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TECH Chicas Changing The World

October 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Karla Leal from Telemundo kicked off the conference with some TECH Chica cheering! Photo: Hanne VH

If you ask young Latinas if there are social issues in their community that are not addressed sufficiently in the mainstream media or that they think are urgent to spread more awareness about, they will most likely present you with a long list of topics ranging from misrepresentation, discrimination and cyber-bullying to sexism, teen pregnancy and racism.

So how can these young ladies with tons of ideas and concerns actually make their voices heard and do something about these issues? Well, actually they have more options than what it might seem like. And this was exactly the topic to be explored during Latinitas’ 1st Annual TECH Chica girls’ conference on October 6, 2012, at ACC Eastview Campus in Austin. This conference was presented on the occasion of Hispanic Heritage Month.

More than 60 girls ages 9-18 participated in Social Media, Blogging and PSA/Podcast workshops in which they created social media campaigns for good. The girls came up with important issues around which they would create their campaigns, and professionals from the media and technology field facilitated the workshops.

Girls shooting their PSA about Sexist Stereotypes. Photo: Hanne VH

One group worked around the problem of bullying. In the Blogging workshop a girl wrote clearly:

Bullying needs to stop now. It messes with feelings

Another girl, from a group that addressed the issue of bullying of people with disabilities, wrote:

Bullying is not cool at all and it needs to stop!! Peoplle kill themselfs just for geting bullyd. It dosen’t matter if  people are diffrent. We all dont’t have to be the same.

Caroline M.’s group created a campaign focused on feminism and gender inequality, and she stated that:

I think we should stand up for ourselves more often because if we don’t we will be looked downn as minors and they would boss us around. (…) We woman and girls deserve to be treated equally.

TECH chicas blogging about social issues. Photo: Hanne VH

A girl from the same group had experienced gender inequality in person:

My grandma always gives more money to my older cousin than me and my sisters .I always ask my self WHY?!

One of the teen groups focused on the issue of teen pregnancy, and Thelma, one of the participants, pointed out an important question in her blog:

Why were you with me before and not after? (…) There should not be a baby with out there 2 parents. Two people made them two people should take care of them.

Lunch panel: Women Who Lead and Succeed! Photo: Hanne VH

On Latinitas’ own social networking site, MyLatinitas, you can read all the blogs posted by the TECH Chica participants on October 6.

During lunch, four successful women from the media and technology field presented at the panel: Women Who Lead and
Succeed. Evelyn Castillo, Editor of Latinometro, Alexandra Landeros, Writer for Latinometro and Austin Post, Ana Villegas, Dell Marketing Director, and Crestina Chavez, Managing Editor at YNN. T hey talked about how they use social media and new technology in their daily work and they answered questions from the girls about everything from career goals and path to life/work balance and income.

At the end of the day the results of the girls’ hard work were presented to everyone: 6 PSA’s over 3 important issues: Bullying, Gender Stereotypes and Teen Pregnancy. See all the videos on the following links:

Girls and the panelists. Photo: Hanne VH

Fight Bullying – By “Group Onderful”

Stop Bullying – By “Group Onderful”

Preventing Teen Pregnancy – By Group 3

Preventing Teen Pregnancy 2 – By Group 3

Stop Sexist Stereotypes – By “Group Awesome”

Stop Stereotypes – By “Group Awesome”

 

All in all this conference was a great success. Among the comments in the participating girls’ evaluations was that they appreciated the panel’s advice, they loved shooting video and using computers, they liked learning about how to blog and use social media in a useful way, they were inspired to become journalists and leaders, and they made new friends. Many of the girls even stated that they will start their own blog after this conference.

Come back next year for another fantastic TECH Chica Conference!

TECH Chica was covered by a variety of local media, including a YNN article by Jess Mitchell and a Telemundo article by Karla Leal.

 

For more photos from TECH Chica 2012 see volunteer Kimberly Carmona’s photostream and Latinitas Facebook album.

Filed Under: Austin News

TECHchica: Latinitas Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with the 1st Latina Girls Conference in Austin

September 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

AUSTIN, TX – Ask Hispanic women achieving what they lacked on their path to success and you might be surprised that the challenge of academics and economics takes a back seat to the absence of needed Latina role models – the examples of those who “made it.”  Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15-Oct 15)  by bringing mentors and young Latinas together, Latinitas is hosting Austin’s 1st ever Latina Girls Conference, TECHchica, Sat., Oct 6, from 9am-4pm in a partnership with Time Warner Cable and Austin Community College’s Eastview campus. Cost: $15 per girl. Register:  512.447.4440 x13 or at Latinitas Magazine.

Girls will engage in a “hackathon” like atmosphere developing a social media campaign to “change the world” and then implement it using blogs, video and podcasts.

“When we asked Hispanic girls in Latinitas’ programs what motivates them, they unanimously agree they want to help others.”  said Laura Donnelly Gonzalez, Latinitas,
Founder, COO. “We are pairing their love of technology and media production with the desire to create a social media campaign that will do just that.”

Female bloggers, IT professionals and video producers from all over the city will walk girls ages 9-18 through these activities.. During lunch, girls will be visited by a panel of women leading and succeeding in technology including local journalists, bloggers and technology executives from area businesses which will be filmed for a national web stream/simulcast to Latinitas’ El Paso chapter.

Latinos are still significantly less likely than whites to have a home internet connection (55% vs. 75) due to several socio-economic factors including low levels of  education and limited English ability.  That lack of access reflects heavily in Latinitas where 95% of club attendees do not have a computer at home.

