Ms. Carolyn Malasig demonstrated the use of a mobile video editing application through a hybrid setup last 13 February 2023 at the Foreign Service Institute.

Twenty-six (26) personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) participated in the Video Content Creation and Social Media Campaign Planning (VCC 2023) training, which the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) conducted on 6, 9, 13, 15, 20, and 22  February 2023. The course, designed for beginner-level learners, introduced the learners to using social media in promoting the Philippines and the projects/activities of Foreign Service Posts (FSPs). Learners from FSPs Jeddah, Dili, Rome, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Dhaka completed the course with the common aim to be more social media savvy public servants.

Highlights of the course included sessions on the types of contents and the use of a content calendar, which is an indispensable tool in both content creation and dissemination. The course also included a session on “Using Gender Lens in Social Media Communication.”

To ensure that learners understand the principle of “in social media, video is king,” FSI tapped the expertise of Ms. Carolyn R.H. Malasig, an experienced journalist who formerly covered foreign affairs as part of the DFA media corps. Currently, she is a freelance journalist, editor, and columnist in several news websites, and writes a diplomacy column for the Manila Bulletin. She also maintains a personal blog, www.almostdiplomatic.com, featuring contents relevant to expats, diplomats, and travelers all over the world.

Assistant Professor Maritess D. Cruz of the Department of Women and Development Studies, University of the Philippines – Diliman, led the GAD session integrated in the course. She is a formally trained filmmaker who had worked in crafting award-winning promotional campaigns before she delved into advocacy work related to social development. 

VCC 2023 supports DFA’s strategic goal of strengthening the Department’s institutional capacity and professional competencies to perform its mandate to advance Philippine foreign policy goals with public and cultural diplomacy as tools. END For more information on this course and other programs of FSI’s Diplomatic Tradecraft Programs and Area Studies, contact dtpass@fsi.gov.ph.

Ms. Malasig demonstrated a few video editing techniques using Capcut
Course participants after completing the session on “Using a Gender Lens in Social Media Communication,” conducted by Ms. Maritess Cruz (top row, first from left)
The course used a learning-by-doing approach: learners created and edited their own videos, with a critiquing and feedback/coaching session from peers and resource persons.