By Jan Schaffer, J-Lab Executive Director
It was announced March 28 that Oakland Local will receive a 2011 Oakland Innovators Award. The awards are given by Oaklandish, an apparel outfit that donates a portion of its proceeds to community projects in the Oakland Community. According to Oaklandish, the awards are given to individuals and organizations who are doing pioneering work in the community and promoting innovation in areas like arts, education, technology and business.
The award includes a $2,500 grant, one that Oakland Local founder Susan Mernit says will be used to help fund a project called Our Neighborhood Love Letter to Oakland Road Show. Mernit says the grant, along with extra money earned through fundraising, will enable them to partner with local community organizations to bring Oakland Local reporters and trainers into five nearby neighborhoods during the summer to work with local youth and adults to create content.
This is “a project that builds on the support for curriculum development we received this year from The California Endowment, and our commitment to serving people in communities of color in Oakland by strengthening the ability of members of those communities to speak for themselves online,” Mernit said in an email.
The goal of the program, Mernit says, is to create stories, videos and photo-essays showcasing the character of the city through the words and pictures of those who live in it. The final pieces will be published online and in a gallery exhibit.
Click here to learn more about the Oakland Innovators Awards.