“Ten years teaching digital media education and publishing the only magazine made for and by young Latinas, Latinitas has seen a lot of technology innovation come from girls as young as 8 and we wanted to create a fun, supported, competitive environment where they could work collaboratively with a concentrated group of educators, technophiles and mentors.” Said founder Laura Donnelly Gonzalez.

Established in 2002, Latinitas, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, whose mission is to empower young Latinas through media and technology, has been a vital part of young Latinas’ lives through after school programs, teen internships, Saturday and summer camps, special events, and the
very first online e-zine for young Latinas—www.latinitasmagazine.org. The bilingual magazine, written for and by young Latinas, provides a vehicle whereby these girls and young women not only see themselves positively reflected, but are also a part of the production.

Time Warner Cable (TWC) Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) campaign is a five-year, $100 million cash and in-kind philanthropic initiative to address America’s declining proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), which puts our children at risk of not competing  successfully in a global economy.

Filed Under: Austin News, News Room, Uncategorized

Latinitas’ First Father Daughter Workshop Scheduled for Father’s Day Weekend

June 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Girls and Their Dads Will Produce Their Own Version of “Sports
Desk”

AUSTIN, TX – Planning some Father’s Day multimedia fun, Latinitas is hosting its first Father Daughter Workshop focused on sports journalism, Saturday, June 16 from 10am to 12pm at Latinitas offices (1107 S. 8th St. Austin, TX 78704)

The passion Latina girls and their dads have for sports is sometimes specfically “Latino,” whether they follow a favorite “futbol” team or a sport significant to Latin America such as squash.  Other Hispanic girls in Austin rally just as intensely for the Longhorns.

Capturing that spirit in a fun video exercise, father/daughter teams can sign up here (https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/250679)
tickets ($10 a team) Teams can also register at austin@latinitasmagazine.org or by calling 512.447.4440 x137 to reserve a spot.

Father daughter teams will learn sports television production, video camera use, how to write a short script and  present sports news.  The pieces will be broadcast on Channel Latinitas.

 

Filed Under: Austin News

Latinitas Applauds Screening of “Girl in Progress” with Eva Mendes (Austin, TX)

April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

AUSTIN, TX  -   According to mainstream press, the “sleeping giant,” Latinos, are awakening, inspiring the first Time magazine cover in Spanish. But, despite such validating nods, mainstream television and film are slow to inclusivity.   Desperate Housewives’ creator Marc Cherry was asked to adapt a telenovela for American television and disregarding decades of Latinas being pigeonholed into roles of servitude in film and TV, Cherry chose “Devious Maids,” as his vehicle, without irony.

So, when Lionsgate Films asked Latinitas if they’d like to participate in a free /special
screening of Girl in Progress starring Eva Mendes on Sat., April 28, 11am at Cinemark Tinseltown 17, the non-profit focused on empowering young Latinas using media and technology jumped at the opportunity to screen a smart and genuine rite of passage story about a young Latina.  Director Patricia Riggen and Austin’s own Spy Kids franchisee Elizabeth Avellón will be present for a
Q&A after the film.

Girl in Progress depicts some genuine challenges  of American “Latinidad” including teen and single parenthood, but addresses it in the later years, where mother is providing, flourishing and independent and while still growing up herself, ultimately wants her daughter to feel loved and provided for.  The true focus of the film is daughter, Ansiedad’s, clever pursuit of a rite of passage as dictated by American
literature.  Though, she gets in over her head in what begins as a game, Ansiedad is smart, cynical and mocks the typical American “geek to chic” ” rite of passage story.  She’s a brainy Latina and Latinitas knows this will resonate with the hundreds of girls in Latinitas’ clubs and the thousands who read Latinitasmagazine.org.

“Frankly, it’s so rare to see Latinas as the heroes/leads in movies and to have a young female driving the film’s plot, who is book-smart, ambitious and beautiful is tremendous and extremely meaningful to tens of thousands of Latina and other girls who do not see their identity, culture and face reflected in cinema.” Said Laura Donnelly Gonzalez, Latinitas Co-Founder and COO. “Young Latinas are
these fastest growing youth population, yet Hollywood continues to insist a monolithic representation of teen youth in film – usually White.”

Latinitas, (www.latinitasmagazine.org) the first digital magazine made for and by young Latinas with programming focused on empowering Hispanic girls and teens, has been a long-time proponent of not
only publishing and broadcasting positive and more accurate portrayals of Latinas in its publications and social media platforms, but is also busy cultivating these voices in clubs, camps and workshops that have served over 20,000 girls and teens in Central and West Texas, as well as New Mexico.

Latinitas’ club members educated  in media, cultural and technology literacy, will  blog, vlog and write articles about Girl in Progress for Latinitasmagazine.org and its own social media platform: MyLatinitas.com after the screening.  Girl in Progress officially releases on May 12.

 

Filed Under: Austin News, News Room

Upcoming Events

August 10, 2011 By 1 Comment

Latinitas’ Free Saturday Camps
Video Divas
Sat., May 21, 10:30am-noon
St. John’s Branch of Austin Public Library
7500 Blessing Ave, Austin 78753
Any girl in grades 3-8 can sign up for a lesson in fun video production. Cameras provided.
Reserve a spot at austin@latinitasmagazine.org or call 512.447.4440 x137.
Meet in meeting room A in library.

Latinitas Latina Icons Fashion Show and Student Showcase
Fri., May 20, 7-9 pm
Emma Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center
600 River St.
Club Latinitas culmination event. Free.

Fotos de mi Alma Photography Auction and Exhibit Benefitting Latinitas
Thurs, June 9, 6:30-9pm
Emma Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center
600 River St.
$15 in advance/$20

Filed Under: Austin News