Kids Press Club hosts unique press conference to conclude Summer Media Programme

Participants media-related work, including photographs, caricatures, and newsletters designed during the three week programme, was exhibited as part of the event.

15 year old Zainab Nuhaily spoke on the techniques of conducting press interviews. She said, "I learnt the importance of asking open-ended questions, and the need to make eye contact during the interview."

Maryam bin Fahad, Events Manager, Dubai Press Club said, "The media programme is an annual event to provide children with valuable learning experiences. It also allows young minds to enrich their knowledge of the media industry through interactive opportunities with different avenues of the media.

"We deliberately planned an educative and entertaining itinerary so children could spontaneously learn in an ambience of informality."

Al Fahad added that the press conference and exhibition were organised by the children from start to finish. Certificates of participation were awarded at the end of the press conference.

The three-week programme packed an intensive, action packed schedule to familiarise children between 10-16 years with the exciting world of media.

An annual event hosted by DPC, the summer media programme provides children with real time experiences in the print and broadcasting media. This year, the event was supported by Dubai Summer Surprises under its theme 'Big Fun for Little Ones'.

The Kids Press Club 2006 featured workshops on competent writing skills and art of interviewing.

The importance of supporting stories with good photographs was highlighted on a field trip to Madinat Jumeirah, where children had to capture elements of Arabic heritage through their camera.

Print was not the only form of media that the children were introduced to. A tour to the Arabian Radio Network (ARN) base station in Dubai Media City provided them with glimpses of a radio station.

The children also visited the offices of Al Bayan newspaper and Spacetoon channel, and were delighted to watch the stages involved in the production of a newspaper and cartoon programmes.

Techniques for sketching cartoon characters, comic strips and story board were demonstrated, while the importance of cartoons as an ideal medium for commenting on everyday issues of the common man was also brought out during a caricature workshop.