wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

A recent New York Times article reveals that 41 percent of Mexicans in New York City between 16 and 19 have dropped out of high school, which is the highest drop out rate for any population in the city.   A few years ago Radio Rookies aired this story from Radio Rookie Christian about the extremely limited options available to him as an undocumented youth, even if he did finish high school and go to college.

Radio Rookies producers and Grad Rookie Rayon Wright are in London as part of the Hive Learning Network for the Mozilla Festival. The Festival brings together web and media makers to explore the frontiers of the open web. Young Londoners came out and learned to make audio podcasts, hack and remix boardgames and websites, become video reporters and design a digital hang-out space.

We're currently trying something new: running two simultaneous workshops and calling it Neighborhood to Neighborhood. In partnership with Facing History and Ourselves, Radio Rookies will be producing multimedia stories about their neighborhoods in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and the Lower East Side of Manhattan. 

Recent census data shows poverty rates are climbing all over the country and children are being hit particularly hard, with one in five of them living below the poverty line.  In 2009, Rookie Reporter Miguelina “Erikka” Diaz reported on how the stress of being poor affected her and her family as they struggled to pay the bills and find money for the extras that kids always need, like money for class trips and senior prom. The Pew Hispanic Center reports that more Latino children are living in poverty than children of any other racial or ethnic group.

Check out this beautiful video produced by TakePart about how Radio Rookie Erin Reeg reported on her experiences after 9/11.  It gives a real window into the process of making a Radio Rookies story and how the staff facilitates helping people report and tell their own stories.

DIY (Do It Yourself) galore at World Maker Faire NYC 2011

Graduate Rookie, Hawa Lee, participates in Mouse Squad's Scavenger Hunt at Maker Faire 2011.

On Saturday, September 17th Graduate Rookie, Andrea Lee Torres takes part in one of the Design Challenges by Hackasaurus.org at World Maker Faire 2011 with Hive Learning NYC.  Andrea tells us about her experience.

Saturday September 17th & Sunday September 18th, World Maker Faire comes to NYC.  Maker Faire brings inventors, creators, and thinkers of all ages to show off their ideas and learn from each other. This year's event is being held at New York Hall of Science in Queens, NY.  Radio Rookies will be at the event as part of HIVE Learning Network NYC.

In her Radio Rookies story, we hear clips of Erin's interview with her father about what he went through on September 11th, 2001. Here, listen to an extended version of their conversation. 

If you would like to comment, please email us at radiorookies@wnyc.org.

After months of preparation for the NYC Digital Waves Youth Media Festival, it finally arrived on Saturday July 30^th - as it quickly came it also quickly passed. I miss the festival already. But maybe it was part of the appeal so we would hunger more for next year! Even as someone who planned this event I didn't feel like, "finally it's done now move on," (maybe a tiny bit), but I want more.

An inspiring day so far at the first ever NYC Digital Waves Festival.  Hands on workshops, amazing speakers, raffles, food (of course), information about career paths, and--upcoming-- NYC's first ever, cut throat, fast-paced, high stakes Audio Slam.  More blog posts coming soon with video from breakout sessions and panel discussions.  Stay tuned....

Radio Rookie Eric "Grayson" Leinung performs twice a week at the midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Some of Eric's fellow 9/11 Workshop Rookies and producers got to watch him perform in drag in honor of Pride.

1st Annual NYC Digital Waves Youth Media Festival highlights Jones Franzel and GenPRX.  Jones Franzel is the Project Director of Generation PRX. Jones will be presenting a hands on workshop "Critiquing Work Effectively" at the festival.   

Entries wanted for the Audio Slam Throwdown at the 2011 NYC Digital Waves Youth Media Festival. The Audio Slam brings the live action of a battle of the bands to the world of produced audio. The idea is to create a competition for audio producers that delivers the adrenaline rush of a live performance in the intense atmosphere of a poetry slam. 

Coming on June 15th the first in our latest batch of Radio Rookies stories, which will air every Wednesday and Thursday for the rest of the month.  First up, we'll hear from Alicia, who comes from a mixed-status home, meaning that half of her family are U.S. citizens, the other half are not.  Some people consider her an "anchor baby", but Alicia just feels confused about the expectations her parents have of her, as a citizen, and the guilt she feels that her sister lives under the fear of deportation.  And on Thursday a story about Facebook drama....  

Radio BCAM is a project by Mr. Mendola’s class at Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School. Mr. Mendola's students worked with Adobe Youth Voices and Radio Rookies to create their own radio stories.

An article in Wednesday's New York Times, “9/11 Inspires Patriotism and Celebration” (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/us/04youth.html), talks about the generation that’s come of age in a post-September 11^th world, in the shadow of two wars.   The piece quotes historian Neil Howe as saying that for young people today “this is a Harry Potter vignette, and Voldemort is dead.”  Is it that clear cut?

Radio Rookies started our workshop on Saturday for young people with stories tell and to report about the impact of September 11th in their lives.  We spent much of the day getting refreshers on how to use the equipment, learning about microphone placement, and going over interview techniques.  After a day focusing on the lighter side of reporting (interviews about first crushes and collecting the sounds of Soho), everyone shared a little about what brought them to participate in the workshop.  Even though it was two days before the news broke about Osama bin Laden's death, the dreadful legacy of September 11th was still very fresh for everyone in the room.  Coming soon: an introduction to the new Rookies.