Some 100 young Arabs will, on Sunday, engage in the two-week Young Arab Media Leaders Programme, as part of a government-led initiative to build and nurture qualified future generations of media professionals.

The programme consists of numerous pillars that will offer participants the opportunity to learn, connect, develop, and implement. There will be educational courses, debates, seminars, lectures and workshops that encompass a wide variety of specialised subjects in traditional media and digital media to hone the skills of young Arab media professionals and develop their talent.

The programme covers different topics, including communication, media studies, and leadership. It also includes site visits which take participants on tours to some of the best and most prominent media corporations worldwide. The aim is to experience best practices within authentic media contexts and acquire knowledge from leading personalities and organisations.

Organised by the Arab Youth Centre, ARC, under the guidance and patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Chair of the ARC, the 3rd edition of the programme represents one component of the Arab Youth Media Initiative. It is designed to develop an empowered generation of young media professionals and influencers.

It will act as a platform that brings together independent and professional media experts with the industry’s best practices to equip young media leaders with the required skills to build a positive media ecosystem and sustain the future development of the industry.

Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, said, ''We have high hopes on the young Arab would-be media professionals who will be the asset and key pillar of the future and play a major role in highlighting the achievements of their home countries after they have been professionally trained by veteran media experts.'' ''The Young Arab Media Leaders Programme is a pioneering step towards grooming a generation of young Arab media leaders who can upgrade the standards of the media profession and contribute to promoting overall development concepts in Arab countries,'' she added.

So far the programme has trained more than 300 male and female students of journalism, media and mass communication across the Arab world.

The AYC is conducting the programme in partnership with several leading media organisations including the National Media Council, Media Free Zone in Abu Dhabi (twofour54), Thomson Reuters Foundation, Dubai Media City, English daily The National, and Arabic daily Alroeya.