Message Media Ed – Innovators Uncovered™

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Digital Elder Project

Contact Shani Byard at Message Media Ed

shani@messagemediaed.org

323 708 2526

MESSAGE MEDIA ED PARTNERS WITH BLACK WOMEN FOR WELLNESS TO PRODUCE MORE DIGITAL ELDERS

mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">(LOS ANGELES – February 2010) mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">-- 19.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">A two-day interactive, leadership workshop, The
Digital Elder Project™, has been offered to current and potential leaders
(ages 14-100) in the Black community of Los Angeles since the beginning of
2009, by a new organization, Message Media Ed.yes""> Working within an African-centered framework, The Digital Elder Project, combines
instruction in basic to advanced computer operation, media literacy and a crash
course on social media and internet navigation, identifying technology’s
relationship to challenges and solutions in the Black community. Together with
a team of culturally conscious, tech savvy facilitators and guest artists, The Digital Elder Project provides a
unique opportunity for youth, adults and seniors to learn together in an
interactive, engaging environment, and begin closing digital, cultural,
intergenerational divides.

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mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">Black Women for Wellness began Internet Quilt in 2000, weaving together a diverse array of technology tools to increase African
American women and girls’ ability to utilize technology while enhancing health
and well being. Tea N Technology began
as an afternoon conversation to build skills, highlight trends, dissect and
problem-solve technology challenges troubling the African American community in
a non-threatening environment. As a result of the partnership between Message
Media Ed and Black Women for Wellness, participants in normal"">The Digital Elders Project will continue utilizing and learning new
skills with Tea N Technology. Black
Women for Wellness is funded through California Consumer Protection Foundation
to provide Tea N Technology.

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mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">The two-day intensive workshop, “The Digital Elder Project – EmPOWER Online and in the African American Community,” takes place on Saturday and Sunday,
March 20^th and 21^st in the Los Angeles Urban League’s
West Adams/Baldwin Hills WorkSource Center, 5681 W. Jefferson Blvd. Free follow-up trainings, “Tea N Technology”, will include
instruction in texting, email, social media, online advocacy and more. They
will be hosted at the offices of Black Women for Wellness on Friday afternoons,
beginning March 26, 2010 from 2:00 – 4:00pm. Black Women for Wellness is
located at 3450 W 43^rd Street, Suite 104 Los Angeles CA 90008, in
Leimert Park, the very heart of Black Los Angeles.

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mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">This collaboration between Message Media Ed and Black Women for Wellness creates an opportunity to raise the voice of African
American women, girls, men, boys, elders and community using technology from an
African centered perspective. It is a collaboration joining expertise,
resources, creative energy for social justice, health and media advocacy that
is inclusive and daring. Message Media Ed and Black Women for Wellness are
joining forces with full awareness of the adage ‘when you educate a woman,
you educate a nation’ toward not only educating the women and girls of our
community but calling to action across the generations a tech savvy cadre
addressing African Americans and Black life.

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"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">For complete details, including registration and sponsorship information for normal"">The Digital Elder Project and Tea
N Technology, contact Message Media Ed at 323.708.2526 or visit the website
at www.MessageMediaEd.org. For
more information on Black Women for Wellness, visit www.BWWLA.com or call 323-290-5955.

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Times"">QUOTES FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

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mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">Shani Byard-Ngunjiri, Founder/Executive Director, Message Media Ed

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mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">“The mission of Message Media Ed is to produce Black leadership for the Digital Age. Using the role of the traditional African elder
as a guide, a Digital Elder is role model who utilizes modern tools of 21^Times"">stmso-bidi-font-family:Times""> Century communication to nurture, share wisdom,
acknowledge and affirm,” explained Ngunjiri. “Therefore, we seek to equip
participants, especially our elders, with the tools and skill-sets needed to
thrive in the cyber and traditional, 21^st Century community,
classroom and workplace. Our
contribution to diversity in these arenas today must be substantive and
participation in The Digital Elder Project is an effective launching pad for
this. We are excited about our partnership with Black Women for Wellness
because thinking critically about media messages and becoming more of a media
producer rather than consumer, are integral in achieving health, wellness and
advocacy, especially in the Black community.”

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mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">Janette Robinson-Flint, Founder/Executive Director, Black Women for Wellness

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mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">“Technology has infiltrated our lives at every point, we have all types of personal data boxes, texts, phones, internet
capacity, but with all that technology, many of us are not optimizing it for
advocacy on the issues that matter most to us. To communicate with our elected
and appointed officials, to seek options that promote health and well being and
to share our perspective and solution to the problems our society is facing, I
am so looking forward to this collaboration with Digital Elders and Tea and
Technology. The potential is amazing…”

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Times"">ABOUT MESSAGE MEDIA ED

The mission of Message Media Ed is to produce Black leadership for the Digital Age.

Utilizing the tools of digital media, technology and traditional methods of creative
expression, Message Media Ed enables youth and families of African descent to
become multi-media literate, knowledgeable of their heritage and contemporary
contributions, in order to play a leadership role academically, socially and
economically. Through culturally relevant, interdisciplinary educational
workshops and participatory professional development trainings, Message Media
Ed aims to engage and empower African American communities to skillfully
diversify the 21^st Century.

Times"">ABOUT BLACK WOMEN FOR WELLNESS

mso-bidi-font-family:Times"">Black Women for Wellness is on a mission to enhance the health and well being of women, girls and our community. BWW objectives
with technology include creating a comfort zone for African American women and
girls with technology toward increasing the ability of grassroots and
non-profit leadership utilization of technology as a tool for social justice,
advocacy, personal and community health.mso-bidi-font-size:19.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:
Times">