Urban Media Foundation dedicates new media center
Willa Seidenberg | 8-3-2010 | Comments | | Print this Page

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The Urban Media Foundation dedicated its new Media Center on Tuesday, August 3, 2010. UMF offers journalism and multi-media workshops, as well as programs on financial literacy and youth entrepreneurship. The after-school and Saturday workshops are held in a back room of Our Weekly offices on Western Avenue, which is now sporting some new computers and equipment.

The Tuesday dedication was sponsored by The Good News Foundation, which was founded by some well-known faces in Los Angeles television news: Wendy Burch (KTLA), Ana Garcia (KNBC), Christine Devine and Dorothy Lucey (KTTV). The Good News Foundation raised money from Sony and OfficeMax to provide new computers, video cameras, lights, a green screen and office furniture and supplies.

UMF was founded by Our Weekly publisher and CEO Natalie Cole. UMF seeks to use journalism to have a positive impact on at-risk high school students. Under the direction of Sherion Johnson, the program has attracted award-winning journalists in Los Angeles to teach in the program, as well as students from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Intersections project. Johnson has worked hard to make sure students in the program are exposed to professionals and the academic community.

UMF is savoring its new facilities, but it isn’t stopping there. It’s bursting at the seams and hoping to eventually build a second floor to accommodate more workshops and more students. In addition, the program has a wish list (see below) and accepts donations large and small.

Tags: ana garcia christine devine dorothy lucey good news foundation natalie cole urban media foundation wendy burch