Sons and Brothers Media Team 2018

This summer, I had the opportunity to work on the media team for the week-long Sons and Brothers Leadership Camp at a mountain retreat in Portola, California, sponsored by the California Endowment. Young men came from inner cities all over the state to help them heal from their personal traumas and prepare them to confront the challenges they face at home in a better way. As the media team, our responsibility was to capture the events of the camp and tell the stories of the campers. We all worked on projects utilizing various forms of media to produce videos, memes on social media, a yearbook-style compilation that every participant could take home, and an audio diary. I was primarily involved in producing the audio diary. We did a series of interviews with one young man throughout the week and followed his development and growth during camp. After the camp was over, I continued to work on this project, writing a script and polishing the story as our team coordinated with KQED–an NPR affiliate in San Francisco. In August, the story aired on the California Report.
The story is posted here: https://www.kqed.org/news/11689332/california-camp-challenges-young-men-to-rethink-masculinity

Photo by nevadateach (flickr)

When I first met the media team I was excited to get to know them over the next week. We all slept and worked in the same small cabin, and even thought it was a tight fit, the atmosphere was fun and exciting. Once we began our projects, however, my feelings changed. I quickly saw that I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. Honestly, I didn’t even realize how much I didn’t know. Some of the guys on the media team were far more experienced than I was, and at first I was intimidated–even discouraged. I thought, “What am I doing here? They don’t need me.” But then I decided to draw from their pool of knowledge and experiences. I starting asking questions and having them show me things. Once I did this, my experience became a lot more enjoyable. Not only was I participating in documenting the camp, but now I was also learning new skills.

As the week progressed I got to know some of the camp participants better, and I was stunned at their stories. These young men are amazing, and some of the hardships they have to face I can’t even comprehend. Many of them deal with gang influences, domestic violence, and even homelessness at a young age. I was grateful for the privilege of hearing and sharing their stories.

During the week I also got to participate in some of the events of the camp, like archery, which was a good release for me and helped me focus and relax as I worked on improving my aim. Another activity I was able to participate in was called the leap of faith. After being strapped to a safety harness that was connected to a rope pulley system, with my teammates as anchors, I climbed up a pole and stood on a small platform forty feet in the air. The entire way up my heart was pounding and my mind was racing with fear. But I knew that if I gave place for those fearful thoughts, then I would not make it. So, ignoring my fears, I continued upward, one step at a time. When I got to the platform, I let out a yell and I jumped, relying completely on my teammates. Sure enough, they caught me. The moment my feet left the platform, the height was no longer scary and intimidating, but beautiful and majestic. I learned a lot from this experience. It helped me overcome some of the other fears that I face in my life and trust that everything is going to work out as long as I keep putting one foot in front of the other and don’t let my fears paralyze me.

All of the young men came from very different backgrounds than myself, and it was a good opportunity for me to learn about other people’s culture. It opened my eyes, and it opened my mind. I could see that we really are all brothers regardless of what we look like or where we come from. I left camp with a stronger character and a deeper sense of my humanity, as well as a commitment to brotherhood.

Photo taken from http://find.acacamps.org/images/camp/image/main/phpopT7Sw.jpg

This post was written by Jayden Cornett.

Embracing Optimism at SXSL

Editor’s note: In early October of 2016, the California Endowment reached out to Redwood Voice in search of a young media reporter to send to the Washington DC to attend South By South Lawn (SXSL), a festival of ideas, art, and action. Redwood Voice selected Tyler Harrison (age 20), to represent Del Norte and Tribal Lands, capture his experience at the festival, and produce a story on what he learned and hopes to bring back to his community. Del Norte’s local newspaper, “The Triplicate,” also released a publication on Tyler’s trip that can be viewed here: http://www.triplicate.com/news/4732922-151/mr-harrison-goes-to-washington?referrer=carousel7 

I’ve always hated deadlines, and that didn’t change when I got a text asking me if I’d like to go on a trip to Washington DC to attend a fancy event called SXSL (South by South Lawn) an hour before the signup deadline. I was shocked. I didn’t know what to think or expect, or what qualified me to go on this trip, but I was intrigued none the less. My friends, family, and girlfriend were all equally happy to hear about this great opportunity I’d been given and strongly encouraged me to go. I, however, was not as excited. I’d been on planes flying across the country before, but never alone, never that far, and this was a trip for only one.

