“Speaking
your truth is the most powerful tool we all have,” reads a quote by Oprah
Winfrey.
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| Event poster shared online, calling for registrations! |
I know that
the scope and reach of my platform may not rival that of Oprah’s but each one
of us still has the power to wield our truths.
This was
the encouragement shared by The Iskandarian*, organisers of the training course,
Youth Truth News – Basic Citizen
Journalism Course (Series One) to invite participants to register
themselves and join the one-day course.
*The
Iskandarian is the official newspaper of Iskandar Malaysia and this series of
training courses are offered to interested individuals – Free-of-Charge – as
part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contribution to the
community.
This
series of training courses aims to empower the youths in our community to write
and share news responsibly, equip them with the skill sets to do so and
increase their marketability for job opportunities.
At the course,
participants will learn about the key principles in journalism from a published
author, a writer, a photographer and other professionals, and even get an
opportunity to enact the role of a journalist in the context of an escalating
story.
When the
organisers approached me – the published author – to discuss about giving the Introduction session at the start of this
training course, I responded with a volley of questions that required answers.
This was
because I needed to prepare my Introduction based on my target audience and I
wished to include elements that would interest and motivate them in the right
way.
In recent
years, I’ve had the privilege to talk to adult groups, women groups, youth
leaders in national schools, secondary and primary schoolchildren as well as
university undergraduates in international private schools, with each
presentation skewered to their specific needs.
Once I
understood who my target audience was, I would then prepare the relevant
elements to share and keep the participants not only interested but also engaged
and absorbed, and to ultimately benefit from our short time together.
The
Introduction aimed to help participants who were keen to learn more about the
world of writing/journalism so I should begin at the beginning by sharing a bit
about my own writing journey and let the participants see how I arrived at
where I am now.
They must
know that there was no magic formula to suddenly get my writing published but
it was through step-by-step equipping myself with the basic tools, working hard
and among other heartaches – accepting rejection – putting in a ton of
commitment and sheer determination to succeed.
On the
morning of the event, I was encouraged to see the participants trickling into
the hall, some earlier than others but it was understandable – as it was a
weekend and a Free-of-Charge event.
I
reminded myself that all the participants in the hall were people who wanted to
be there to learn something to equip themselves as another step on their
journey in their writing career.
While
some of the participants were familiar with my published work, some were
obviously unacquainted with me. So it was my privilege to introduce myself to
them.
Meanwhile
I was prepared to share with them, my own writing experience along with useful
tips on how to equip themselves with the basic tools for writing printable copy.
Using a
collection of my pieces published in various publications since 2004, I showed
the participants the columns I had contributed to, to let them have a glimpse
of the range of stories and the layouts along with photographs in cover and
centerspreads.
I was
also pleased to share with them, my two non-fiction books which contain a
collection of well-loved Johor-centred stories that were first published in the
newspapers as well as other stories about inspirational people in different
Johor towns, exclusive to the books.
These
books are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online via www.mphonline.com
At the
close of my session, I invited participants to take a closer look at my
collection of published pieces and books, and to ask, if they had any
questions.
Through
this experience, I believed they would have a better idea of what editors
wanted from writers and what readers enjoyed reading – and let their imagination
soar… maybe to a time when their own stories may be published too …
By
handling the printed material, I wanted them to realise that ultimately, it was
down to just an ordinary person (like you and me!) sharing our experiences in
an extraordinary way, to keep readers engaged and interested for more.
In the
following part of the training, modules for Writing was facilitated by Salamahafifi Yusnaieny, a journalist
with The Iskandarian while Media Law
was shared by Balbeer Singh, Head of Legal & Secretarial Services with
Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA).
In the
Writing module, participants learned more about content writing and how it
needed to be true, transparent, non-biased and factual, while taking into
consideration, all the sensitive issues.
There was
a great deal of legal jargon to digest in Media Law but it introduced
participants to the legal do’s and don’ts to keep them aware of how to approach
writing and publishing.
After the
lunch break, a session on Photography
was facilitated by Vishnu Dev of Reel Studio professional photography and
videography.
In this
session, participants were introduced to the etiquette and basics in
photographic skills and the various types of photos that were newsworthy.
Finally,
there was a Practical session for
participants to take on the role of journalist in an exercise led by Harish
Mustak, a journalist with The Iskandarian.
It was
indeed a day well-spent among like-minded people who were keen to acquire some
tips and skills to be a better writer and photographer while staying on the
right side of the law.
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| The Truth News speakers at the Series One event |
At the end
of the day, I asked the organisers for the participants’ feedback and they were
happy to share with me, some of the responses as follows:
“Thank you Iskandarian team for putting this
event together for us. And thanks also to the wonderful speakers.”
“Thanks to The Iskandarian team and speakers!”
“Thank you all, the organisers, speakers and
everyone for sharing your time and contributions to this wonderful event. And
not to forget, the simple but delicious lunch provided!”
“In the Law part, it was good info.”
There was
even a comment for me which was both heartwarming and encouraging. It simply
said: “They all loved your session!”
Series Two of Youth Truth News – Share Your Truth is scheduled for Saturday, August 24 from 9am to 6pm, held at
IskandarSpace, Iskandar Puteri in Johor Baru.
To
register and participate, send email to: harish@theiskandarian.com
For more
info, visit website: www.cj-truthnews.com
