LatinaLista — Getting young Latinas interested in technology has been one of the missions of Austin, Texas-based Latinitas since the organization was first envisioned in 2002 by a group of students at the University of Texas Austin.
Created to empower young Latinas through technology and media, the organization has distinguished itself by establishing various service programs over the years. They range from launching the first digital magazine for young Latinas; creating a teen reporter program to train aspiring Latina journalists; launching its own social network MyLatinitas; creating a network of after-school clubs in Texas and New Mexico; and debuting a teen leadership institute.
Now, to celebrate their 10-year anniversary, Latinitas’ organizers want to turn again to young Latinas and encourage them to use their voices to speak to the issues important to them during the organization’s first-ever national ‘blog-a-thon’ to be held from March 31 – April 12, 2013.
Girls, ages 9-18, are invited to blog about the big issues of the day they feel impact their lives in the form of a blog post to be shared on the MyLatinitas website. In 250-500 words, girls are encouraged to either contribute a guest blog post or create a blog account on the site where their entries will be featured and judged in a contest.
To ensure the judges notice their blog posts, girls are asked to tag their posts with “blogathon.”
It’s another way to get young Latinas to realize the power of their own voices in a world where it’s increasingly important for women and girls to speak up and be heard to not only effect change but to be part of a broader conversation.
