By Lucy Napitalai

DBTI Boroko, Port Moresby, PNG, 29 April 2025 -- The third program of the Media Education Seminar 2025 series took place at Don Bosco Technological Institute’s multipurpose hall on 26 April 2025. Delving into storytelling through visual media, the sessions aimed to equip participants with the fundamentals of news reporting and filming while fostering an understanding of the positive and negative aspects of social media.

Thirteen groups participated, including 11 Catholic institutions, one parish group, and a youth group from Radio Maria, each accompanied by their respective animators.

The program began with a prayer led by Fr. Ambrose Pereira, SDB, MHC Sabama Parish Priest and Salesian Social Communication Delegate and SC Coordinator of PGS and EAO. A special moment of silence was observed as participants paid tribute to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, whose funeral and burial took place later that day. Each group representative also offered a prayer. Encouraging them to prepare for the Feast of Divine Mercy, Fr. Ambrose reminded the participants, "The Lord forgives us, and while we are forgiven, we in turn experience the joy and happiness of peace. When there is peace, there is progress”. The group prayed for peace in their homes, families, and community.

Opening the day’s session was a session entitled, “The influence of the Media". Fr. Ambrose emphasized the objectives of media and the seminar: “to inform, educate, and entertain,” and the Church’s “to inspire, transform, and effect social change.” He explored social media’s advantages and disadvantages. He particularly highlighted how social media can impact mental health and self-identity. However, he also emphasized, "Social media is not all negative. Use your apps for self-expression, to create awareness, and to spread peace, joy, happiness, and positivity.”

When asked about their experiences with social media, Joseph Swalili, a student, shared, "My parents bought me my first phone as a reward for my good performance in school. I influenced my younger siblings by showing them videos, and now they are also hooked on watching videos online. My performance dropped, and I realized that I didn’t set a good example for my siblings. I will now correct that."

The second session on news report writing was facilitated by Mrs. Sheryll Isoaimo, who empowered the students to write reports on activities and events in their respective communities. "There are different types of writing. News report writing is not the same as reflective writing," she explained. This skill would enable participants to document events in their schools and communities.

Subsequent sessions focused on visual media. The first, on basic video shots and best practices, was facilitated by Mr. Leo Paraha, who emphasized, "Learning the basic shots will help you create good videos. Always remember: your videos should inspire others." Participants then practiced capturing the three main types of shots: wide shot, medium shot, and close-up shot.

After a working lunch, Ms. Lucy Napitalai presented a session on visual storytelling. In her session, "Storytelling – Tell a Story Using Basic Video Shots," she stressed the power of storytelling through visuals: "Remember that each shot tells part of the story — you can tell a complete story using only visuals," she said.

When asked about their key takeaways and plans for sharing their learnings, participants responded:

• "We learned the skills of writing a good news report and making short videos. We will gather other youth and share the knowledge, skills, and values of MES with them." - Youth from Serokone, MHC Parish.
• "One key aspect for me is that I should cut down my screen time. I plan to share what I’ve learned with my friends at school, my family, and others." - Jimmy Ford, St. Charles Lwanga.
• "The different camera shots and angles have been a game changer for personal use. We will run programs and advocate for sessions for boys to learn." - De La Salle, Bomana Students.
• "Social media has its advantages and disadvantages, but it was made for a good cause. It’s all about time management and self-discipline. We will present what we learned during the school assembly and publish our articles." - Marianville Secondary School Students Gratitude to the principals for animating and supporting the students and animators. Appreciation and thanks to the facilitators for their support.

The next Media Education Seminar on AI and Visual Media will be held on 17 May 2025 at Caritas School, Boroko.

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