SAFA — The Media Center at the University College of Applied Sciences was more than a training space. It was a practical hub where media students learned photography, reporting, editing, and television and radio production. But Israel’s genocidal war destroyed most of its equipment, bringing much of its practical training to a halt.

Yet Ali Abu Shanab, coordinator of the Media Center at the University College of Applied Sciences, says the destruction could not sever the center’s connection with its students. Staff used every resource available to gradually revive activities, replacing destroyed equipment with simpler tools — above all, mobile phones.

Abu Shanab told Felesteen newspaper: “Before the war, the Media Center was a vital space for students and the place where they received practical training. But the war brought this activity to a forced halt, and it was not by our choice or the students’ choice.”

He added: “Displacement, destruction, and the conditions imposed by the genocide made it impossible to continue working in the usual way. However, communication with students never stopped. Many of them also continued working and contributing to media coverage during the war, either as volunteers or through media institutions, channels, and platforms.”

“During the war, the talents of students and graduates from the college’s media program came to the fore,” he continued. “They made their mark through media platforms and channels and contributed positively to covering and reporting events. This confirmed to us that what we had worked on before the war had not been in vain.”

A Destroyed Center, Students Without Training

Speaking about the extent of the damage, Abu Shanab said the genocidal war caused extensive destruction to the center and deprived it of most of the resources it relied on for practical training.

He explained that losing the equipment meant more than losing devices. It brought a key part of the training process to a halt because media students need hands-on practice to turn theoretical knowledge into practical skills.

“The problem was not only the space itself, but everything connected to it, including devices, equipment, and training areas,” Abu Shanab said. “When studios are destroyed and equipment is lost, students lose a very important space for hands-on learning and practice.”

With new equipment difficult to obtain and prices rising, the center had little choice but to look for alternatives. Staff began gathering whatever resources remained and gradually worked to revive activities.

“We started slowly, gathering the strength and resources available to us and trying to work despite the deep wounds,” he said. “We worked in small rooms that had been rented by the college during the war or towards its end, and we tried to bring students together and revive the activities.”

Learning Despite the Lack of Equipment

Abu Shanab said the center also relied on students’ own skills to overcome some of the challenges, forming small groups of students with specialised abilities and bringing them together with their peers.

The approach allowed students to learn from one another. A student with experience in photography, editing or content production could share their knowledge with classmates under the center’s guidance and supervision.

“We did not run out of options, and we never stopped trying,” he said. “The resources were certainly very limited, but we tried to make use of everything available, whether the students themselves, equipment that could be repaired, or simulation and training programs.”

According to Abu Shanab, media training under the new conditions is no longer the same as it was before the war. The circumstances have imposed different tools and methods, with mobile journalism at the forefront.

“The phone has become an essential tool in media work,” he said. “That is why we have started giving more space to training students to produce content using mobile phones, including filming, editing, and publishing with the resources available to them.”

Training on lightweight editing programs, including CapCut, has also become a practical alternative as computers and equipment needed for professional editing software remain unavailable. The center has also begun using artificial intelligence tools for design and media production.

War Reshapes Media Training

Abu Shanab stressed that the war changed not only the center’s infrastructure but also the priorities of media training.

“We are not talking today about media training under normal conditions,” he explained. “A new reality has imposed itself, and we therefore have to look for skills that students can practice with the resources they have in their hands.”

Training students to build their digital identities and develop portfolios has also become increasingly important, he said, as students need examples of their work to demonstrate their skills and enter the job market.

Before the war, Abu Shanab said, the center and the media department placed particular emphasis on training students to cover wars and crises, work as field correspondents, develop plans for operating in dangerous conditions, and produce reports and human-interest stories.

“These skills are no longer simply topics that students learn in a course,” he said. “They have become a reality in front of them. Students are living through the war and seeing its impact, so applying these skills has become much more connected to what is happening around them.”

Rebuilding the Center

Abu Shanab said the center is now moving towards a more stable phase after lengthy efforts to restore its activities.

“Today, we are in a better and more stable situation,” he said. “We now have a large space in one of the University College of Applied Sciences’ buildings, and we have begun setting up two studios: a visual studio for filming and recording, as well as an audio studio.”

The studios are still being built and equipped, he said, with hopes that they will become available to students in the coming months for practical media training and hands-on experience.

“We are trying to rebuild the Media Center from the ground up,” Abu Shanab said. “We do not necessarily need to return to the same level of resources we had before the war, but at the very least, we want to meet the basic academic and practical requirements that students need.”

Supporting the Center Means Supporting People

Abu Shanab believes rehabilitating the Media Center is not simply about replacing equipment. Rather, it forms part of a broader effort to rebuild Palestinian lives and enable students to return to education and work.

“Rehabilitating and rebuilding the Media Center as a student training facility within the university is extremely important and is one of our priorities at this stage,” he said. “We want to stand on our feet again and restore this space, which used to provide many services to students and graduates.”

Addressing institutions and organizations that support education and training, Abu Shanab stressed that supporting professional and training centers is not only about providing equipment. It also means supporting Palestinian students and helping them continue their lives.

“Supporting media production and professional and training centers in Palestinian society means supporting Palestinians themselves, helping them return, continue their lives, and reclaim their role,” he said.

He stressed that the center is part of the university college, which in turn forms part of the higher education system and Palestinian society as a whole — all of which have been deeply affected by the war.

“We are part of a whole,” Abu Shanab concluded. “What has affected society has also affected its educational and university institutions. Whatever happens in the future in terms of reconstruction, solutions, and stability will affect everyone. Today, we are working with what is available and reaching out to all partners, institutions, funders, and those committed to supporting and building Palestinian lives, so that we can restore this important student space to its role and, God willing, allow it to continue its journey.”

Source : Safa News