Based on Massar’s national vision to reach all young people all over Syria, the project is working on building Regional Discovery Centres in other governorates. The Regional Discovery Centres will carry the same mission of the Damascus Discovery Centre which is enhancing young people’s skills and capacities. These centres will host various touring exhibitions.

• Lattakia Discovery Centre:

The first of the Massar Discovery Centres, the Lattakia Discovery Centre opened in 2007 hosting the “Amwaj Massar” exhibition for young people between 10 and 17 years old. The centre continues to offer an interactive learning environment based around the theme of sound and music. Visitors can experiment with a wide range of activities, from playing different musical instruments to learning about famous Syrian and international musicians in addition to access to recording studios and sound mixing machines. Amwaj visitors participate in many contests, workshops, trips and other team-activities to develop new key skills and experience. The centre has reached more than 56,000 visitors since its opening, attracting new visitors from the governorate of Lattakia and beyond.

• Homs Discovery Centre:

The young people of Homs will experience an adventure of discovery when visiting the new Massar centre in the city, which will offer an interactive environment full of learning experiences around the theme of news-making and the media. Young people aged between 10 and 15 will be able to produce and prepare news-stories and become familiar with a wide range of medias. The aim is to transform the visitors from passive to active consumers of media and enhance their ability to analyse, critique and filter the messages they receive on a daily basis. The centre will be opened by the end of 2010.

• Aleppo Discovery Centre:

The Massar centre in Aleppo will focus on environment and health, important issues for the community. Massar will create an interactive experience to raise the awareness of young people of this topic and provide them with practical skills to help protect the environment and look after their and their country’s health. The preparation period of the centre will end by 2011.

Photos from Lattakia Discovery Centre (Amwaj Massar):