A December 2005 ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Lower Eastside Girls Club’s new podcasting booth attracted 50 supporters, community members, technology experts, activists and youth.
Women representatives from radio stations WBAI, WNYC, WAMC and NPR visited the state-of-the-art booth, complete with its own computers, recording technology, lighting system, carpeted floors, on-air sign and air conditioner. They also were given a tour of the Girls On Air! website, which now includes a how-to section with links to podcasting tips from Apple, Engadget and Voxmedia.org, as well as a link to NPR’s Radio Diaries Handbook.
Loisaida Speaks’ Podcasting How-to Links:
“The response was overwhelmingly positive, leaving us to believe that we are poised for excellent exposure to citizens beyond our immediate Girls Club community,” said Milena Herring, the club’s director of development.
To gain more support, the Girls Club will promote the site to a list of more than 2,500 supporters and funders through monthly e-Bulletins. These e-mails will also encourage the media to give exposure to the site and citizens to engage in a dialogue with the girls in the program.
“A number of prominent women in the radio world have expressed interest in helping with the program … both in terms of instruction and helping to promote the program,” Herring said. “Our allies in New York City politics, such as [City Council members] Margarita Lopez and Rosie Mendez, have also reached out to us, pledging to come in to the podcasting studio for interviews.”
The Loisaida Speaks project has also received support and sponsorships from other community organizations. The Girls Club was the featured organization on the New York City Grassroots Media Coalition website after Program Coordinator Miriam Fogelson and Girls Club girls spoke on a Feb. 4 podcasting panel.
The Girls Club has also made plans to include a podcasting booth in its new 47,000-square-foot permanent facility that will soon be constructed. The group hopes the booth will serve as a focal point for community dialogue. The organization is currently raising funds for the construction of the building.
For now, Herring said, the girls are taking longer to learn the technological aspects and to execute their podcasts from start to finish than was originally anticipated. She attributes the lag to the group’s emphasis on learning the process before creating the product.
“It is important for us, as youth workers, to respect the time young people need while also encouraging them to post their podcasts in a timely manner,” Herring said.
Several girls are returning from last semester’s class and she hopes this group of “Expert Girl Podcasters” will help speed the learning process for new girls in the program.
“We have much to be pleased about,” Herring said. “Our girls have taken to their Girls On Air! podcasting booth with great pride, spending free time there and bringing into the club new friends to see and experience it. Our interactive website stands as a unique example of the possibility of innovative youth programming and our community has responded with overwhelming enthusiasm, donating equipment, offering time and encouraging potential allies to stop by the Club to visit Loisaida Speaks.”