Ultimately, after racking my brain for that short hour, I had to make the decision. This was a great opportunity that I was presented with, and I didn’t want to let it go to waste. I knew that if I let my fears get the better of me, I’d regret it later. I signed the paper and sent in my RSVP. I received my travel details less than 24 hours before my first flight left. So, I began packing my bags and saying my goodbyes as quick as I was able to, hoping to get a good night’s rest before my big day.

Unfortunately, stress is killer and anxiety isn’t kind. That “good night’s rest” I had planned turned out to be about three hours of unrestful sleep. I was a nervous wreck leaving the house and heading to the airport. Thoughts of inadequacy plagued my thoughts during the entire trip to Washington DC. What qualified me to go to this event? Surely, a nobody from a small town in one of the smallest counties in California can’t possibly compare to owners of businesses, inventors, performers, United Nations representatives, and more. I felt as if I was simply going to stand on the sidelines for a majority of the event and head home when everything was said and done.

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What I got, however, was so far from what I expected. After I met up with the two other people that would be accompanying me, a youth journalist named Jessica, and our “tour guide”, Alheli, we quickly got to know each other and enjoyed each other’s company. Even on the taxi ride to our hotel, many jokes were made, and lots of fun was had. I was with pleasant company, and it did a lot to ease my mind.

Because fate is cruel, and jetlag isn’t forgiving, I got about three hours of sleep that night as well, however it was excitement that kept me awake, not anxiety. I thought that at the very least, now I have a couple people I know and enjoy the company of. We got out of bed early, ate breakfast at a small café, and made our way towards the White House.

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The line to get inside of the White House was unbelievably huge. Hundreds of people were lined up tight on one sidewalk, stretching down the block as far as I could see past the crowd. Though I’d gotten past most of my anxiety regarding the event, I still didn’t quite feel a sense of belonging. I asked again, what qualifications did I hold that warranted me going on this trip, as opposed to someone else? I said out loud to Alheli and Jessica, “Man, I don’t feel like I belong here.” They were quick to dismiss this, and through our conversation, a man near us in line turned to me. He was nicely dressed, wearing a fancy name tag sporting some professional title that I’m not fortunate enough to remember, and said to me, “That’s funny, you certainly look like you belong here.” Though it easily could’ve been anyone that he said that to, it was a kind gesture that I appreciated, and it certainly made me feel more at home in the moment. This kind of kindness would go on to set the stage for the rest of the event.

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Everyone at SXSL was more polite than I could’ve expected. While I was getting coffee, sitting and listening to speeches, or standing in line for the exhibits, I was constantly meeting strangers and hearing about their lives, and they seemed equally interested to hear about mine. People seemed to genuinely care about who you were and what brought you to this event. I met with people who owned entire organizations, people who were refugees from war, people who have spoken at United Nations meetings, and much more. They all had this same disposition of being mutually polite and interested. Once I saw that others felt free to open up to me, and I got comfortable opening up to others, all anxiety that remained faded away.

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One of my favorite parts of this venture was exploring the maze of booths and stands that were present at the festival. Each was set up precariously, trying to dodge the sunlight with tents or walls that were conveniently arranged for a cool spot of shade to sit in. The lines to these booths also reflected this, as you would find twenty or more people crammed into small areas trying to keep out of the heat. There were booths from such a great variety of groups who worked on all sorts of different things. There were people advertising their products to make areas more accessible for those with handicaps, such as easy access ramps and elevators. There were those advocating for teaching students to grow plants in schools with computer-aided fertilizing systems. There was a display from a company that makes “build your own” robots that were being used in education to teach robotics and programming. There was a large display put up by the U.S. National Parks Service promoting their “Find Your Park” campaign, complete with a spinning wheel that pointed to every park in the United States.

