MIS NEIGHBORS

It may not be the best time for newspapers, but for high school students in Boyle Heights, that didn’t matter. When an announcement seeking writers for a new youth newspaper went around town, over 70 students showed up to see what it was all about.

Six months later, the quarterly bilingual newspaper Boyle Heights Beat/ El Pulso de Boyle Heights is ready to be delivered to Boyle Heights homes on Saturday, June 4.

“When I see my name in the paper, it’ll make me feel successful to see that I did this. I’ll feel pretty proud,” said Franklin Granados, a junior at Mendez Learning Center.

For the final 14 students who contributed to the newspaper’s first edition, it’s been a learning experience. For me, an advisor at the paper, it’s been a pleasure— not only to see them grow as journalists but also become passionate about providing a voice for their community.

“The issues we picked for the first issue were decided because they affect us individually,” said Cinthia Gonzalez, junior at Roosevelt High School.
“This is important because we’re addressing issues in the community and informing them about it and also letting their voices tell the story,” added Jonathan Olivares, who also attends Roosevelt.

At our semiweekly meetings, which take place at the Boyle Heights Technology Youth Center and the La Opinión newsroom in downtown, student reporters discuss story ideas and learn journalistic skills that have taken them on interviews with L.A. City Councilmember Jose Huizar, local musicians La Santa Cecilia and community members making an impact in Boyle Heights, to name a few.

I’m such a fan of these kids who in the middle of exams, college applications, homework, and, oh yeah, teenage life, they manage to squeeze in interviews, meetings and produce stories. And it’s not just dedication– they’ve shown determination. During an interview with Huizar, where reporters got a chance to experience a mini-press conference, the councilman said he had never revealed so much information about the proposed Wyvernwood Apartments redevelopment project to anyone, after one of our reporters remained persistent with her questions. I guess we’re doing something right…

For a few weeks, we’ve been waiting for the published edition–and it’s finally here! Next Tuesday, the youth reporters will have a chance to share their work with other youth at CenterScene’s Narrating Community: Youth Storytelling in Image and Word, an event held at The California Endowment, who funds the newspaper project.

But we also want to celebrate with our community! The Boyle Heights Beat will host a community meeting Saturday, June 11 at 10am at the Boyle Heights Technology Youth Center. We welcome you to voice your concerns about your neighborhood and share your thoughts with our youth reporters.

Reporters interviewed councilmember Jose Huizar (center). Here with advisors (myself on the right) and co-editor and publisher Michelle Levander (right of Huizar).

The Boyle Heights Beat project is a collaboration between USC Annenberg and La Opinión and is edited and published by Michelle Levander, director of USC Annenberg’s California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships and Pedro Rojas, executive editor of La Opinión. A group of advisors and coordinators complete the team.