Recently in Your Voice Category

"...Young people can use media to learn about places close to home and far away. The connections they form seem to shrink the physical distance that separates citizens around the world, even as they can reveal disparate experiences and inequalities that young reporters examine through their media stories."










We've all heard the stories of major news organizations struggling in the digital age of new media. If there's a silver lining to the decline of the media behemoths, it's the emergence of more opportunities for diverse perspectives in reporting. For more than 15 years, Youth Radio has been helping under-served young people develop strong leadership, journalism, and media production skills. The National Geographic Education Foundation has supported Youth Radio's work fostering story-telling and civic engagement around local and global issues through grant contributions to the organization. Now, we are excited to join Youth Radio in celebrating the release of a new book about the success of their empowering, educational programs.

There's nothing like a newsroom to make the world feel big and small at the same time. Put young people in charge, and the effect can be even more extreme. At Youth Radio, a Peabody Award-winning, youth-driven production company headquartered in Oakland, California, young people produce stories distributed through global broadcast and digital outlets including National Public Radio, The Huffington Post, iTunes, and YouTube. At a single editorial meeting at Youth Radio, young people and their adult producers might pitch stories on the effects of budget cuts inside local Oakland schools, young soldiers returning from the Iraq war, healthcare reform in a rural Kentucky town, and the transnational Korean musical genre known as K-POP. Inside these freewheeling discussions are recurring teachable moments through which young people can use media to learn about places close to home and far away. The connections they form seem to shrink the physical distance that separates citizens around the world, even as they can reveal disparate experiences and inequalities that young reporters examine through their media stories.

In my new book, Drop That Knowledge: Youth Radio Stories, Vivian Chávez and I take readers behind the scenes at Youth Radio, inside meetings and stories like the ones I've just described. In each chapter, we present a series of Youth Radio media features, detail the negotiations and inquiries that supported their production, and then highlight implications for learning, teaching, journalism, and media justice efforts.

"They say that you can't truly learn a language without immersing yourself in its culture. The same can be said the other way around, you cannot truly experience a culture, without knowing the language."

May 21 was the World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Taking it Global, the largest online community of youth interested in global issues and creating positive change, is hosting a multilingual blog contest as part of a year-long celebration of multilinguism initiatives. Check out the first posts from two Canadians--one living in-country, and the other in Havana, Cuba--and join in the dialogue!

Let us know when you submit your entries to the multilingual blog contest; we'll run an ongoing feature of the project here on the My Wonderful World blog.

Sarah Jane for My Wonderful World

Do you have an inspiring story of how you and your organization are bringing environmental education to students? National Environmental Education Week would like to hear about it! Simply upload your photos and stories to the EE Week Photo Blog. Your story can be about activities, either inside or outside the classroom, before, during or after EE Week.

Keep reading for details about the photo blog contest!

Above: Recycle Bicycle, EE Week 2009 Photo Blog Contest winner.

It's World Water Day, an occasion to celebrate the miraculous liquid that bathes more than 2/3 of our planet and sustains all life.

We're continuing the fiesta de agua all year long as we look toward Geography Awareness Week 2010: "Freshwater." Check out the March edition of the newsletter for more information on what's in store for November 14-20.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here are our picks for the top 5 ways to celebrate liquid life today, World Water Day.
 


1. Check out National Geographic magazine in all its watery blue glory.
In recognition of World Water Day, National Geographic magazine will offer a free interactive version of its April single-topic issue, Water: Our Thirsty World. Between March 22 and April 2, anyone can visit nationalgeographic.com/freshwater to download the April issue for free. In addition to all the material in the print issue, readers of the digital issue will get animated images, photo slide shows, and more.

We encourage you to take advantage of the special, limited-time offer; after April 2 access to the new e-zine will cost you $5.95 an issue. Be one of the first to experience this innovative technology and tell us here on the blog what you think!

Each month we offer a challenge to MWW members to get involved doing geography; that is, taking an action that requires a geographic perspective or advocating on behalf of geographic education.

Our March Challenge: Choose 5 of 100 ways to conserve water and tell us how it goes!

Here's your chance: Please comment on this post with your water-saving stories.

What's in a logo? When it comes to the Olympic games: geography.

While the concept of a "logo" is a relatively modern phenomenon spurred by the rise of capitalism and reproducible print, the Olympics have long been infused with geographic symbolism. Take the Olympic flag, for starters: The five interlocking rings are typically taken to represent the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Why are the North and South American continents lumped together? That's a political question I hope another geographer out there can answer!

