E Newsletter

December 2006/January 2007 E-Newsletter

Latinitas supporters: thank you for a year of support, donations, volunteerism, free consulting and your commitment to inspiring Latina youth!

Latinitas has built its audience from a few hundred to tens of thousands of readers. Programming tripled in '06 to six after school programs, more free monthly workshops in writing, web design, photography, radio and video production were offered and more partnerships with local non-profits and schools.

Started with a bare-bones volunteer team in 2003, Latinitas Magazine and Outreach has graduated from one writer, one translator and one web designer - and some of those people were the same person - to an organization running on the blood, sweat and tears of more than 100 committed supporters.

Over 7 in '07 indicates Latinitas' campaign to expand programming in 2007 even more. Latinitas wants to be in over (at least!) seven schools in this upcoming year.

The costs associated with serving one girl in an after school program exceed $100 per semester.

Because of you over 1000 girls were served in 2006 by Latinitas. In case you are wondering - that's a lot for a small non-profit running mostly on the donations of supporters.

Please consider providing a scholarship for one Latinita or more to attend our after school club. These scholarships provide funding to offset the costs of educational supplies, curriculum development, training manuels, technology kits, equpment, and program staffing. Please consider donating on one of the following levels:

We look forward to seeing you at our fundraising and outreach events this year. Thanks again for all you do.

Make donations here.

in this issue

1. Program Reflections 2006
2. A Look at Club Latinitas and TRIP
3. Latinitas Photo Exhibit at Austin Children's Museum
4. Latinitas Interns Broaden Our Reach
5. January Saturday Camp
6. Call for Volunteers

Over 1,000 girls and sometimes parents were treated to over 40 workshops, camps, and presentations this year thanks to Latinitas Outreach.

It was a year filled with community partnerships for Latinitas. We hosted workshops in internet safety,desktop publishing, media awareness, stereotypes, diversity, radio production, film-making, graphic design, web design, cultural pride, advertising, writing, poetry and photography for GENaustin, Girl Scouts, Foundation Communities, Morningstar Rising, Covington, Murchison and Fulmore Middle School, Barnoff and Allen Elementary School, the Junior League's Hispanic Mother Daughter Program, Las Comadres, Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, St. John’s Public Library, San Juan Diego Catholic, CIS, Día de los Niños and the YWCA.

Highlights included over 300 girls in attendence at Murchison Middle School for a lesson on internet safety. During Latinitasfest, the 2nd annual all-day media and technology conference in November, Latinitas flexed its fantastic fleet of bilingual volunteers and media specialists who presented to a group of young emerging reporters, web designers, videographers and photographers. Latinitas was also invited to make a presentation on youth media development for high schoolers at the statewide Boston Conference for Women.

On the 3rd anniversary of our first after school program at Martin Middle School and 2nd anniversary of the Teen Reporter Intern Program at Travis High School Latinitas launched four new programs at three other middle schools and one elementary school.

Old pros at this point in being junior reporters, girls at Martin Club Latinitas had their first experience in authentic music journalism attending the Lomxcimo Concert featuring new R&B artist Jeannie Ortega, Cuba's hip hop salsa fusion band the Orishas, empowered beat-box girls Nina Skye and Club Latinitas' favorite Latino pop singer Frankie J at UT’s Bass Concert Hall. Girls in Latinitas after school program interviewed artists backstage and reported stories on their websites. It was a great lesson in the fun places journalism can take you.

Other program highlights include a visit from Hot 93.3’s Mimi in the morning to the Teen Reporter Intern Program. Mimi spoke to girls at Travis High School about how she became an on-air personality six years ago and never looked back. She explained to the TRIP team how the Latina market is becoming one of the most sought after and that their opinion as Latina women is going to matter to advertisers and other decision-makers more and more.

Latinitas thanks Fall interns Denise Maldonado, Marisela Ramirez, Carmen Rodriguez and Sarah K. Rodriguez for an outstanding semester of running Club Latinitas at Fulmore, Pearce, Webb Middle Schools and Blackshear Elementary.

