Doha: The Doha Center for Media Freedom (DCMF) is partnering with United Nations Alliance of Civilisation (UNAOC) to enhance dialogue and develop tolerance between people of different nations, by launching a Create Challenge Competition for applications and games developers.

Till November 30 anyone over 13 years can participate in this challenge by creating applications or games that can be used to improve understanding between people and promote intercultural dialogue.

“This challenge is a good occasion for universities, schools and individuals around the world to get involved in promoting intercultural dialogue. We realized the impact of new media, social media and applications among individuals around the world and that’s why we launched this competition” said Jordi Torrent, Media and Information Literacy Project Manager for the UNAOC.

Jan Keulen, Director of the Doha Center for Media Freedom, was chosen to be a member of the international jury from the Gulf region. “It’s very simple: we aspire to a better world. We want to contribute to this better world through enhancing dialogue and understanding, using creative and playful means” said Keulen. “We think that especially in Qatar and the Gulf, with its large young and diverse population and with one of the highest Internet and mobile telephone penetration in the world, this ‘Create Challenge Competition’ is a golden opportunity to contribute to the creative and positive use of new media technology,” he added.

This collaboration between DCMF and UNAOC is also working to develop a Media Literacy programme. The centre plans to implement the programme in all schools in Qatar and the region by providing theoretical and practical training for teachers.

The Peninsula