In addition to universal Olympic symbols like the torch and five-ring flag, each of the host cities supporting the modern games has developed icons to mark its unique incarnation of the event. Almost always, the posters, medals, and logos evoke a strong sense of place. The reasons are obvious: Olympics provide a great sense of pride for the host city, and often serve as a "coming out party" on the world stage. Let's take a look at a sampling of Olympic logos from 1896 - 2016 to investigate how geography factors into design.

Disclaimer: I am NOT an art history or graphics expert, so I welcome YOUR input on this topic!

I knew that this day would come. I have been putting it off, ignoring it, pretending it wouldn't happen. I thought perhaps that if I didn't think about it, I wouldn't have to face reality. Sure, there were gentle reminders, the whispering in my ear that the clock was ticking. I brushed them aside, thinking "It's only October, it's only November, it's only..." But now the time has come.

It is time to write a blog about badgers.

Yes, badgers.

The gentle reminders? The ticking clock? Did you really think they were referring to the end of my internship? The reality is that I made a promise to my cousin Noah over a year ago, just as I began thinking about applying for this internship, that if I indeed went to work for National Geographic, I would write an article about badgers for him. He is a badger-fanatic, and feels that these furry guys just don't get enough press. I assured him that I if the opportunity presented itself, (not thinking it ever would) I would most surely write something about Meles meles.

Badger Victory #1: I got the internship.
Badger Set-Back #1: I was assigned to the Education Programs. "Sorry, Noah. Didn't get placed in the Magazine. Doesn't look like I'll be writing anything any time soon."
Badger Victory #2: The My Wonderful World blog. "Noah! I get to write for an NG blog! Badgers here we come!"
Badger Set-Back #2: I know absolutely nothing about badgers.

MWW learned about Alexandra Ramaeker Zahn, a 12-year-old from Iowa who has written four novels, through a friend's encounter with the her mother at a conference. Following the lead from our friend, we called Alexandra to learn more about her stories, which span the geography of the U.S. and Europe.

Alexandra is a middle school student who participates in multiple sports, as well as Mock Trial, Destination Imagination, Junior Achievement, Jazz Band and Chorus. She has traveled to 18 states and 2 countries with her family. She enjoys learning, in detail, facts about each of the places she has been to. She is curious about other cultures, landscapes, the science of things, and the dynamics of friendships.

Can you tell me the titles of the four novels you've written and give a brief synopsis of each?
Moving Streak is the story of an 8th grade girl named Abby who moves around the United States--to South Dakota, Iowa, and North Carolina. She doesn't know if she really fits in because she moves around so much. By the end of the novel, she finds out who her real friends are, and who she really is.

Deep Down Secrets is set in New York City. It is about a popular girl who doesn't really love being popular, and doesn't really know who she's become. With the help of her best friend, she comes to terms with herself.

Best Year Never is the sequel to Deep Down Secrets. It goes deeper into the friendships of the protagonist. Some kids still think she's stereotypically "cool," but others discover that she is different in important ways.

Princess of Anastesia takes place in Italy, in medieval times. It tells the story of a 12-year-old who lives with a farm family, but discovers that her real dad is a king, and she is a princess. Her father had to give her up because his kingdom was fighting a great war, and the enemies were trying to hurt her.

Over 100 world leaders, President Obama included, will converge in Copenhagen this week and next for the UN Climate Change Conference, but they are not the only ones flocking to the Danish capital. Thousands of young people from all over the world, 500+ from the United States alone, are pouring into the Bella Convention Center to make delegates take notice. They may come from every corner of the planet, but they all share the same message: Now is the time to fight climate change. Here are two awesome groups leading the charge.

Expedition Copenhagen
Will Steger, the renowned polar explorer, educator, activist, and National Geographic Explorer in Residence Emeritus, is among the conference attendees. With him is Expedition Copenhagen, a dozen of the Midwest's most dedicated youth, intent on spreading the word about the impacts of climate change and elevating the status of youth voices around the world on this topic. As a Midwesterner myself, I am extremely proud of these young people and their dedication to the environment!

Many people think of Washington, D.C. as little more than monuments, museums, politicos and government agencies. Our D.C.-based MWW team regularly strives to quash such misconceptions by exposing the rich cultural geography of our home town. We also champion initiatives like the Our City Film Festival.

Our City, presented by Yachad Inc., a nonprofit affordable housing and community development organization, explores local Washington through films that tell some of the area's countless and engaging stories.