Kick It Up L.A.

Greenspace Politics: Soccer in the City

2010-07-15T18:06:09Z

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How can a sprawling metropolis with 4.7 million Hispanic residents have only 9 public parks with soccer fields? GlobalGirl Reporter Maria Torres interviews activist Raul Macias and examines green space politics in the City of LA.

Artist and Soccer Player Erick Roldan Profile

2010-07-15T18:05:42Z

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The World Cup may be over, but Kick it Up! L.A. is still tracking all things Los Angeles and futbol. This week the GlobalGirl citizen journalists profile artist and soccer enthusiast Erick Roldan.

Soccer Smarts

2010-07-15T18:04:38Z

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Global Girl Reporter is Rocio Ortega asks why there are so few Latinos on the U.S. Men's National soccer team. Her search for answers takes her to #1 breeding ground for professional soccer in the U.S.: our higher education system.

Kick It Up L.A. Blog Digest - 7/7

2010-07-07T19:14:54Z

KCET.org has partnered up with GlobalGirl Media's local bureau to bring you Kick It Up L.A., a girl's-eye-view of Los Angeles, soccer culture and the World Cup. GlobalGirl Media trains young women to become citizen journalists and report on both the world's biggest sporting event and the issues that matter to them in their lives and communities.

These young journalists have been blogging on the GlobalGirl Media site, and each week we'll be bringing you a digest of their posts. This week the girls blog about family life, what it means to be a GlobalGirl, and the loss of a good friend.

Remember to check out the Kick It Up L.A. site to read more from these amazing local reporters.

These are excerpts, but if one catches your eye, be sure to follow the link and read the whole thing!

"Independence Day" by Rocio Ortega

"He never shows emotion, rarely communicates with his children and if so, it's usually because one of us is in trouble and will be scolded. He is a traditionalist and is just not open-minded.

So when it came time for me to ask my father for permission to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I knew I had to be prepared and have a strong strategy before I approached him. I had applied to work as an intern for Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano, and later had been sponsored to be a Congressional Page this summer in Washington D.C., although my position had still not been confirmed. The opportunity is wonderful enough for a teenager but the fact that I was born and raised in East Los Angeles made it almost inconceivable; opportunities here are few and far between - this stuff just never happens!"

"Change Starts Here: Reflections on Being A GlobalGirl" by Brenda Solis

"My brother constantly says to me jokingly: 'Just go live with the Global Girls!' He says this because I'm hardly home. Our schedules are pretty hectic because many of our interviews are in distant locations and we have to leave about an hour earlier because we don't want to be late. Transportation is a big variable in our schedules because we have a [limited] number of cars and many of us live far away from each other. Regardless of the number of obstacles we face, we do our best and get the job done well."

"Gone But Never Forgotten" by Sussete Nuñez

"At first I didn't believe it. I kept saying 'What? What?' as if I couldn't hear her because I just couldn't make sense of what she was telling me -- I mean I had always been surrounded by death; a lot of my friends have lost close friends and family members and I've seen a lot of people suffer but I never thought it would hit me in the face at such a young age. It's almost hard to believe, so shocking, and hurts deeply to see someone so dear to you die so soon - just barely eighteen."

Kick It Up L.A. Blog Digest - 7/1

2010-07-01T19:32:42Z

KCET.org has partnered up with GlobalGirl Media's local bureau to bring you Kick It Up L.A., a girl's-eye-view of Los Angeles, soccer culture and the World Cup. GlobalGirl Media has been training young women to become citizen journalists and report on both the world's biggest sporting event and the issues that matter to them in their lives and communities.

The young journalists have been blogging over the GlobalGirl Media site, and each week we'll be bringing you a digest of their posts. This week the girls blog about the JROTC program in their school, Olvera Street, soccer injuries, and personal discovery.

Strong-Thoughts, by Team Orange

Today on June 15, 2010 we interviewed Arlene Inouye about C.A.M.S. (Coalition for Alternatives to Militarism in our Schools). We started recording the moment that we got out of the car. Arlene opened the door with this warm, welcoming smile. It was really nice to see how happy she was that we were there to film her and allow her to express her side of what she thinks about the JROTC in schools.

