April 22, 2008 (3:00-4:30PM EST / Noon-1:30pm PST)
Neighborhood Narratives:
Telling a Community's Story & Setting the Stage for Change
Grassroots Grantmakers Topical Conference Call with Public Matters

Mike Blockstein, Principal, will share Public Matters' work with communities in creating Neighborhood Narratives - innovative, artistic, place-based projects that build creative, civic and social capital in communities. He'll explain how to tap into the power of Neighborhood Narratives by integrating them with broader civic processes, advocacy efforts and community initiatives.

Join the call! www.grassrootsgrantmakers.org/page10826.cfm

Public Matters included in MacArthur Foundation Digital Media + Learning Award through hypercities project

In an upcoming project, Public Matters will develop a sustainable youth media and civic engagement program in Los Angeles' Historic Filipinotown with UCLA partners Hypercities and ReMap LA and Pilipino Workers Center (PWC). Working with local immigrant youth, the project will explore and publicly display media-based content about Historic Filipinotown's history, culture and significance, culminating with the creation of a street-level multimedia installation that will be part of PWC's new building.

Based on digital models of real cities, "HyperCities" is a web-based learning platform that connects geographical locations with stories of the people who currently live there and those who have lived there in the past. Public Matters, the sole community conduit for HyperCities Los Angeles, will work with PWC youth and students from UCLA and USC to map Historic Filipinotown through GIS and peer-to-peer learning environments. Additional support for the project has been provided by the Stuart Foundation.

Out in the world:
Where Do I Get My FIVE? Youth presentations + Screenings

Public Matters' work with the Healthy Eating Active Communities (HEAC) Youth Ambassadors at The Accelerated School moves beyond conventional documentary and youth media projects. The integration of youth media and civic engagement continues to achieve the project's broader aims: increasing South L.A.'s healthy food options, leadership development, and community building.

UPCOMING:
May 2, 2008, Center to Eliminate Health Disparities, UCLA School of Public Health

RECENT:
2008 PolicyLink Regional Equity Summit, New Orleans, LA

Neighborworks America Community Leadership Institute, Boston, MA

Student testimony on Fast Food Moratorium, Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Commission, Los Angeles, CA

Various screenings for students, parents and teachers,
The Accelerated School, Los Angeles, CA

Community Planning School Workshop, Los Angeles, CA

Kaiser Permanente community Action plan retreat, DeKalb County, GA

Premiere Screening, Tom Bradley Tower, City Hall, Los Angeles, CA