Mar 24, 20223 min read

Bring Social Back to Media. International Social Campaigning Award Show in Amman

Updated: Apr 23, 2022

The "Social Campaigning School - Middle East" in partnership with Factory-x, honors successful campaigns by young influencers with an event live-streamed via Facebook on April 2, 2022, at 8.30 p.m.

In Beirut, young men talk about how hard it is to grow up as a man in a conservative society. In Gaza, teachers treat children with post-traumatic stress disorder. A free platform for medical advice is being set up in Nablus. We fostered these campaigns last year.

The “Social Campaigning School – Middle East”, trains social activists from the MENA region to start campaigns on important social issues to make the Arab world a better place to live.

For the last nine months, an internationally awarded team of experts – funded by the German Federal Foreign Office – trained and empowered the young activists from Lebanon and Palestine including Gaza in digital storytelling, communication, and content development skills as they developed and launched their own campaigns. At the end of the ten-month project, the best campaigns will be chosen at a live-streamed award show on April 2, 2022.

After 135 applications, seven online seminars, workshops in Jordan, and individual project work, ten Palestinians and Lebanese are now in the final. They have exceeded all expectations.

Two young women campaign for men's mental health by encouraging them to talk about their problems and feelings. A video, specially produced for the campaign, was published online and in the Lebanese media and met with great interest, as creators Lama Hatoum and Ola Zeiter appeared on television and were interviewed on the radio.

The posts of the awareness campaign on first aid and medical knowledge by Husni Sawalha from Nablus reached up to 20,000 people each on Facebook and Instagram. He and his team organized three first aid courses and are currently building a platform for medical advice.

With their campaign for neighborly help and volunteer work, two Lebanese sisters are not only successful on social media, but they also spread their message with a booth at the Christmas market in Beirut and with lectures in schools.

Four medical students from the Gaza Strip and West Bank are committed to the mental health of traumatized children in the Gaza Strip. They provide information about post-traumatic stress disorders, give vital tips on social media, and work together with schools to improve the treatment of traumatized students.

In April, the finalists of the Social Campaigning School will meet in Amann, Jordan, for a final master class on public appearance and the highlight of the project, the award ceremony. During the event, which will be broadcast online via Facebook, the campaigns will be honored by members of the European Parliament and of the general public, and an international jury will award cash prizes. The project is funded by the Federal Foreign Office and organized by Elda – European leadership & debate academy, Stahlmedien, and their project partners Factory-x, Sabine Abi Aad, and BuildPalestine.

About Elda

Since 2014, Elda – European Leadership & Debate Academy – has been offering professional training courses and seminars. Training young leaders from Southeastern Europe and the Middle East in democratic debate, female leadership, social campaigning, and journalism, they strive to empower a new generation of responsible citizens.