Rough draft

Latinitas is a new organization at Akins that focuses on empowering Hispanic teenage girls through media and technology.
"It’s a known fact that Hispanic girls lack positive media attention and that should change,” Lead Facilitator Roxanne says.
According to the National Health Institute, Hispanic teenage girls are placed at the highest risk amongst their African American, Asian, Caucasian, Native American and Pacific Islander peers for a vulnerability to teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, health issues such as obesity and a drop in grades and confidence on the verge of entering high school. Latinitas was started in the spring of 2002 by the instruction of Professor Federico Subervi and six of his U.T students. The group developed an idea to create a magazine exclusively for Hispanic girls that would emphasize the talent of young Latino youth. Laura Donnelly and Alicia Rascon, two students from the group, decided to take action and make the idea a reality. In January of 2003 they launched a Webzine and later expanded the program and created workshops for Latino youths in the community.
“The Webzine offers advice columns that members of Latinitas answer themselves, tips, music and movie reviews, photography, opinions, all the fun stuff,” Ms. Roxanne says.
As of this year, Latinitas will now be a part of the Akins family. It will be held every Monday in Room 213 from 4:16-6:16 P.M for the entire year. It will offer Hispanic girls the opportunity to be involved in the publication process to develop their own press.
Ms. Roxanne's goals for the group are to help the girls with personal problems such as: abuse, low self-esteem, relationships, and most importantly, to help encourage young women to pursue an education beyond high school.
“I want to get them aware of the media so that they can accumulate a good résumé to prepare them for the future.”