People's Production House organized two sessions at the NYC Grassroots Media Conference on Saturday February 24, 2007. Radio Rootz Peer Trainers, Navi Sandhu, Hana Georg, and Mera Beckford gave a presentation entitled "Creating youth Radio Documentaries" that included a Powerpoint show, brainstorming sessions, mock interviews, and much more. The three say they enjoyed themselves and it was apparent that members of the audience did too. Here's the description of their workshop:
Our World, Our Mic: Creating Youth Radio Documentaries Participants in this workshop will discuss the skills necessary and learn the steps used by the Radio Rootz Program in creating radio documentaries. This workshop provides concrete steps for youth to create their own media and discuss the relationship of independent media with local and global movements including: • How youth can create media that represents them and their communities • How media can be a tool in social justice movements • And the global scope of media as a tool in reaching an audience beyond the borders of local cities, states, and countries.
In addition, PPH Policy Director Joshua Breitbart moderated a panel on municipal wireless and its status in New York City:
New York's Wireless Future New wireless technology provides an efficient and affordable way to deploy new broadband infrastructure. You can use it to turn your local park into a hotspot or to give affordable access to all of your neighbors. Across the country, local governments are considering whether to build - or to let corporations build - wireless networks that cover an entire city. New York City is just beginning this process. This is the best chance in a generation, if not a century, to come together as a community to decide what we want and need from our communications infrastructure. This panel will bring you up to speed on the discussion.
The presenters on the panel are three of the sharpest people in the country, let alone the city, on the topic:
Laura Forlano, a Board Member of NYCwireless, a community wireless group in New York, and a Ph.D. candidate in Communications at Columbia University researching the socio-economic implications of the use of mobile and wireless technology; Michael Lewis, founder of Wireless Harlem Initiative, a New York based non-profit, which is advocating to bring affordable wireless broadband to Harlem in order to close the digital divide; and Bruce Lai, the Chief of Staff to Council Member Gale A. Brewer, who is the Chair of the Committee on Technology in Government at the New York City Council.
- Listen to Josh's introduction to municipal wireless.
- Listen to Laura Forlano's presentation of NYCwireless and community wireless in New York.
- Listen to Michael Lewis's presentation of the Wireless Harlem Initiative and the local franchising process.
- Listen to Bruce Lai's explanation of the Broadband Advisory Committee and the political process in New York. (Note where he points out that in practically every other major city, the mayor accepts that government has a role to play in facilitating broadband access, but in New York City, we are not yet even at that point.)
- Listen to the questions, answers, and discussion.
- Or listen to the entire panel.