Media Literacy Project and community partners held a news conference at the South Valley Economic Development Center on Monday, February 15th at 12 p.m. for the "Show Your Love for Broadband" campaign.

Speakers included from SouthWest Organizing Project, Albuquerque Partnership Youth Coalition, KUNM Youth Radio, Albuquerque Community Access Channel 27, New Mexico Office of African American Affairs, as well as New Mexico State Librarian Susan Oberlander.

In addition, Bill Woldman from Senator Tom Udall's (D-NM) office unveiled a letter of petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that was signed by all members of the New Mexico congressional delegation in support of the campaign.

The two goals of the "Show Your Love for Broadband” campaign are to have broadband defined as a universal service and to have network neutrality maintained through an open internet.  Defining broadband as a universal service will promote equitable access to quality broadband service for every New Mexican. Network neutrality will create open, non-discriminatory networks that value the consumer and protect the interests of our communities.

This event was part of the Media Action Grassroots Network’s National Day of Action. These efforts, including the collection of Digital Inclusion Champion pledges, provide communities with the opportunity to voice opinions that will be submitted to the FCC in the creation of the National Broadband Plan, which will be unveiled on March 17th.

If you represent an organization that cares about communities having increased economic opportunities, access to educational degrees, and access to healthcare information and services, please sign the pledge to become a Digital Inclusion Champion.

Please visit the MLP website for more information and a list of New Mexico organizations supporting this campaign.

The New Mexico Media Literacy Project has been undergoing some exciting new changes including changing our name to the Media Literacy Project (MLP) and unveiling a new logo. Although "New Mexico" no longer appears in  the organization’s title, the organization remains committed to its service to the state. We also feel the color scheme of the new MLP logo is reflective of New Mexico.

MLP is currently in the final stages of a strategic planning process and will soon be unveiling its new mission statement. As part of the strategic planning process, MLP's revised organizational structure is reflected in new staff titles.

MLP is also in the process of creating a new website - medialiteracyproject.org - which will be launched in fall of this year. Visit our website or check the monthly enews for updates or additional information.

Media Literacy Project supporters are personally invited to be part of the conversation with Isabel Garcia at The First Congregational Church, 2801 Lomas Blvd. NE,  Saturday March 13, 2010.  This event is free and open to the public.

Pre-event reception at 5:00 PM

Event begins at 6:00 PM

Beyond Borders: Human Rights in Our Community will be the final event of a day dedicated to education and community input on the current issues immigrant communities must negotiate for some people. 

It is an opportunity to better understand the immigration issues and potentially explore community solutions to addressing them.  MLP knows the power media has in shaping the immigrant narrative.  We are committed to disrupting the current media system that allows the messages of hate speech to dominate the public debate. This is the main objective of our campaign, Siembra la palabra digna.

Isabel Garcia (pictured in the forefront) is an award-winning human rights activist and nationally recognized leader on immigration reform. She is also a Pima County Public Defender and the founder of Derechos Humanos in Tucson, AZ.

Winners have been announced in the fourth annual Talk Back to Big Tobacco! Script & Storyboard Contest.

Middle school and high school students in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Moriarty and Tatum wrote winning radio scripts and TV storyboards for 30-second ads aimed at preventing tobacco use among young people.

More than 420 New Mexico middle school and high school students entered the contest this year, submitting 293 original scripts and storyboards. The writer of each winning script or storyboard will receive a $500 cash prize.  Co-authors will split the prize money.

This spring, youth producers at our community partners, KUNM-FM and Community Cable Access Channel 27, will produce radio and TV spots from the winning scripts and storyboards.  The completed spots will premiere at the Fame & Shame Awards at the historic KiMo Theatre in Albuquerque on May 8.  DVDs containing the completed ads will be distributed to schools and tobacco prevention programs around the state in the fall.  In addition, the contest winners have a chance to win an additional $2500 if their ad is chosen for statewide radio or TV broadcast.

The Talk Back to Big Tobacco! Script & Storyboard Contest is sponsored by MLP with support from the New Mexico Department of Health’s Tobacco Use Prevention & Control Program (TUPAC). 

Visit www.talkback.nmmlp.org for more info on the project.

Media Literacy Project is offering a free training for New Mexico middle school teachers on March 30-31 in Roswell, NM.

This training will show teachers for grades 6-8 how to implement media literacy into a standards-based classroom, and will cover basic media literacy concepts and skills, tobacco, alcohol, and nutrition marketing and counter-marketing, and activities for the classroom.  The training is ideal for language arts, health, ESL education, consumer education, and media and technology teachers, and aligns with NM state standards in these subjects.  Teachers of other subjects are also welcome!

Teachers who participate will receive free MLP educational DVD-ROMs (including Media Literacy for Prevention Mini Unit), CD-ROMs, and a ready-made media literacy unit DVD for the classroom valued at over $300. Teachers from out of town will receive free lodging and reimbursements for travel and evening meals. This training is for 12 teachers; priority is given to teachers in the Southeast quadrant of our state.  We encourage teachers to register ASAP as we anticipate this training will fill quickly.

Thanks to New Mexico Department of Health, Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program for funding this training. For more information about this training, contact Christie McAuley. 

Media Literacy Project may be visiting your area soon! Please contact us if you would like a presentation in your community. Our upcoming plans include:

February:
22, Socorro, NM: Smokeless Tobacco Training
26, Lordsburg, NM: Media Literacy Training

March:
10, Aztec, NM: TUPAC nutrition presentation for Boys & Girls Club
13, Albuquerque, NM: Beyond Borders: Human Rights in Our Community event with Isabel Garcia at The First Congregational Church at 6 p.m.
19, Albuquerque, NM: Freedom From Smoking Facilitator Training
19, Las Cruces, NM: Smoke Free Movies Presentations
30-31, Roswell, NM: Middle School Teacher Training