Summer Media Organizing
Every summer Radio Rootz partners with community organizations bridging
media and community activism in New York City and Washington DC.
Through a truly youth led project, interns learn core radio
production skills and how these skills can be used to create community
organizing tools for their peers. Rootz Graduates, who have been
trained through the Youth Leadership Training Institute, lead the
project as Peer Trainers and Executive Producers. While all the youth
gain a hands -on experience of radio production and organizing, each
partner organization gains a documentary that directly supports their
communities and their work.The community organizations are also equipped with a new set of skills. Through their youth representatives, each organization can integrate media production and media activism principles into their organizing after the intensive summer collaboration ends.
Can you make excuses for domestic abuse? What can be done about it?
Why should the growing population of South East Asians in the South Bronx have a health clinic that fits their specific needs?
Can a small group of teenagers make a difference in a school?
These are some of the questions that youth representatives from Adelante Alliance, CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, and Future of Tomorrow answered as they collaborated with Rootz graduates of the 2008 Leadership Training Institute (LTI) for SMOP 2008. Listen on to see what they found out...
In the summer of 2008, Radio Rootz partnered with Future of Tomorrow (FOT), Adelante Alliance (AA), and Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV) to create three documentaries that represent the problems their community faces and how the organization helps to improve those issues.
My experience: This year I was a youth trainer. It was a big change for me, just last year I was an intern. The process went really fast. It felt like I started training to become a leader yesterday and then all of a sudden I am a peer trainer. When the Summer Project started I was really nervous. I was afraid I wouldn’t full-fill the job description required to be a successful leader. As the summer unfolded I got to know the different personalities of all the participants and we created a special bond. My experience as a whole was really good. I got to know what it is like to be a leader and learn from the mistakes I made to improve on them next year. I can’t wait to see what SMOP 09 will be like.
On September 19th, 2008, the Youth Leadership Project of CAAAV (Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence) held a Health Forum to discuss health issues and concerns the Southeast Asian community of the Bronx is facing. It was an opportunity for community members and health care providers from Montefiore Hospital to engage in conversation to better understand specific challenges, build on that understanding, and arrive at practical and community led solutions.
Time to time you hear stories of youth groups wanting to improve their schools and communities. But it's not too often do you hear triumphant stories about students accomplishing what they work so hard for. Well, this past year Future of Tomorrow (FOT), youth organizers based out of the Cypress Hills Development Corporation, gathered to fight for a Student Success Center at their school. Through campaigning they were able to receive a $100,000 grant to not only open the Success Center at Lane High School, but also to keep it running for 5 years. Hear the story on how these bright students organized to win such a big success and how the Student Success Center has improved their lives. Get inspired!
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