Arlene started to describe to us the different factors that play a role in a student's decision to sign up to join the JROTC. Some shocking facts that we learned from Arlene was that the marines and other programs use certain methods, pictures and sayings to attract people from specific ethnic groups. We also found out that they spend a lot of money on these programs, when supposedly these programs are free. The one fact that shocked us the most was that these programs don't really give options, sometimes forcefully enrolling the kids in the JROTC program and telling them that they have to join. Arlene also told us that some of these programs even have recruiters that harass the students to join. Edith was in shock when Arlene shared a story of a female student that was harassed by being followed to her classes. [more]

The Little Street that Could, Team Red

It's amazing how a few houses on a tiny street, which is now known as Olvera street, started it all for the beautiful city of Los Angeles. This historic district has become the roots for many families and overall the roots of Los Angeles. When you're there you see how the city began; so losing Olvera St. would be like losing a glimpse into Los Angeles' past.

When we arrived at the famous cobblestone street lined with Mexican shops and restaurants, we were in the middle of all the tourists and employees of the various businesses. What stood out the most were the posters posted everywhere that read "Save Olvera St." As we began asking information about whether the rumors were true -- was Olvera Street going to be closed down? We discovered quickly that employees were not allowed to speak about the issue and simply just cut us in our tracks. We immediately had to change the angle in which we approached employers because we were being denied interviews by almost everyone. We ran into some tourists from Arkansas that were completely clueless about the issue of the possible loss of the street and in fact they were quite shocked because they had enjoyed their visit there. [more]

Ouch that Hurts, by Team Red

"Soccer is an easy sport to play, all you need is some type of circular object, most preferably a ball, two trash cans as goal posts, and a bunch of people who can kick a ball." Those were the worlds of a Garfield High School teacher. Soccer is such an easy sport many people play it and enjoy it. But what happens when you get hurt... now is it as easy as they say?

Many soccer players through the years have suffered from painful injuries such as: ankle sprains and achilles tendonitis. [more]

Finding Ourselves

As a Global Girl Media reporter there are many things that are still unclear to me. As a journalist, I make sure all my reports are well researched and can be understood. But unfortunately not all things can be searched for on the Web - some things have to be looked for inside of oneself.

As a growing teen and in my rebel years, I question my religion. In fact, I just question what the heck religion is? Whatever it is, it plays a vital role in our lives and that's why I decided to write about it and how it shapes us. [more]

Remember to check out the Kick It Up L.A. site to read more from these amazing local reporters.

Profile: Tony Horton

2010-06-30T02:35:08Z

The World Cup isn't just about competition, it's also about speed, precision and fitness. This week, the citizen Journalists from GlobalGirl Media profile exercise guru (and infomercial king) Tony Horton and get the skinny on his rise to the top of the fitness game.

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Global Girls Hit the Airwaves on KPFK Radio!

2010-06-28T17:29:44Z

Last week, some of the GlobalGirl Media reporters got to tell their stories on KPFK's The People's Game - Fútbol Popular. Click here to listen to the interview, and read their takes on the day below.

On Air With KPFK, by Jessica Cueva

Yesterday, June 21, 2010 Brenda, Sussete, and myself took a trip to the KPFK Radio studios in North Hollywood. Professor Melanie Klein, who had kindly agreed to chaperone, and I got there first and we waited in the lobby for the two other girls to arrive. Once they got they got there the room suddenly seemed tiny. I think this is when my nerves started to hit.

Once we met Alan Minsky, the host of the soccer show "The People's Game" I knew the time to be interviewed was getting close. I shared with Brenda that I was getting nervous. She said to me, "Jessica, your nervousness is contagious. Now I'm nervous." Alan gave us a tour of the studio and introduced us to Jennifer Doyle who would be interviewing us. We finally made it to the recording room and tested everything before the interview started. At this point I was so nervous, I could hear my heart pounding and my hands were shaking.

Then Jennifer shared with us that this was her first interview - meaning it was the first time she was interviewing people by herself. That put me at ease... slightly. Alan counted us off and then the interview started. Jennifer Doyle introduced herself and then had us introduce ourselves, and after that I was surprisingly nerve free. It was a pretty cool first experience of being interviewed for the radio.

Radio Interview. written by Brenda Solis

When Kamala told us we were going to be interviewed on KPFK something snapped in me that said "GO!" So I agreed to go. For some reason I wasn't as nervous as I thought I should be. I mean in my mind this was a million times easier than having to speak in front of a camera. But as I rode in the car with Sussete to the Radio Station I began to question my confidence. The thought of this being live on a air ate at me. What if I choke? What if I forget something?

We arrived at KPFK Jessica was already there. "Gosh I'm nervous," Jessica revealed. "Me too," Sussete added. I certainly didn't want to add to the nervousness so I said " Don't worry we'll be fine just pretend were having a conversation with each other, feel free to look at me I won't make a funny face." But as we waited for Alan Minsky I was infected with Jessica's nervousness. As Alan gave us a tour of the station I imagined myself saying something and suddenly blanking out.

