sharq.org ran a series of training and mentoring projects for media activists looking to share stories from and about Syria and its people during the tumultuous years of the revolution. the development of a strong professional cadre of media professionals is a core component in the development of critical thinking, discursive engagement, and equitable social change.
120 graduate from sharq.org training programme (2012-13)
Over one hundred Syrian citizen journalists attended intensive workshops run by Sharq.Org in Lebanon and Turkey in 2012 and 2013. The workshop curriculum included the skills and principles of print and broadcast journalism, including story formation and interview techniques, as well as digital security, and demanded collective action by media professionals from diverse backgrounds.
the many impacts of war (2016)
Sharq.Org collaborated with Syrian media outlet al-Gherbal in 2016 and 2017, mentoring teams of journalists working collectively to produce a series of articles related and shed light on the many impacts of war. The series addressed a multitude of topics, including: war-time labour initiatives, the restoration and recovery of archaeological monuments, the role of women, the effect of displacement on children, the impact of war on social relations, alternative security systems, post-war economic reconstruction, migration and integration, and the prosperity of refugees, to name but a few.
The articles were written in Arabic and published on the al-Gherbal website and in its print edition newspaper. The Syrian Observer translated into English and published some of the articles:
Syrian Businesses in Turkey Overcome Challenges and Start to Compete
Endless Suffering of Syria’s Widows — Can the Cycle Be Broken?
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Generation of Syrian Migrants Endure Limited Options and Frozen Dreams
Aid-weary Aleppans Head Timid Initiatives to Rebuild Destroyed Industrial Sector
After Edging Out ISIS, Syria’s North Strives for Self-dependence by Reviving Local Production
Syrian civil society launches alternative media
exploring extremism (2018)
sharq.org collaborated with Syrian media organisation Sound & Picture in 2018 to guide a team of journalists working in Syria and Europe in the production of a series of fifty articles focused on extremism and its causes, impacts and remedies. despite the security concerns and communication challenges, over a dozen journalists engaged in collective action to shed light on the impact of extremism on Syria and its people.
in a bid to develop content that would instigate discussion and have a social impact, the team drew on comparative history as it addressed the many facets of extremism, an issue of great historical significance and increasing influence not only in the Arab world but also in Europe.
the fifty articles – written in Arabic and published on the now defunct website of Sound & Picture – explored diverse themes, including: the relationship between political and religious extremism, repentance, extremism among women, the impact of economic health.
