Youth reporter Ingrid Ceron shadowed DC Director and FSRN Capitol Hill Reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell. Ingrid wrote this about her experience:

I realized that  from the moment a reporter starts her day, she is always busy from beginning to end. My day on Capitol Hill started with a conference call on the current events going on in the world. Then we talked about events happening in Washington, DC. After that is when the reporter attends the event and gets interviews of what is going on from the views of the event’s participants, activists, and any powerful political leaders also attending. In my case, the event for the day was a rally celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), in which many people with and without disabilities were there, either trying to stay cool by staying in the shade, or facing the heat by being out in the blistering sun, all while listening to the people on-stage speak about their experience with the ADA. From that rally I met Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho, Congressman Ander Crenshaw of Florida and House Representative Schakowski of Illinois who all spoke out at the rally, and gave their point of view on what people should do to help out others with disabilities to be treated equally, and how they should have as much of a right as anyone else. Once we got back from the event, we wrote our script and chose the appropriate soundbites for the story. After that was complete, the reporter voiced her story and then it was broadcast across the country.

 

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Contact: Leigh Ann Caldwell, DC Director: 202-596-1893

High School students from DC based youth media program “Radio Rootz” will conduct a live Internet broadcast from the Express Yourself! Youth Media Festival in downtown Silver Spring on Saturday, May 8th.  

The festival is expected to attract at least 3,000 youth and their families. Radio Rootz students will conduct “live” interviews with young performers and artists and will broadcast the awards ceremony for the 5 performance categories for middle school, high school, and post-high school contestants.  Radio Rootz students have been learning journalism and broadcast skills through out the school year. This youth led broadcast is …

WHO: Radio Rootz youth high school journalists aged 15 – 19

WHAT: Youth-led live broadcast from Express Yourself! Youth Media Festival hosted by the Gandhi Brigade.

The live stream will be active during the broadcast:
http://66.246.184.113:8000/youthmedia.mp3

WHEN: Saturday, May 8; 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

WHERE: Downtown Silver Spring, Colesville Road. The Radio Rootz “live” broadcast booth will be in the youth press tent located to the left of the stage. (See attached map.)

Radio Rootz DC Director, Leigh Ann Caldwell says, “The youth have spent the year learning how to conduct interviews, how to write for broadcast, and how to be journalists. At the Express Yourself! Youth Media Festival, their skills will culminate in a production that brings this exciting youth festival to people unable to attend.”

Radio Rootz is a college-level program that is building the next generation of dynamic media makers and inspiring community leaders! The year-long program works in DC public schools and culminates in a paid summer internship. Radio Rootz is a program of People’s Production House.

Radio Rootz DC coordinator Selina Musuta worked with Cesar Chavez Public Charter School for Public Policy teachers to plan a two-week public policy capstone program for one class. Each year, Cesar Chavez scholars investigate a public policy issue through research, field trips, meeting with experts in the field, and participation in activities that promote possible solutions or public awareness.

In mid-May, students chose an issue they could create a project around. Students decided to learn about HIV/AIDS infection rates in the district. They also chose to learn more about radio. The teachers decided that the students could use what they learned about HIV/AIDS to produce a public service announcement (PSA). Selina worked with teachers to develop the main objectives and created a tentative outline for the program. Our main teaching objectives around PSAs included defining what they are and explaining how they get aired. This included lessons on the advertising industry; both commercial and non-commercial. Students learned the techniques that advertisers use to sell products. Students also analyzed commercial and public service announcements’ messages.

To prepare the students for the ins and outs of the PSA industry, students went on three field trips: STD clinic, WPFW (non-commercial radio station), and  WHUR (commercial radio station). They also heard from a guest speaker of an advertising agency. Students were interviewed on both WPFW and WHUR concerning their research.
After gathering information and sources, students were divided into two groups to produce two PSAs. They learned how to use sound effects, how to develop a script, and how to make decisions around targeting a message. They presented what they learned to their 9th grade class.

Check out the PSAs!