Youth Citizen Journalism

Focus Areas

Trainer Shuruq Harb with girls in Tulkarem. Photo © Pasqual Gorriz.

The OSI Youth Initiative has sponsored a series of youth citizen journalism workshops to accompany the Moving Walls International documentary photography exhibit across the Middle East and North Africa over the past 2 years.

Working with Pasqual Gorriz, an internationally recognized professional photojournalist, participants learn how to tell stories about their lives and communities through photography. Using simple digital cameras and open source software, participants learn that journalism does not require fancy equipment.

Workshops target youth ages 14–18, although those in their late teens and early 20s have also been involved. When possible, the workshops also include a field trip to the Moving Walls exhibit, so students can see examples of documentary photography on display. To date, OSI has worked with local partners to conduct successful workshops in Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt.