The Middle East has a very young population: almost 70% of the population are under the age of 30, and around 30% are under 15. In North Africa, poverty and warfare have rendered many children vulnerable and isolated, and young adults are often unemployed and increasingly frustrated. In contrast, many young people in the Gulf are materially very rich, but are both physically isolated and emotionally and spiritually poverty-stricken.
MEM encourages young people to question their society and become a voice for the voiceless, to challenge the injustices that have been traditionally accepted and generate debate around taboo issues. We have created a wide range of TV shows for children, from 3D animations about equality to a comic-book style animated Bible series, to teach them about their rights and show them how much God loves them. Furthermore, the media training children and young people receive from MEM not only gives them a constructive outlet for their thoughts and struggles, but also gives them vital employable skills to enable them to find work in the media sector.
Filmmaking training
Youth media training (North Africa)
We train young people (age 7-17) and youth workers in the Middle East to develop creative ways of communicating the things they feel passionate about. Our filmmaking training equips young people to express their thoughts, beliefs and ideas in a constructive and creative way through modern media and gives them the practical, employable life skills. With a long waiting list for our trainings, we give priority to some of the region’s most underprivileged children, including those with disabilities.
Children's TV Series
Life in the Desert
Life in the Desert is our 3D animated series aimed at children aged 5-9, to help them deal with loss and fear and encourage them through the examples of real Biblical heroes. Many children in the Middle East, particularly those in conflict zones, are dealing with trauma, fear, loss and grief. This series provides comfort, support and reassurance to children, as well as equipping them to deal with the difficult challenges they face. The series follows the story of a young girl called Farah. After her mother dies, she goes to live with her father and starts to find comfort, hope and transformation through the stories of the Bible. To date, over 6,000 children have been reached with this series. Read more about Life in the Desert >
Tamer's Questions
Children of the Middle East are often discouraged from questioning, and are taught to simply accept and obey the teaching that is passed down to them. Tamer's Questions encourages children to ask their questions about God and find out answers for themselves. This TV series is for Arabic speaking children, aged 5-12 years old. Each season has 13 episodes, and and each episode is 3-5 minutes long. We are currently working on the second season, and raising the remaining funds for the second and third seasons.
The Action Bible
Our North Africa team was given the rights to animate the Action Bible, a comic book-style Bible telling God's story through beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations by Marvel & DC Comics artist Sergio Cariello. We have produced 66 Bible stories as short, motion-graphic style animations, which have been broadcasted online and on Christian satellite TV.
A SELECTION OF THE BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE ACTION BIBLE (© ACTION BIBLE)
The Path (formerly WebTV)
The WebTV project started in 2015 to provide an online media platform for and made by Arab youth as a tool of self-expression. Arab youth are the fastest growing demographic in the world, yet are also faced with many different struggles and pressures. Therefore, we long to reach this age group in the region. The online platform had 32,000 followers and reached over 2 million young people in 33 countries. We also trained over 100 young people in media and some of them started producing short films and uploading them on social media platforms, with meaningful messages for their generation.
To maximise the reach and focus, in 2019 the project was rebranded and became The Path, with a greater focus on the youth in North Africa. The project’s main goal is to create a community for passionate young filmmakers. This is one of the best vocations for these young people to get involved in, as it guarantees jobs in the growing media market in the future. This also allows us to remain in the marketplace as Christians, and have a positive impact on the youth.
Currently, in 2021, the project is on pause due the lack of funding.
DreamMaker Workshops
We have developed a curriculum for children built around episodes of our popular DreamMaker 3D animated series. Many children in the region feel powerless in the face of the terrible circumstances that have befallen them. The idea of this curriculum is to teach children to dream again, to help them take control of their own lives, and to empower them with hope and purpose for the future.
In each session of the curriculum, children watch an episode of DreamMaker and discuss it together, and simple activities are provided to help the children make positive steps into their future. Overall, the curriculum aims to give children a healthy sense of self, to give them the tools to discover their true potential and how to overcome despair.