Denise Maldonado is a freshman at Austin Community College on a liberal arts track. She joined Latinitas after interning with the Hispanic Scholarship Consorptium. Girls in Denise's clubs looked forward to her one-on-one mentoring and her immense patience which she provided during each lesson this year.

Marisela Ramirez attends Austin Youth Works Charter High School. She heard about Latinitas through the school's intern program and was excited about the mission. Marisela partnered with Denise running clubs at Pearce Middle School and with the "littlest Latinitas" at Blackshear Elementary.

Carmen Rodriguez recently graduated Austin Youth Works Charter High School with an interest in attending a 4-year college in Austin to focus on art or education. Carmen was a compassionate leader with girls at Fulmore and Webb Middle School.

Photographer Sarah K. Rodriguez joined Carmen at Webb and Fulmore facilitating clubs with her strong background in journalism studies at UT. A fan of Latino art and photography, Sarah was an incredible asset and guide to these two programs in addition to assisting at Latinitas' Travis High Program.

Working behind the scenes this past semester was Jenny Castillo, a UT Senior Communications major who single-handedly organized all Latina sororities on campus to host a back to school drive for Latinitas. She also streamlined curriculum and even created new, unique club activities. She also assisted in recruiting student volunteers from the UT campus and helped with Saturday outreach programs.

Claudia Rojo, a masters student in Journalism at UT shared her writing and editing talents with our editorial team.

UT Public Relations major Erika Ramirez not only supported Latinitas overall programming with press release writing and distribution, Erika also assisted facilitators at Latinitas Martin Middle School after school program for the entire semester and also ran workshops at Latinitasfest this year.

Unofficial interns Jillian Murphy and Loren Shultz also helped facilitate Latinitas' Martin Middle School club. Jillian has also been photographing clubs at Martin and Travis High School as well as at outreach events.

Back by popular demand in 2007. Girls in grades 4th-8th are invited to discover their multimedia talents during our free monthly Saturday Camps. Join us on the 4th Saturday of every month starting in January from 10:30am to 12:30pm at St. John’s Public Library.

Video Idols: Jan. 27
Star in your own video

Radio Chica: Feb. 24
Create a radio journal

Web Divas: Mar. 24
Design our own website

Fab Photos: Apr. 28
Take the perfect digital picture

Zany Zines: May 26
Become a magazine editor

For more information, email latinitasmag@ yahoo.com or visit http://www.latinita smagazine. com/programoverv iew.php.

This January during National Mentoring Month (NMM), fulfill your new year's resolution to make a difference in your community by volunteering for Latinitas. The NMM movement highlights mentoring and the positive impact it can have on young lives. Together, we can increase the number of mentors available to inspire and assure brighter futures for our young Latinitas.

Since its inception in 2002, Latinitas has been dedicated to connecting Latina youth with role models. Mentors are needed to assist with our after-school programs and community workshops. Committee volunteers are also needed to work behind-the-scenes to help further Latinitas' mission of empowering Hispanic girls to succeed through media. If you would like to:

• Work with Girls
• Write, do photography or translate
• Plan events, lead or participate in fund-raisers
• Help with public relations plans
• Develop databases
• Help plan social activities for volunteers

email volunteer@latinitas magazine. org or visit http://www.latinita smagazine. com/volunteerove rview.php.

Mil Gracias to our major sponsors this past quarter:

Dell Foundation
Carrabba's Italian Grill (6406 I 35 N)
Blanca Garcia/Casa Blanca Realty
Federico and Julia Subervi-Velez
Dona Emilia's Restaurant
Austin Chronicle
Wal-Mart (Slaughter Lane)
Shoes for Austin

View:

Latinitas, Inc. is an Austin-based nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Hispanic girls in media and technology. We accomplish this by publishing a bilingual webzine for Hispanic girls, hosting innovative media workshops in the community, and facilitating an after-school program for junior reporters.