This past week we interviewed for a film editor position, and only met with two women out of 20 total candidates! If this experience is any indicator of the proportion of women working in media (behind the scenes or in the spotlight) in Los Angeles, then we can continue to be confident that the work and goals of Global Girl Media is essential in promoting the inclusion of more women's voices and perspectives in the production of local media stories!
Women's United Nations Report Program & Network WUNRN released a report showing that from a pool of 500 companies examined in nearly 60 countries, men occupy the vast majority of the management jobs and news-gathering positions in most nations.
A wonderfully surprising statistic from the report reveals that in South Africa, the number of female journalists actually slightly exceeds the number of male journalists. And 75% of media senior management in South Africa are women! However, this is an anomaly compared to neighboring countries and other countries globally where women are still fighting for basic rights and freedoms, such as the right to drive. Stories like these must continue to be reported in order to continue to affect the status of women in society. Without female storytellers, the likelihood of these stories surfacing is much lower.
That said, we’re getting very excited for the start of our 2011summer New Media Academy and News Bureau Program! We received a PEPFAR (The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) grant to work with 10 HIV-positive young women in Johannesburg, ages 16-25 from June 25-July 16. We will also be working in conjunction with the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, from July 5-July 26, 2011 to provide training to high-school-aged girls from marginalized communities in Los Angeles. Global Girl LA’s work will also be featured in an international exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center in October, focused on women and girls' rights globally.
Some of the specific stories that the girls will be covering this summer include the return of Iraq War veterans and subsequent effects on their communities. GlobalGirls will be speaking with Dr. Chrisanne Gordon, who works to establish educational, vocational, and employment opportunities for the veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
The girls will also be producing a story about the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, named for the labor union organizer. Some of the Global Girls attend this school and are interested in reporting on its social justice program.
Other stories will evolve as the girls develop their interests and decide which issues matter most to them and why.
All upcoming videos and blogs can be seen at http://www.globalgirlmedia.org !
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