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There were also several virtual reality displays, including but not limited to a walkthrough of Yellowstone Park, an art display using Google Tiltbrush, and a simulation of solitary confinement, as I’m a huge nerd, this was my first stop. During the “Walk through Yellowstone,” I was taken away by how beautiful the display was, and at one point I found myself reaching out to lean a hand on a wooden post that was present in front of me before I quickly remembered I was wearing a VR headset. I moved on to the virtual reality art display and was taken away by how beautiful it was. The images that surrounded me were encouraging, to say the least, with silhouettes of people holding hands in a circle beneath a giant globe, with the words “You are loved” exploding in a myriad of colored fireworks. There were multiple displays, highlighting social justice, LGBTQ equality, and environmentalism, to match the theme of the event, and though I didn’t get back in line to see any of the other exhibits, I enjoyed watching them through the other volunteers’ eyes on the TV screen. The final virtual reality experience I had that day was both the best and worst: a simulation of solitary confinement. For roughly twenty minutes, you would sit on a stool wearing big, heavy headphones that blocked outside sound and your VR headset, simulating the inside of a prison cell. While it was obvious the whole time that I was inside a simulation, it was claustrophobic, there was loud noise of other “inmates” yelling at guards and making noise. Narrators would occasionally speak about their own experiences in solitary confinement, and the environment of the cell would reflect what they say. In one section, the narrator was mentioning statistics of people who sit through this torture, and at one point, when the narrator mentioned the word “suicide,” the entire cell wall was suddenly covered with what looked like a knife-carved scratching of the word “suicide.” While it always obvious that I was in a simulation, and I could leave at any time I wanted, I decided I’d try to sit through it until it was over, and I found that at the end, I was shaking on my seat, and my heart was beating rapidly. I was glad to be free of the “digital chamber” that I had been locked in for that short time, but I was glad that I had gone through it in the end.

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The highlight of the event was a live conversation between President Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio and environmental scientist Katharine Hayhoe, followed by the worldwide unveiling of Leonardo’s documentary titled “Before the Flood,” a movie focused on highlighting the damning effects of climate change and how our modern lifestyles cause it. These talks and the documentary were not all fire and brimstone, however. Even after hearing all this talk about how ocean levels could rise, species could go extinct and more, there was an unshakable atmosphere of optimism. There was a huge focus on what we as individuals can do, like changing our eating and transportation habits, for example, and I felt encouraged about the future.

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Heading home was bittersweet. I was glad to get back to my friends and family, but I was sad that the event had to end. It was such an incredible experience to be surrounded by such a positive atmosphere of people who not only rejected, but challenged cynicism, who refused to give up hope for positive change, and who were happy to share this hope with whoever they spoke to.

I left SXSL a changed man. It was a huge eye-opener for me, and I think that it’s an experience that I will remember and reminisce about for the rest of my life. Through the fun of learning about new technologies being used in schools and farms, to the harrowing experiences of learning about climate change and social injustice, it was a life-changing event, and I sincerely hope that I’m able to effectively translate the meaningful experience that it was to people in my daily life going forward.

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Native American Inclusion in Del Norte County Schools

 

We visited elementary and middle school students at the Northern California Indian Development Council’s after-school program to learn how inclusive Del Norte County Schools are for our Native American students as well as how our schools might be hurting them and what they would like to see changed. Students shared stories of personal experiences they have had with classmates and teachers as well as offered solutions to how we can help build a better learning environment.

Del Norte Youth #GetLOUD for Local Candidate’s Forum

On Thursday, October 20th, candidates for the District 1 Del Norte County Board of Supervisor’s seat and the District 4 Del Norte County School Board seat will come together at Mary Peacock to answer questions on topics ranging from youth homelessness to bullying. One might be surprised to find that many of the passionate hosts of the forum are not yet of voting age.

The nonpartisan candidate’s forum was designed by youth, organized by youth, and will be run by youth with guidance from True North Organizing and partners with Building Healthy Communities, Redwood Voice, the Opportunity Youth Initiative, and College of the Redwoods.

“We as youth have a responsibility to not only represent the issues we care about, but also have the responsibility to represent ourselves in this new age,” says organizer Kevin Vue, age 18, “youth have problems too, we suffer and our peers suffer, we would like to see how [the candidates] are going to address our problems.” Organizer Alexxa Herrera, age 16, adds, “This forum also tells people that youth do care about what goes on in our community. Because we care enough to put this on, [the community] should care enough to listen and vote.”

The youth organizers selected the Del Norte County School Board and Del Norte County Board of Supervisors to create the opportunity to ask the candidates questions around decisions they will make that directly impact youth.

College of the Redwoods professor, Will Meriweather, will also be providing brief information on the many propositions that local voters will have on their ballots this year.

For the Del Norte County School Board candidates, Judie Cordts, Charlaine Mazzei, and Roger Daley, the youth selected questions regarding LGBTQ+ issues, bullying, supporting minority students transitioning to higher education, and updates to Del Norte County Schools. For the Board of Supervisors, Roger Gitlin and Kathryn Murray, the youth have selected questions around youth homelessness and shelters, mental health resources, businesses, and other major challenges for youth living in Del Norte County.

The entire community is encouraged to attend to learn more about their candidates and how they are responding to the issues important to our youth. The forum will be held Thursday, October 20th from 6:00pm-8:00pm at the Mary Peacock Gym. Voter registration, childcare, and translation will be available.

