An Exploration of Creative Minds for Future Media – “Digital Citizenship”

An Exploration of Creative Minds for Future Media – “Digital Citizenship”

Exploration of Future minds virtual training program for the university students of Peradeniya inaugurated on September 4, 2021. Prof. DNKG Pushpakura Dean Faculty of Agriculture of Peradeniya University graced the event as a special guest.

The participants were welcomed by the Mohamed Azad, Program Director of SDJF.

In his speech he added that We have few authoritarians who control and decide on the media content and regulate the media engine and on the other hand we have free and non-regulate flatforms like our social media where we hold the control and own the content and disseminate without any responsibility. Therefore, we need to keep the balance in between and create socially responsible citizens in Sri Lanka. The purpose InSPIRE is to create such a responsible citizen.

Purpose of the program and objectives were explained by Chandula Kumbukage, Project Manager, HELVETAS.

When Prof.Pushpakumara was addressing the participants added that “I hope that this program will bring a new dimension to the students and staff of the faculty of Agriculture and faculty of Arts, University of Pearadeniya. Life gives us challenges to face and you keep learning through them.  I think with that respect creative minds for future media is another opportunity for all the students. Engaging exploring of creative minds; which is the need of our country even though we are in a pandemic it does not make any problem for us to go ahead with this training program”.

At the end of the inauguration of the virtual training series, the first training was done on Digital citizenship to the students. The training was facilitated by Dr.MC.Rasmin, Independent Media Trainer together with Nuwantha Fonseka, Director of  ASCP And Bairavi .

In this program 139 students: 30 male and 109 female were participated from Department of Agriculture Extension and Department of fine Arts.

“I was really happy about today’s workshop. It is a timely workshop. I am sure it was very useful for our students” said Dr. Sudesh Manatillake, head of the Department of fine Arts.

One student added her complement on the training program; “Today was an excellent day. The session was really interesting, there was a lot to learn, of course, more time on each part would have benefited. Training was delivered in a very approachable way and hence I feel I have learned a lot, it has fueled my interest and made me even more enthusiastic”.

At the end of the program, students were given a practical assignment to apply what they learnt. The program will continue every Saturday morning in September.

This activity is conducted under the Incubator Spaces for Promoting Information Rights and freedom of Expression (InSPIRE) implemented by SDJF and Helvetas and funded by European Union.

For more info: www.ldjf.org