank for donors and all other interested parties, of success stories in Palestinian camps and gathering on which they can build on and possibly fund
.