NEWS
Social Campaigns at the University of Bahrain Encourage Volunteering and Interactive Reading
Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Ali Al Sabbaq)
December 14, 2022
The Dean of the College of Arts at the University of Bahrain, Dr. Abdulaziz Mohammed Boulila, lauded the University students’ keenness f to organize social marketing campaigns that integrate theory and practice, and seek to achieve behavioral and social change, within the framework of religious and national values.
On Monday December 12, 2022, the Department of Mass Communication, Tourism and Fine Arts organized the Social Marketing Exhibition, through which students of the Bachelor of Mass Communication apply the practical skills of the Public Relations major, through mass media campaigns.
Dr. Boulila opened the exhibition, which included six social marketing campaigns, and listened to a summary of the campaigns by students who excelled in explaining the campaigns and their aims, in the presence of the Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Tourism and Fine Arts, Dr. Kamal Mahmoud Al-Gharbi, the Professor of Public Relations, Dr. Laila Hassan Al-Saqr, and other professors.
For her part, Dr. Laila Al-Saqer pointed out that “the campaigns of this semester were diverse. They included “Step” Campaign, which proposes practical solutions to the problem of unemployed youth, through introducing them to job opportunities and urging them to take the initiative of voluntary work.”
Dr. Al-Saqer stated, “One of the campaigns is the “Sana” campaign which aims to encourage Bahraini youth to follow rules of etiquette and “Bahraini Sana”, and to encourage the practice of positive behavioral heritage among young people. Another campaign is “Rouh” campaign that promotes the mental health of young people through art, as it calls for using art in its various forms to be a positive means for young people to express themselves through producing works of art that can be used in humanitarian work.  A third campaign is the “Lines” campaign which aims to encourage interactive reading, provide mobile libraries, and form interactive reading groups among young people in innovative ways. A fourth campaign is the “Nabgh” campaign which aims to encourage youth to innovate for the service of the Bahraini society, help the youth have access to the competent authorities that can adopt their innovations.  A fifth campaign is “Wafra” campaign which aims to teach young people the skills of rationalization of consumption among, which would improve their consumption behavior, through developing some simple skills that can turn them from consumers to producers.
Student Ahmed Ghazi from “Sana” campaign stated that the campaign, organized by six students, calls for knowledge of and adherence to ethics and customs. He pointed out that the campaign team surveyed the views of a sample of young people, to determine the extent of their knowledge of such ethics and customs.
The member of the “Sana” campaign team, student Sarah Ibrahim, stated that the campaign, which lasts for two months, employed several tools to market its ideas, such as publications, social media platforms, personal communication, and competitions, noting that raising youth awareness on ethics and customs is always an essential need.
The member of the “Step” campaign team, student Mohammad Ibrahim Al-Salmabadi, noted that voluntary work done by young people after graduation helps them develop their skills and obtain jobs, according to the results of a survey conducted by the campaign team that included a sample of more than 400 people.
Another member of the campaign, student Azhar Ahmed, stated, “We encourage graduates, the unemployed and the students to engage in work and take initiative, because this helps them develop themselves and their capabilities.”
