The Gendered Politics of Media Production: Girls and Women as Media Producers

Middlesex University - Tuesday, June 16, 2015
https://www.facebook.com/events/852220878159648/ 

A one-day symposium exploring women and girls as media producers of a variety of media texts, including film, television, music, and new media.

Spotlighting: Mediagirls

MEDIAGIRLS℠ is a ten-week non-profit program in the Boston area that teaches middle-school girls to critique how girls and women are portrayed in mainstream media with an emphasis on creating content that showcases girls and women who are brave, smart, adventurous, and compassionate.

The White House launches student film festival!

Entries due January 29, 2014
More info here

http://www.whitehouse.gov/filmfestival?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=email265-text1&utm_campaign=filmfest

Spotlighting: TVbyGirls


TVbyGIRLS is a nonprofit organization in Minneapolois that works with girls ages 10 to 18 to build leadership, compassionate and collaborative working skills, critical thinking and engagement in social justice and the issues of their communities.

Spotlighting: HER Ideas in Motion

HER Ideas in Motion is a Cleveland-based non-profit focused on providing mentorship to girls in non-traditional careers of technology and media arts. In addition, HER Ideas in Motion has developed a women-led approach that combines female technical and creative professionals teaching and mentoring girls to provide access to female role models in these fields. Through hands-on workshops, girls learn technical and creative skills from mentors, while gaining leadership skills to build their own projects. By providing access to female role models and teaching girls, HER Ideas in Motion aims to close the gender gap of the less than ¼ percent ratio of women to men working in these fields.

October 11 - International Day of the Girl Child

What are you doing to honor girls and to make the world a more girl-friendly place?

On December 19, 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

Girls face discrimination and violence every day across the world. The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.

Black Girls Code

Black Girls Code

Mission: To increase the number of women of color in digital careers by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 14 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science in a supportive, and challenging environment. 

Girls Thrive Austin

Girls Thrive is a one-week theatre program sponsored by the Scottish Rite Theater for girls 5-11. This program utilizes elements of art, dance, music and theatre in a collaborative environment to promote creativity, empowerment, & support between girls.  July 30-August 3, 2012.

The Riot Grrrl Manifesto

(as read by Kim Gordon)

This should totally energize all girls (and women) to speak up, make media, and assertively occupy our rightful place everywhere.

"BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can and will change the world for real."

Memory tricks!

Memory Tricks!  -- Eight 5th grade students from the Jemicy School in Owings Mills, MD, which educates students with dyslexia or other related language-based learning differences, have teamed up with eight young women studying animation at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) in Baltimore. Working in student-mentor pairs, the Jemicy and MICA students are animating visualized mnemonic devices that kids can use to facilitate learning and make it fun.

Project director Lynn Tomlinson, an animator and MICA professor, is known for her work on Sesame Street and PBS Kids, and designed this project to empower girls through art and technology.

Here's a link - check it out, and feel free to share it  - thanks!
http://tinyurl.com/micajem

Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines

Screening at SXSW!
directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanaga & produced by Kelcey Edwards
featuring such awesome girl media-makers as riot grrrls and reel grrls
part of benefit for GENaustin at Black Lagoon Gallery in Austin - March 11 @ 5pm

The Story of a Nice Girl

Great animation from Jean Yi, who produced it at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Video and more info about Jean here.

Legos for Girls

Deb Tolman's organization, SPARK, has launched a petition against LEGO's new line, LadyFigs, which trivializes girls: Instead of providing girls with interesting projects to build, projects that ultimately DO things, these sets give girls the "opportunity" to play in stereotypical ways: shopping, wearing make up, lounging in a hot tub, etc.

The petition has had an amazing groundswell of support, with nearly 28,000 signatures, at http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-lego-to-stop-selling-out-girls-liberatelegos

If you've missed the controversy, Peggy Orenstein's NY Times op-ed from Dec 29 offers a good overview: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/opinion/does-stripping-gender-from-toys-really-make-sense.html

Girls' State of the Union Video

The Women’s Media Center invites girls from all over the United States, ages 14-22, to create a 1- 5 minute Girls’ State of the Union video. Five finalists will be highlighted on the Women’s Media Center’s YouTube channel and a group of diverse and talented celebrity and new media influencer judges will choose the winner.

DGA Report on Women & Minorities in TV Industry

More sad news from the media industry regarding gender and ethnic inequities at the director level.

Mediated Girlhoods: New Explorations of Girls' Media Culture

edited by Mary Celeste Kearney

available via Amazon and Peter Lang Publishing

The Girls' History and Culture Reader

edited by Miriam Forman-Brunell and Leslie Paris

JUST RELEASED!

Ack! Pink Video Game Controller

Read about it here

Girls' Conference!

Reimagining Girlhoods: Communities, Identities, Self-Portrayals
Oct 22-24 - Cortland, NY

Study of girls' film training

I'm doing a new study of girls' film training. I'm especially interested in girls' transition into college-level production programs. If you're interested in participating, please email me. Thanks!