About three years ago, a group called Latinitas formed with a mission to empower Latina youth through media and technology. You'll find them on the Internet and it the community.
News 8 Austin’s Paul Brown spoke to founder Alicia Rascon.
Q: Tell us why you started Latinitas in 2003.
A: We were students at UT and thought there was a absence of Latina youth in girl-oriented media. So we wanted to start a magazine that was by and for Hispanic girls.
Q: Tell us what girls can find on the Web site, Latinitas Magazine.org.
A: First of all, you can find all our information in English and Spanish. We have two sections, one is for young girls geared toward pre-teens. We have information ranging from technology and school to entertainment, to Latina role models. We also have a section for teens. This entire magazine is success driven, so we’re always focusing on articles on showing girls different opportunities and empowering them to succeed. We have information about Latina culture, stories that are actually written by girls themselves, and profiles of young Latinas who are already succeeding in the community.
Q: What about the outreach program?
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Latinitas
Watch the interview with Alicia Rascon.
 
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A: A big focus of ours is not only to create a publication that’s by and for girls, but also to cultivate the next generation of Latina journalists. So we have two after school programs, one at Martin Middle School and one at Travis High School. These act as newsrooms for girls to learn about writing and editing, photography, and video and radio production.
Q: What kind of response have you had?
A: Girls are thrilled to learn about new technologies, and they’re all really excited expressing themselves and getting their opinions and thoughts across, and learning what other girls have to say as well.
Q: What’s on the horizon for Latinitas?
A: We have a special event coming up on Oct. 22. We’re collaborating with Girl Scouts’ Lone Star Council to host LatinitaFest, a multimedia camp. Its focus is to teach girls about creating their own zine, or creating a Web site or doing photography, and exploring different media outlets.
[Editor’s note: LatinitaFest is from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., cost $25, and is geared for girls in the 4th – 10th grade. They need not be a Girl Scout.]