Fusion: Crisis on Tribal Lands

CRESCENT CITY, CA—More than a year has passed since 13-year-old Dante Hat-Anew Wayne Romannose-Jones was shot and killed at point blank range near his home on the Yurok reservation in rural Northern California.

For his family members and tribal community, closure has not yet come.

Last January, when District Attorney Dale Trigg dismissed the case against Dante’s suspected killer (a 16-year-old Native boy from the same community) citing insufficient evidence, Dante’s mother, Martha Romannose-Jones, expressed her anguish on Facebook:

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Since then, the family’s outcry for justice has grown louder. Family members publicly expressed outrage over what they believe was a mishandling of the case by law enforcement, and have organized marches and rallies under the banner “Justice for Dante.” The most recent march took place on May 14 to mark the anniversary of the tragedy and was attended by roughly 100 tribal community members, family and friends who took to the streets of nearby Crescent City.

“This is part of growing up Native. We were raised to be this way, to fight,” said Dante’s cousin Jessica Banuelos, who organized the march. “He can’t speak from the other side of the grave, so it’s up to us to fight for him and make sure he gets justice.”

Read the rest of the article here: http://fusion.net/story/312808/crisis-indian-reservations/

To read more about writer, Jacob Patterson and her Rise Up; Be Heard! Fellowship with Fusion, check out our article here: http://www.redwoodvoice.com/local-youth-journalist-selected-for-fusion-fellowship/

Real-Life Superhero – 1st Place Winner in Directing Change

Sixteen-year-old Jed Hawkins is your average junior at Del Norte High School. He plays tennis, enjoys being with friends, loves music, and is a creative storyteller. Jed has dreams of becoming a famous actor, helping people struggling with mental disorders, and changing the world. However, Jed’s daily life is also made more complicated by Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s is a developmental disorder that makes socializing and focusing in school difficult for him. He often finds himself feeling depressed, isolated, and misunderstood. Despite these challenges, Jed continues to reach out, trying to make a difference in the lives of others. So, when he heard about the Directing Change Statewide Film Contest, he was immediately up for the challenge.

The Directing Change Program and Film Contest is part of Each Mind Matters: California’s Mental Health Movement. The program offers youth opportunity to participate in the movement by creating 60-second films about suicide prevention and mental health that are used to support awareness, education and advocacy efforts on these topics. Program participants – whether they are making a film, acting as an adult adviser, or judging the films – are exposed to appropriate messaging about these topics, warning signs, how to appropriately respond to someone in distress, where to seek help, as well as how to stand up for others who are experiencing a mental health challenge.

Redwood Voice, a local youth media program funded through the Building Healthy Communities Initiative, provided equipment, training, and support for youth interested in submitting to the contest. Jed worked with Makenzy Williams and Jacob Patterson, leaders of Redwood Voice, as well as community partners including Meng Lo with Harrington House and Michelle Carrillo with Building Healthy Communities. The message Jed wants to share was clear: he doesn’t want anyone to feel alone, and wants the world to know that we need to support, love, and care for each other regardless of any mental health challenge that may be complicating our lives. Fifty percent of us will experience a mental health challenge in our lifetime, according to CDC: U.S. Adult Mental Illness Surveillance Report, and Jed wants to end the negative stigma existing around these mental health challenges that affect such a significant portion of our population.
Jed created a 60-second film called “Real-Life Superhero.” On April 14th, it was announced that “Real-Life Superhero” won 1st place in the state in the Youth and Young Adult, Mental Health Matters category. This was the first winning submission from Del Norte County since the beginning of the contest in 2014, and Redwood Voice took first place over submissions from UC Davis, Mount San Jacinto College, California Baptist University, Pasadena City College, and University of California Riverside. Jed, Makenzy, and Jacob will attend a red carpet award ceremony in Glendale, Calif. on May 20th. They also attended a local showing in Eureka, Calif. on May 7, and presented at the local Economic Summit in Crescent City on April 29. Jed won $500 and Redwood Voice received $1000 to support suicide prevention and mental health awareness projects.

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Fusion: Need for LGBTQ Inclusive Sex Ed in Del Norte’s Schools

CRESCENT CITY, CA– Growing up queer in a remote Northern California town of just 7,500 people, I experienced firsthand how a rural school can fail to meet the needs of LGBTQ students. It’s a failure with dire consequences.

