Port Moresby, PNG 10 May 2021 -- Never stop seeking the truth because knowing the truth changes our lives and nothing can replace things experienced first-hand.

This was the message of the first Media Education Seminar held on Saturday 1 May 2021, at the Catholic Bishops Conference (CBCPNGSI), Waigani, that had as its theme: ‘Hope Amidst COVID-19’.

The seminar also dealt with the 2021 World Communication Day (WCD) Message from His Holiness Pope Francis entitled: ‘Come and See’ (Jn 1:46) Communicating by Encountering People as They Are. The 55th WCD will be celebrated on Ascension Sunday, 16 May 2021.

Student representatives from Don Bosco Technological Institute, Boroko joined the Media Education Seminar. The other Catholic schools included: De La Salle Secondary School, Marianville Secondary School, La Salle Technical College, Limana Vocational Centre and St Charles Lwanga Secondary School.

It highlighted specific aspects of Print media ranging from Creating Posters with a message, WCD Logo, Photographs of Inspiration, warm-up exercises, interactive game sessions, meditative and prayer moments.

Fr Ambrose Pereira sdb, Secretary of Social Communication, spoke of the pivotal role media played in society and urged the young students gathered to use it as an agent to effect positive social change in their communities. “You are all digital natives and with this advancement of technology and the development of social media, use it to share messages that have the presence of God to inspire others and create social change in society,” he said.

He said through the proper use of all forms of media transformation of society could take place on a much grander scale inspiring and improving the lives of others. “It starts on an individual level and each of us has a duty to our communities to effect a long-term social change that will over time create policy change at the level of government,” he added.

Media Coordinator of De La Salle Secondary School, Matthew Paofa, thanked the SOCOM Team for the informative sessions and said it was essential for them to be able to grow into critical consumers of the Media. “With everything that the students have learned from here, I know that we can be able to share this knowledge and push for something positive and tangible for the benefit of our school,” he said.

Theresa So-On, Grade Eleven student of Marianville Secondary School, admitted that though the Media Seminar seemed daunting at first, she went on to say that its concepts were made easy to comprehend thanks to the sessions presented. “For us as students the topic of media and its safety rules in place that ensure its proper use is very new and complex but the presentations were kept simple that made it easier for us to grasp their various concepts,” she said.

The 2nd Media Seminar will be held on Saturday 8 May and will focus on the fundamentals of Writing News Articles.