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“Amazingly, at a time in which teens are a constant and primary target
of corporate media, few films, television programs, music genres,
or magazines aggressively target Black girls. In essence, they
remain remarkably indiscernible and underserved in a youth obsessed
media culture. Despite all this, Black girls are deeply immersed in
pop culture: they consume, adore and live it”
(Samuel Craig Watkins, 2005).

BLACK YOUTH WRITE ACTIVITIES

Monthly meetings – The girls meet regularly to share and brainstorm topics they want to write about. Once writing and artwork commences, the girls’ work is shared in consecutive meetings with each girl getting a chance to read out loud and get feedback from other members of the group, while editing their work. The girls choose to work in groups of two or more people on a topic or work alone. They share their work to solicit ideas from each other, including their artwork and illustrations as a way of learning, working together, and supporting each other.
They also decide on the activities they want to get involved in for the duration of the period. All decisions and input are geared towards creating opportunities where the members of the group make and agree on the decisions they propose.

IMPACT

The stories the girls write inspire other young Black girls and validate Black cultural identities through engagement in meaningful experiences to support and strengthen the development of positive self-worth and inner beauty within Black Girls. Black girls can use their own voices to counter dominant social constructions of Blackness and media, their images can begin to become normalised in mainstream media, giving Black girls the opportunity to be known, seen and heard. The articles, stories, and illustrations the girls create emphasize the girls’ age appropriate cultural experiences. The artwork they create is intended to represent Black identity as well as their African and Caribbean backgrounds. The girls begin to move away from Eurocentric and mainstream representations and focus on Black/African/Caribbean histories, cultures, experiences and backgrounds. The research the girls undertake intentionally seeks to explore Black/African/Caribbean histories and experiences. Work undertaken for the magazine also seeks to rewrite Eurocentric representations of Black people by offering alternatives that speak to the cultures and experiences of the girls. Often the interviews the girls undertake of professionals in different fields are intended to validate Black experiences and give the girls opportunities to experience and to question political and social norms in mainstream culture.

BLACK YOUTH WRITE CONTRIBUTORS

Black Youth Write invites contributors to submit articles and artwork for publication in Black Girl’s Magazine.

SOME PAST ACTIVITIES

  • Coding – visited Google headquarters in Toronto. Got a tour of their amazing facility and did a coding class with a Google coding expert.
  • Food theme – visited The SugarKane, a Caribbean/Cajun restaurant – had a taste challenge activity with the restaurant owners, – had great food, listened to the owners talk about the history/beginnings of their restaurant – covered the story in our food edition.
  • Visit to the Canadian Space Agency – the girls got to ride on the train for the first time and travel to Montreal. Got a tour of the CSA. This visit resulted in an interview with an astronaut and coverage of the visit in our travel issue.
  • Going to the movies together – discuss movies at meetings and write movie reviews.
  • Trip to the Hot Docs film festival – Reviewed documentary film for the magazine.
  • Tour of the Ontario legislature – interviewed Hon. Michael Coteau for the magazine.
  • Visited and interviewed several Ontario and federal ministers for the magazine.
  • Skill building Workshops – writing, 3D printing, coding.
  • Attend and participate at conferences.

HIGHLIGHTS & RECOGNITION

  • 9 preteen and 2 Teen editions published in partnership with Black Girl’s Magazine
  • Up to 30 writers and contributors write for Black Girl’s Magazine
  • Over 20 different library subscriptions of Black Girl’s Magazine
  • In March 2017, Hon. Michael Coteau, Minister of Children and Youth Services, recognizes the writers of Black Girl’s Magazine in Parliament on International Women’s Day for the work they are doing.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/black-girls-magazine-queens-park-1.4015730

  • In 2017, several writers for Black Girl’s Magazine were recognised for community leadership and citizenship at their schools and by the Alliance of Educators for Black Students (AEBS), York Region District School Board.

 

  • On Canada’s 150th birthday, 2017, Black Girl’s Magazine Editor, Annette was featured in ‘We are Canada Future 50 Portraits’ as among those shaping Canada for the next 150 years.

 

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