I experienced abuse in a relationship for the first time at age 13, in part because I lacked any knowledge of what it means to consent. And without healthy queer relationships to model, I presumed my partner’s manipulations were normal. Suffering abuse, dealing with intolerance in my community and lacking any institutional support to speak of, I developed some unhealthy coping mechanisms: I was self-medicating by age 14, and self-harming at 15. At the time, I hated myself and was feeling ashamed. In an attempt to leave Del Norte, I had my first experience in sex work at 16, with a man three times my age.

Sadly, this ripple effect is not altogether uncommon among LGBTQ youth, especially for those of us living in geographically and culturally isolated areas. When we don’t see ourselves reflected in the world around us, when we are systematically marginalized and when our very identities are painted as deviant, we can become that self-fulfilling prophecy.

California took a positive step toward addressing the problem with the passage of AB 329, otherwise known as the California Healthy Youth Act, late last year. The bill expanded on existing law to ensure that students will receive “comprehensive” sex education, including “affirmative” examples of same-sex relationships and education about gender identity.

But how will it actually play out in the classroom? If taken seriously and applied thoughtfully, the new law could make a huge difference in the lives of queer youth, especially those living in rural communities. So, I went to my local high school, Del Norte High, to ask queer students: What would you like to see covered in your new, “comprehensive” sex-ed classes?

Read the rest of the article here: http://fusion.net/story/284851/queer-lgbtq-sexed-ab329/

To read more about writer, Jacob Patterson and her Rise Up; Be Heard! Fellowship with Fusion, check out our article here: http://www.redwoodvoice.com/local-youth-journalist-selected-for-fusion-fellowship/

Local Youth Grant $11,000

On Friday evening, youth leaders granted $11,000 to 14 organizations in Del Norte and Tribal Lands in collaboration with Building Healthy Communities. Manuel Saavedra, age 20, says the grant-making process was an opportunity for them to experience having the decision-making power. “It usually feels unattainable,” Saavedra says, “You often hear people say ‘If only I could change this.’ This opportunity let us get behind the steering wheel and get to choose what work we want to see create those changes in our community.” While Saavedra says the responsibility was intimidating, it was also exciting, and he saw his team grow as leaders. “Sometimes, I would take a step back and just watch everyone. It made me really proud seeing everyone step up to that leadership role.”

The youth leaders forming the Youth Philanthropy team, Manuel Saavedra, Steven Williams, Tyler Harrison, Teng Lee, Alex Fallman, Ryan Wait, and Chris McDonald, started work in November of 2015, and dedicated countless hours of volunteer work to manage the grant-making process from start to finish. The group learned a lot from the process, and further developed as leaders.

Michelle Carrillo, Youth Program Manager with Building Healthy Communities, says she also saw the youth “develop a deep respect and appreciation for people’s time and a higher level of care for what people in the community are trying to do.” The group received 21 grant applications, and unfortunately, had to decide what projects to partially fund and what applications to turn down. “It was so hard to say no to any of them,” says Carrillo, “All of the applications were great, and many of them were actually submitted by youth who had never written grants before, and that was exciting.”

Richard Myers with the Golden Eagle Freestyle Wrestling Club, received a grant for his youth wrestling group located in Weitchpec that currently has 19 youth attending and “one and a half well-used mats.” Additionally, the Tribe recently declared a state of emergency in Weitchpec due to the alarming rates of suicide, occurring within weeks of each other. “There was a call-out for male mentors to help our youth,” he says. “And I wondered what youth are doing for themselves to release stress and excess energy. Wrestling changed my life, and I knew I could use it to help. There were a lot of youth who wanted to wrestle, but had no transportation to get to classes that were a two hour drive away.”

“The grant won’t just be for wrestling,” Myers adds “It will be used to bring in more physical activity opportunities to our underserved community. I am very grateful for what Building Healthy Communities is doing.”

Carrillo summarizes, “I have a sincere appreciation for how much time the youth leaders put into this. It just shows how much they care about this community. They are not the leaders of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today.”

Photo Credit: Nancy Raskauskas-Coons

Get PINK with Gender Talk’s Women’s Health Celebration

Do you know where you can access women’s health resources? Do you know where to direct a friend in need? Are you interested in learning more about local resources and women’s health issues? Gender Talk has a solution, and it comes in the form of a celebration. Gender Talk’s Pink Party is a fun, free event open to all ages and genders organized with the purpose of broadening interest in women’s health and youth development through performances, art, music, and presentations from your local health agencies.

