Digital Media Group Updates Jan/Feb

I created a little smorgasboard of my notes from one-on-one calls, the PSO in January, the MA area meeting last week, and the Digital Media group call a couple weeks ago to produce the long awaited Digital Media Group Updates! Wooohoo! [I've taken the liberty to bold the most interesting tidbits.]

•  AJ McGuire (HOME Inc.) - working with school as part of Research Action Change Class, on issues of global warming and educational inequality, and created videos; working on implementing the MOSAIC media literacy curriculum and incorporating video production
• Colleen Kelly (Project: Think Different)- youth action summit on MLK Jr. day with media watch team; managing interns; implementing a media literacy program at Edwards Middle School two days a week
• Dan Chen (Pui Tak Center) - tasked to develop digital media program for youth, incorporating his photography and graphic design skills; helping the org by developing template for the annual report and updating the website; writing grants for new cameras and looking for volunteers/mentors
• Derek Maxwell (Phillips Community Television) - *new* - doing well so far, although PCTV is not really a cable access station...
• Elisha Durrant (The Inland Northwest Community Access Network) - *new* - youth media and community outreach for TINCAN;
• Jessica McCoy (Center for Digital Storytelling) - getting into nitty gritty of collecting content and doing phone interviews for the StoreForChange.net portal for community digital storytellers; also working on Youth Uprising project to develop curriculum for collecting digital content for Oakland Tribune; updating CDS cookbook with more on post-production of digital stories and managing some interns to take over some of the post-production tasks on CDS workshops
• Julie Bohnlein (Boston Community Access and Programming Foundation, Inc.) - *new* -  working at Roxbury studios primarily of BNN to create youth show/channel; has a nice cubicle and a phone; floating between Roxbuy and downtown studios; needs foodstamp letter; connect with Lauren and Richard
• Kevin Palmer (HOME Inc.) - just received grant to create a community radio station at a school and writing more grants for other media labs at other local high schools; partnering with Julie at BNN to create Boston youth media program/show
• Lauren Bratslavsky (Media Bridges, Cincinnati, Inc) - attended Media Reform conference in Memphis; started Saturday youth media lab… intro curriculum to use Photobooth and working on handouts tutorials for iMovie; developing Youth Media Block (new name on the channel); working with charter school's wed elective day to do PSA workshop and planning a summer program; has an intern from the university
• Leena Silverman (YMCA of Greater Boston) - *new* - establishing more technology programs at Eggleston Sq YMCA through Cyber Y lab; setting up new policies/procedures and summer youth program; implementing Kinetic City
• Mike Matthews (The Media Aid Center) - *new* - working with Ramon on developing tv programs and focusing on distribution
• Naomi Jimenez (Marcus A. Foster Educational Institute/OTXWest) - *new* - working with new multimedia center and updating digital storytelling curriculum for summer institute; working on Sat to attend/ghost classes at OTX; connected with ol CTC VISTA (now staff) Jeff Benton
• Ramon Myers (The Media Aid Center) - *new* - started out as a volunteer but now is a VISTA working to develop TV programs and marketing in TV studio embedded in a high school; working on outreach into the community
• Richard  Anderson (Grand Rapids Community Media Center) - working on some video projects; working a little on the audio stuff but the financial status of the station/center; hosted January open house to do community outreach; doing some interview with Catalyst Radio program;
• Shaneka Smith (Westside Youth Technical Entrepreneur Center) - continuing work on entreprenuerial projects with youth like t-shirt buisness and commercials; doing more music mixing, album covers, & music videos; also working on awareness videos with Girls program on the topic of abusive relationships
• Tony O'Rourke (Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley, AZ) - sat down with supervisor and successfully talked about expectations; started doing outreach with the community with kids to come to Club, targeted Young Champions (young athletes); reorganized the computer lab over the holidays and writing grants to get new equipment
• Will Quinones (Reel Works Teen Filmmaking) - went to Sundance Festival and presented as part of the Adobe Youth Vision, paired with filmmaker and did a daily video blog; doing outreach for ReelWorks through MySpace and ListenUP!
• Sharon Smack (Seventh Day Baptist Community Development Education and Service Outreach Ministry) - switched from Community Organizing group in January; created commercials for the youth service projects and will also be doing some radio broadcasting.

[Yes, I'm missing a few folks...don't worry...I'm on the case!] 

Also on the call, we discussed Leena's plight to explain VISTA to the YMCA staff and heard many suggestions from folks on how they explain it to others (check out Leena's handy one pager on her blog). 

Next call, March 2nd 2pm EST...BYO Curriculum (more details next week!).