All these negative thoughts vanished when I met Jennifer Doyle in the room where people are interviewed live. We were lucky, we weren't going to be live. But something about Jennifer really made me feel like this wasn't going to be hard.

I ran over and over in my head possible questions and answers as we headed into the room where we would be recording. We got comfortable and put on the headphones. I realized I shouldn't worry about what would be asked because I was prepared, I knew everything I had to know. As we began the interview I realized that Jessica and Sussete didn't look as nervous as they did when we entered the room which made me really happy.

I was satisfied with the results, it really did sound as though we were just having a conversation. I would love to do it again and I can definitely see me and the GlobalGirls back on the radio soon -- this was just the beginning.

Being On The Radio, written by Sussete Nuñez

I arrived to the radio station and just kept thinking to myself, "You better not mess up! It's going to be live!" My nerves were getting the best of me as I awaited the guy from the radio station. I heard the clock ticking and as the minutes went by, my heart was just beating faster and faster.

Alan gave us a grand tour and it was just amazing seeing the all the different things a radio station has. We saw the music director's office, the live studio, the pre-recording studio and so much more.

As we headed upstairs, we learned that we were going to pre-record our interview with Jennifer Doyle and I just felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I felt less pressure and this just boosted my confidence way more.

Putting on those headphones and talking into the mic felt like such a surreal experience. I thought it was awesome being able to hear myself tell a story with just the sound of my voice. No camera, no visual, just me with my headphones and the mic. We began by introducing ourselves and then we jumped into talking about the World Cup. We also discussed what we have learned from our involvement in GlobalGirl Media and what kind of stories we are currently working on.

As we wrapped things up, I was content with myself because I felt like I did a good job. Alan and Jennifer were impressed with the GlobalGirls and just enjoyed our company.
& Now is the moment of truth. The interview on KPFK 90.7 FM. Enjoy :)
GlobalGirls on KPFK

All photos courtesy of Melanie Klein.

Really, A Zoo?

2010-06-28T17:11:31Z

I was so embarrassed when I saw the Global Girls from Soweto's reaction as they heard our response to what we wanted to see from their country: we had answered "the animals."

On Saturday June 19th both Global Girls from Los Angeles and Soweto Africa had our first encounter at 8:30 in the morning. We met a majority of them, in Africa the number of girls that are involved with the program are 22 and here in Los Angeles there are currently 8 girls. The girls were very nice and I was completely amazed because I expected them not to be that westernized, they actually reminded me of us. One of the girls even asked us if we listened to Jennifer Lopez, we denied it because we really don't listen to her, but when they asked about Beyonce, we all screamed!

Another one of the girls was explaining that their country was going through some westernization and this reminded me of what I had learned in world history, Japan went through the same thing 100 or 200 years ago, and I was shocked because the media hadn't talked about this change. When you see or think Africa we get an image of lions running free, tribes with young hunters, and even the Discovery Channel, but all this is inaccurate according to the Global Girls(embarrassing!). In Africa there are cities like here in the United States and they don't let their animals run wild like we would imagine, they keep their animals in Zoos like we do. They dress like any American girl would, and not how the media has portrayed them, half-naked.

After the cringe-worthy moment of us not knowing anything about their society, and the fact that they knew more about us that we knew about them, I realized that we have been receiving the wrong information from the media when it comes to Africa. As the curious girl I am, I began researching the country and now that I'm a bit more educated, I would like to ask them more questions about the Africa I thought I knew but obviously don't, and I hope that our next talk this Saturday won't make me feel as dumb as I did last Saturday... did I mention they have a Zoo??! (duh)

Written by: Diana Torres

MacArthur Park: From Gangs to Goals

2010-06-28T17:00:11Z

With the FIFA World Cup well under way, all eyes are on South Africa and the sport of soccer. But right here in L.A.'s MacArthur Park there are young soccer enthusiasts ready to share their love of the game. In a series of interviews, players and fans tell the reporters from GlobalGirl Media what soccer means to them and share their World Cup picks, too.

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Timoi - Muralist Profile

2010-06-22T00:30:38Z

This video by GlobalGirl Media puts the spotlight on muralist Susana DeLeon, who goes by the pseudonym Timoi. In it, she discusses the importance of empowering girls and young women and how that belief has influenced her work as an artist. Her murals depict girls from an ideal world who come to Earth in an attempt to restore balance, and she is also the artist behind the mural in the GlobalGirl Media offices.