Gender Talk is a community group housed at Coastal Connections that advocates for promoting gender and LGBTQ+ equality in addition to providing a safe space for discussion and creative outlets for local youth. Jacob Patterson, facilitator of Gender Talk states “Our goal is that with the Pink Party, we will bridge gaps between local services and maximize this opportunity not only to educate the community, but to allow agencies to network and learn about each other. We want to make it a fun event that makes health more approachable and that also makes talking about health issues less scary for people.”

The event will include live performances by Spare Change, a youth group with Planned Parenthood NorCal, in the form of educational skits on healthy relationships, gender equality, domestic violence, and bullying. Other presenters, booths, and guests include Building Healthy Communities, CASA, Del Norte Child Care Council, Del Norte High School’s new GSA, Expanding Youth Horizons, Harrington House, the Inter-Tribal Council of California, North Coast Rape Crisis Team, Open Door Community Health Center, Planned Parenthood, Redwood Voice, Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation, True North Organizing Network, Universal Heart Shamanic Drummers, Wild Rivers Community Foundation, Yurok Tribe, and more.

“Agencies don’t always have a venue to mingle and learn what each other is doing” Patterson says, “We want to break down health silos and perpetuate community discussion around health issues.” If you are an agency looking to educate the public about what you do, you are welcome to bring along any promotional materials (pamphlets, flyers, business cards, etc) to make available to attendees during the event at a local resources booth.

“Women’s health issues have impact on the community as a whole,” says Patterson, “At the Pink Party, you will have the opportunity to educate yourself, meet with groups whose services you may not have been aware of, and learn how to be an advocate by familiarizing yourself with services available. If someone in your life is in need, you will have names and face that you can refer them to.”

The Pink Party will take place Friday, February 19th from 5:00pm-8:00pm at the Veteran’s Hall 810 H St, Crescent City. There will be door prizes, catering by Bar-O Boys Ranch, music, and art. All are encouraged to attend! For any questions, visit Gender Talk on Facebook at facebook.com/GenderTalkCC

Local Youth Journalist Selected for Fusion Fellowship

Redwood Voice would like to congratulate one of our local, dynamic youth facilitators/freelancers, Jacob Patterson, who was one of 12 young journalists in the state of California selected for Fusion’s Rise-Up and Be Heard journalism fellowship.

On their website, Fusion is described as, “a joint venture between Univision and Disney/ABC, built to embrace and embody diversity from the inside out.” Fusion’s mission is to “champion a young, diverse, and inclusive America through the stories we share, the voices that tell them, and ways in which we bring them to the world.”

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The fellowship, made possible in partnership with The California Endowment, gives 12 young Californians (ages 18-25) an opportunity to take part in a 7-month journalism training and mentorship program. Each youth will be working closely with an editorial advisor and a journalism mentor from Fusion.

The goal of the fellowship is to “empower a new generation of leaders and media makers through journalism training, access to media production tools, and a publishing platform to amplify their voice and the voices of those in their community around issues of health and social justice.”

Jacob Patterson is a 24 year old, vegetarian, Queer activist living in Crescent City who has a passion for social justice, women’s health, domestic violence prevention, mental health, substance abuse prevention, sex education, racial equality and gender equality. She is highly involved in the community, being currently involved with work in Building Healthy Communities, Wild Rivers Community Foundation, Opportunity Youth, Coastal Connections, and leading Redwood Voice, in addition to facilitating a community program called Gender Talk, which includes a weekly radio show on KFUG.

“I got involved in journalism because I care about telling stories,” Patterson says, “The power of storytelling is something that we cannot sell short. Our stories and our lived realities are priceless and they are what make us human and what make us identifiable to others. Having a pre-established audience and knowing people are listening is also really powerful, especially for young people who often don’t feel reflected in the media presented to them.”

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Patterson says she wants to write hard-hitting content for the fellowship, “Journalism has the power to motivate. It can make people angry and it can inspire them to change. What I hope to do is to make people here who feel marginalized, who feel victimized, who feel the system and its status quo level of operation are not serving them; I want to give these people a voice and I want them to feel like someone out there is listening and that they are heard.”

Are you a young person in Del Norte interested in journalism or multimedia production? Redwood Voice is looking for youth interested in writing, photography, video production, social media campaigns, and creative media. For more info and to keep up with Jacob’s work, visit RedwoodVoice.com or visit Redwood Voice on Facebook at www.facebook.com/redwoodvoice.dnatl/

You can also visit Gender Talk on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GenderTalkCC and tune into Gender Talk’s radio show on KFUG 101.1 FM or kfugradio.org, Thursdays 7:00pm-9:00pm.