News

News by:Mr Sumit Dhanraj, (Language Instructor & Media Trainer)

New Delhi: A three days “Digital Media Workshop for the Next Generation” under the aegis of SIGNIS was held at SVD Sadbhavana – Institute for Communication and Inter-Religious Dialogue, Masihigarh, Okhla, New Delhi from 18th to 20th January, 2019. School and College going students of the national capital Delhi were present in large numbers. The event also had the presence of the youth from Punjab, Haryana, Manipur, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Almost 80 participants were present in the workshop.

The Chief Guest of the inaugural session was Rev. Fr. Stanley Kozhichira (President, Signis India) from New Delhi who gave the key note address. He spoke to youngsters about the importance of Digital Media in the present scenario. He shared his views on the work done by SIGNIS in the field of communication and media in last 90 years.

Rev. Fr. Varghese Nediyakalayil (Superior, SVD Sadbhavana, New Delhi, Programme In-charge) shared with the students about the significance and role of the institute in the city. He said that the institute promotes communication and inter-religious dialogue amongst the people of various faiths. Fr. Augustine and Fr. George Manimala also motivated the participants to learn the concepts and praxis of the Digital Media.

Introduction to Digital and Social Media with its advantages and disadvantages was dealt by Mr. Sumit Dhanraj (Communication and Media Trainer) from Indore. He also took sessions on Fake News on Social Media and its consequences, writing skills for Newspapers, Magazines and Web, and Use of Social Media for the promotion of Goodnews.

Fr. Martin Sadiq (Director of Communication Centre, Jalandhar) did career guidance for the participants in Digital Media, Film Making and Web Designing. He told them about the growth and future prospects in the field of marketing.

Delhi based Film Director and Script Writer, Mr. Sanjay Bhartri taught students the technicalities of Film making and editing. He first explained them about script writing, screen-play, dialogue writing and how to shoot a film through a HD camera and smart phone.

Mr. Ravi Singh (Web Designer) from Creative Minds,  New Delhi in his sessions not only showed students how to make website but also helped them design and host their own. He taught them the online facilities for Digital Media and Mobile App. The practical sessions were appreciated by the participants.

The important part of the workshop was the practical sessions wherein the students were divided into several groups. They were asked to design their own websites and shoot their own short films. These group activities elated the mood of the participants. They started to look for a web designer, actor and film director within them. These dynamics brought out their hidden talents and creativity during the short time of the workshop.

The difficulties and queries of the participants pertaining to Digital platforms – Web Designing, Apps, Mobile Film making and editing were discussed in detail in the question and answer session moderated by Mr. Sumit Dhanraj and Fr. Martin Sadiq. The websites and short films of the participants were screened and awarded by the jury members Mr. Sanjay Bhartri and Mr. Ravi Singh. All the resource persons tried to solve doubts propping in the minds of the youngsters. At last, digital netizens were formed for the next generation by SIGNIS India, Northern region.

Mr. Rakesh Kumar Ohja from New Delhi (Technical Head, Doordarshan) delivered the Guest Celebrity Lecture to the youth on the Digital Media and the use of Camera while shooting for TV serials and films. He explained them the operational part of the DSLR and HD Cameras. He also shared with them his knowledge and expertise of the field work.

The valedictory session had goodbye and farewell speeches. Feedback and suggestions were also sought after. SVD Sadbhavana, Superior Fr. Varghese Nediyakalayil felicitated resource persons during the award ceremony by a memento. At the same time, the participants were given a certificate of participation. The best website and short film was also awarded during the prize distribution ceremony. Finally, the “Digital Media Workshop” ended with high spirit of learning, sharing, communicating, networking and a promise of building human community.