MiSK Foundation receives Arab Social Media Influencers prize

RIYADH: The Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Foundation, “MiSK Foundation,” won the Arab Social Media Influencers prize for the category of community service, due to its tremendous efforts in this field.
The organization was awarded for its initiatives and programs in enhancing social communications, and raising the quality of thought and creativity of youths in this domain.
In a ceremony held on Tuesday in Dubai, the prize was handed over to the secretary-general of MiSK Foundation, Badr bin Mohammed Al-Asaker, by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president of the United Arab Emirates, prime minister and ruler of Dubai. The Arab Social Media Influencers Summit is being held in Dubai on Dec. 13 and 14.
The award was delivered in appreciation of the MiSK Foundation’s successive initiatives, diverse programs and initiatives promoting skills, energies, and creativity, as well as creation of a positive environment for growth in the fields of culture, media, technology, and communications. The foundation focuses on youths around the Kingdom, and aims to provide different means to support pillars of knowledge in society.
Activities range from training programs, to meetings which enrich youths and raise their level of awareness and skills in dealing with social media. Discussions support positive arguments and dialogue to address social and youth issues.
Among the efforts led by the foundation over the past years was the launch of the annual Tweeps forum, which helps youths share and hone their skills and creativity via social networking sites, as well as four sessions, since 2013, on educational and awareness-raising workshops focused on communication skills development.
The annual digital visual media forum, Shoof, is also one of the foundation’s initiatives that has been carried out over the past four years.
Each year, the forum promotes new themes and visons to keep up with the latest developments in the digital visual media industry, and expand platforms and means of visual social communications. The forum also helps highlight the national capacity, and raise awareness of youths, while harnessing digital media tools to service the nation and boost partnerships between young talent, investors, and relevant authorities.
Shoof itself has seen the launch of seven different initiatives, including the establishment of an educational platform to develop educational and skills content on YouTube and Snap Chat for public and higher education students.

Other initiatives include the launch of a competition for film production focused on national and community development; supporting the development of specialized cultural films about the Kingdom’s history; training 20 young men and women in photography and visual production in partnership with the New York Film Academy; supporting the production of 30 videos for 30 charities around the Kingdom; training 500 young men and women in fields linked to visual digital media; and the founding of the Shoof Community for Visual Production to bring together youths specialized in this field; and creating skilled job opportunities.