That’s a wrap – children head home after another hugely successful twofour54 Summer Camp
29 Jul 2018
40 young children today completed their first step on the road to becoming the Emirate’s media leaders of the future after another successful twofour54 Summer Camp drew to a close.
The two-week bilingual programme, which was sold out within 24 hours of registration opening, is the chance for children aged 9 to 12 to experience the excitement of being a part of Abu Dhabi’s thriving media sector. The camp is proving so popular that twofour54 is also considering holding a winter camp for the first time.
H.E. Maryam Eid AlMheiri, CEO of Media Zone Authority and twofour54, said: “Our Summer Camp has become one of our most rewarding initiatives and this year’s edition was no exception, with our collaborative community coming together to create an inspiring, educational, and enjoyable programme for our young attendees.
“It’s been a pleasure to see these children embrace media and to witness their creativity. We will all watch with great interest as they develop over the years and perhaps one day return to twofour54 to share their skills and experience in media with future generations.”
The third edition of the annual programme included sessions from leading media firms, youth organisations and partners in Abu Dhabi such as CNN, Bidaya, Toaster Productions, Korean Cultural Center, KidzUnplugged, Ultimate Women’s Fitness Club, Algorythma, Majid TV, National Media Council, Abu Dhabi Youth Council, Special Olympics Abu Dhabi, Preservation of Grace project and Dopamine Establishment.
During the first week the children learned about the Special Olympic World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 from the team behind the event. A fun-filled workshop saw children engage in a lively discussion around the three key attributes of an athlete – perseverance, team work, and breaking barriers.
They also visited twofour54’s studios at Mussafah, where they learned about all aspects of production – pre, during and post. This included a tour that took in the broadcast room, green screen facilities, sets, and lighting and filming equipment. The day culminated with the children using stop motion to create their own short films.
In another session, the team behind the popular children’s show, ‘Iftah Ya Simsim’, Bidaya, taught the attendees about puppetry and how puppets are brought to life. The interactive session also saw children get the chance to appear on camera with their favorite characters. Dr. Cairo Arafat, Managing Director of Bidaya said: “We are grateful to twofour54 for giving us the chance to share our experience and skills with these children. It was an extremely rewarding session and filled us with pride as we saw the excitement in their eyes as they found out how the magic of television is made. We hope to see them one day creating their own content to inspire others.”
At a session hosted by CNN, the children met the station’s Abu Dhabi Managing Editor, Becky Anderson. And, after a tour of the broadcaster’s studios, the children were also given the opportunity to try their hand at reporting the news themselves. Becky said: “Being part of the Summer Camp is something that my team always looks forward to. Having the chance to share our experience with these children is extremely rewarding, particularly when you see the excitement in their eyes at the thought of being a journalist themselves one day.”
Workshops also included the Korean Cultural Center, which offered students the chance to gain insight into the country’s culture through a session that looked at Korean clothing, food, language, and music, among other subjects – including a K-pop dance masterclass.
To end the second week, Abu Dhabi Youth Council ran a workshop titled ‘Baba Zayed in our Eyes’, which gave students the opportunity to discuss Sheikh Zayed’s life and legacy. They also created their own content inspired by his values – wisdom, respect, sustainability and human development.
The twofour54 Summer Camp integrates a mix of learning and entertainment using interactive sessions within various media-related disciplines. Volunteers, already beginning their journey in the media industry, run the sessions along with twofour54 staff, government entities, partners and creative lab members, each bringing their own unique talents, creativity and enthusiasm from the twofour54 community.
Those interested is finding out more about camps at twofour54 Abu Dhabi can visit twofour54.com/summercamp
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