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Kick It Up L.A. Blog Digest - 6/21

2010-06-21T22:10:44Z

The young journalists have been blogging over the GlobalGirl Media site, and each week we'll be bringing you a digest of their posts.

Girl Power, by Team Red

As GlobalGirl Media reporters we strive to fight against stereotypes, double standards, and inequality overall. We come from different backgrounds, different schools and different upbringings, but we are all united in our fight against the oppression of women worldwide.

Growing up in South Los Angeles we are aware that while the United States does not have a great record on equal rights for women, we still enjoy more freedoms than many of the women in other countries. We have informed ourselves about disappointing traditions: from the Catholic Church's positions on women's rights; to the ritualistic burnings of Sati, where Hindu widows either voluntarily or by force burned themselves to show devotion to their husbands, and many other such customs that we think must end. These and similar stories have impacted our way of viewing the world. They have inspired us to spread awareness and let people know that we have a voice and we know how to use it. [more]

Handle With Care by Team Orange

As member of Team Orange, my next project is to make a short video focusing on the different soccer teams people are rooting for in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Team Red has filmed some faculty and students at Garfield High School with their responses, so most likely I'll be using some of their footage -- if they let me... As for Team Orange, especially myself who took the responsibility to edit the short video, we must start asking people the famous question: "What team are you rooting for?"

Yesterday in the afternoon, I started asking soccer fans at my school what their favorite team is. During the process I found out that the people you interview (besides being the whole purpose of your video) are like your babies! Just like the camera, you must treat them with care, be gentle and don't you dare scare them because if you do... there goes your video! [more]

World Cup Fever, by Team Red

"Are you coming to school tomorrow?" people whispered as I walked to my first period. School had just started and people were already getting prepared for the World Cup game of Mexico vs. South Africa, as well as Uruguay vs France that wasn't until tomorrow. I decided to ask my friends what they were gonna do and they modestly answered "I'm coming late, I can't miss the game, come on now." This was what everyone answered when asked if they were coming to school tomorrow. Apparently, they didn't want to miss the game. Some simply because Mexico's their favorite team and for others this would be the first World Cup game they were gonna watch and were excited because Mexico made it.

My school, Los Angeles Leadership Academy, is a very small school with a population of about 400 student so it was no surprise that the vice principal would find out. For every student that is absent the school loses 40$ which is alot, the World Cup was going to be a problem. So our vice principle decided to take some suggestions during lunch and came to the conclusion that a TV should be brought in so that the students could watch the game in the cafeteria. But not everyone agreed with the decision, not the teacher's at least. Tomorrow would be our last official day of school until finals, and the first 2 periods would miss out on valuable time to review. [more]

Remember to check out the Kick It Up L.A. site to read more from these amazing local reporters.

Gooooal at Garfield!

2010-06-12T02:03:50Z

This post originally appeared at globalgirlmedia.org.

The World Cup, a tradition that began in 1930 and an event that has brought together many different types of people from all over the world, including teenagers, is being hosted in South Africa this year. This Friday on June 11, the first game will begin at 7:00 A.M which is a problem because class in Garfield High School begins at 7:15 A.M. Many of the students in the school I attend to, Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, have planned to skip school this Friday to watch the very first game of the tournament. What makes this first game very interesting is the fact that the first teams to play are the very popular Mexico and the home team: South Africa.

News of the plans reached the school principle ,Mr. Jose Huerta, and he found a solution to this problem. He informed GlobalGirl Media that he would turn on all the T.V's in the school cafeteria during Nutrition time and show the rerun of the day's games.Like my fellow reporter Rocio Ortega mentioned, "Finals are approaching." The showing of these games during our educational breaks would be beneficial to the students so they wouldn't miss the lesson of the day and will help by not hurting their attendance. In the end, I just hope the T.V's in cafeteria work and that Mr. Huerta will go through with his plan! Written by Diana Torres Luevanos

Kick It Up L.A. Tracks the World Cup!

2010-06-12T01:21:20Z

The Los Angeles Bureau of GlobalGirl Media - as well as it's partnership with KCET - launches with the first game of the World Cup! And what more fitting pairing could be imagined than the match between host team South Africa and hometown favorite Mexico.

GlobalGirl Media has been training young women from Soweto, South Africa and East and South Los Angeles to become citizen journalists and report on both the World Cup and the issues that matter to them in their lives and communities.

The past five weeks have been intense as we finalized logistics and curriculum, selected the GlobalGirls and subjected them to intensive journalistic training. We had them pitch, write, develop and shoot their stories, and whether it's in print, radio, on the internet and or on broadcast video, the GlobalGirls are prepared to help you experience the World Cup in Los Angeles through their unique and fresh perspective.

