MEPI in Qatar

Qatar University

Qatari Women as Civic Leaders - Qatar University staff, with the assistance and of an international expert, trained 30 selected female students in concepts of civic activism and effective methods of civic leadership.  Upon completion of workshops and instructional sessions delivered over the course of three months, student participants applied their training to plan and implement an actual advocacy campaign addressing an issue of public concern in Qatar.  Their advocacy effort included meetings with government officials, a report to the media, and a public seminar.

Qatar University represented by Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar

In Their Own Words: Qatari Women Write on Current Affairs - Qatari Women’s civic engagement deficit to their male counterparts is rooted in culture, lack of knowledge, and lack of experience.  This project improved the civic engagement and communication skills of university women participants; taught them to consider, research, and analyze contemporary issues in Qatar, form opinions, and communicate their opinions effectively and persuasively in writing.  In the course of establishing an on-campus, female writers’ club, Qatar University trained female students on effective research, analysis, and opinion writing.  Participants were then invited to submit an essay to a persuasive writing contest, in which each writer argued a position on any of three contemporary topics in Qatar: social development, business, or politics.  Selected essays were compiled into an anthology, and winning essays publicized and distributed to the media.
 

Martha Steffens, University of Missouri journalism professor, in partnership with Qatar University

Parliamentary Elections Coverage & Reporting Effectively - Martha Steffens, facilitated by Qatar University, provided training to media professionals through workshops to improve the ability of journalists and editors in Qatar to report effectively and ethically on parliamentary campaigns and election day events.  A follow-up phase trained journalists on covering the activities of parliament and parliamentarians.  Samples of pre and post workshop reporting were compiled and used as instructional tools.  The project produced a manual for distribution to all participants and Qatar media outlets, and a journalist's code of ethics.

Moza Al Maliki Training & Consultation Center   

Get Out the Vote: New Women Activists Seek Women Voters - The project provided a voter education program through the Moza Al Maliki Training and Consultation Center encouraging women to exercise their right of political participation ahead of the April 2007 Central Municipal Council's election. The Center drew upon women university students to distribute a Get-Out-The-Vote leaflet and to conduct a survey on women's political participation in Qatar.  The Center produced a summary and analysis from its survey on the reasons women did not register and/or did not vote, and suggested messages and strategies for an effective women's voter registration/GOTV effort ahead of national elections in 2008.