The girls have been divided into two teams, Red and Orange. (You can meet them here.) The team members will rotate duties as each team produces a three minute feature story, a two minute profile/interview and two blog posts per week (Whew!) ...

I'm Kamala Lopez, National Program Director of GlobalGirl Media and I invite you to stay tuned and follow your favorite GlobalGirl Media team through the 2010 World Cup. Get ready for some surprises!

Meet the Kick It Up L.A. Reporters!

2010-06-12T00:53:23Z

The GlobalGirl Media reporters are divided into two teams - Team Orange and Team Red. They hail from across Los Angeles. We asked them to tell us a little about themselves:

Sussete Nunez is a Honduran American high school senior who was born and raised in Los Angeles. She loves to swim and play volleyball, is her school's in Leadership program and loves being active in her classes. Her main interest is writing and she plans to major in journalism with aspirations to become a reporter.

Brenda Solis is a high school sophomore. She was raised in El Sereno, likes variety and isn't afraid to try new things. She has many dreams and goals and hopes to one day be part of a team producing TV shows and movies. Conspiracies fascinate her and she hopes to one day uncover one. She is a GlobalGirl Media -- this our world and her voice.

Born from two Mexican born parents and bilingual, Rocio Ortega proudly represents her Mexican culture. Rocio has high academic expectations for herself since she plans to attend a four-year college after high school and double major in journalism and political science. As a GlobalGirl Media she plans to emphasize her values of natural born rights of humanity and the success of Mexican-Americans.

Jessica Cueva is currently a student at Santa Monica College. She is a helpful, caring, giving, and an outgoing person once you get to know her, otherwise she is very shy. She comes from a "crazy, loving, and respectful" family, and is the oldest of four. Jessica is also very excited to be participating in an opportunity that will allow her voice to be heard.

High school junior Maria Torres' favorite sports are soccer, basketball, and football. Her favorite teams are Chivas, Lakers, and The Dallas Cowboys. Her dream after she graduates from high school is to study to become a social worker. When she has a stable career she wants to move to New York, get married, and have kids.

Like many other teenagers, Edith Romero wants to be successful in life. She lives with her mother and two other siblings. As a young lady she still doesn't really know what to do in life, so being a GlobalGirl Media may help her see what else is out there.

Diana Torres-Luevanos is currently a member of the JROTC and is her high school's Battalion Sergeant Major. Diana likes to spend time with her friends and writes novels in her spare time. Her goal in life is to publish one of her novels and to grow up to have both a successful family and career.

For the first seventeen years of her life, eighteen year old Martha Mejia grew up and attended schools in Mexico. She hopes some day to make a major contribution to help reduce human suffering. She would like her voice to be heard because she has innovative ideas from a culturally different perspective. She describes herself as a mature person with an introverted personality.

GlobalGirl Media: My Voice Is Important

2010-06-11T19:18:33Z

GlobalGirl Media This is My Voice from GlobalGirl Media on Vimeo.

My Voice Is Important, starring the Los Angeles' GlobalGirl Media Reporters, evolved from Professor Melanie Klein's introductory class to the Los Angeles GlobalGirls on women and the media on Tuesday May 11th.

Throughout the class (which took place at at GGM L.A. Headquarters in Chinatown), Professor Klein asked each citizen-broadcast-journalist-in-training why she thought her voice - her particular voice - was important. To answer that question, the class looked at both the dearth of women in decision-making roles in media and the types of images of women that the media and pop culture produces--Is there a correlation? What is it?

Empowered to discuss the role of mass media in shaping the culture around them, the girls brought up the fact that diverse voices - the authentic voices of young women their age - were mostly absent from our television screens, computer monitors, radio stations and movie theaters. With Professor Klein's help, each girl further developed her thoughts and searched for her answer over the course of the class, and the video shares each GlobalGirl Media's truth about why her voice is important. It was a great introduction for both the students and teachers, and it was the beginning a new journey through education, self discovery and truth-seeking.

My Voice Is Important was directed and edited by the husband and wife filmmaking team Ken & Jessica O'Keefe, of O'Keefe Films.

Melanie Klein is an Associate Faculty member at Santa Monica College, where she teaches classes in Sociology and Women's Studies. She attributes feminism and yoga as the primary influences in her life and fuses her academic background with her studies and experience in the healing arts. She is committed to promoting communal collaboration, raising consciousness, promoting media literacy, and facilitating the healing of distorted body images and healthy body relationships.She blogs at FeministFatale, tweets @feministfatale and may be found at the Ms. Magazine blog and Women in Media and News.