¡Viva Mexico! Student Forum Discovering Contemporary Mexico January 27, 2010 Lee High School 6529 Beverly Hill Lane Houston, TX 77057 Registration: 3:00 p.m. Program: 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. This event has reached capacity. Registration is closed. Contact edu@wachouston.org  This event is open to high school students only. Event blog:www.vivamexicohouston.blogspot.com
The World Affairs Council of Houston will host a student forum to explore contemporary Mexico—it’s young people, media, and culture. The purpose is to deepen students’ understanding of and appreciation for Mexico, and to engage them through digital technologies. Students will learn about Mexico through interactive presentations and workshops given by experts from the journalism and arts communities. Responding to these presentations, they will create short films on Mexican youth, culture, and economy. A blog will build excitement and knowledge of the issues in the months leading up to the forum. Students will learn about the speakers and will be invited to ask questions and share their thoughts. This dialogue will form the backdrop at the forum. This program is a part of the World Affairs Council’s series on Mexico in celebration of the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution, and the Bicentennial of Mexico’s independence.  Schedule 3:00 p.m. Registration 3:30 p.m. Welcome Rosa Flores, KHOU 3:45 p.m. Presentation: Make Your Voice Heard James Breiner, Center for Digital Journalism, Guadalajara 4:15 p.m.   Blogging and Discussion 4:40 p.m.    Breakout Sessions Students make short videos on Mexico-related topics 5:10 p.m. Closing Session            Students Return to Auditorium   5:30 p.m.   Program Ends Speakers James Breiner, International Center for Journalists & Center for Digital Journalism James Breiner is a Knight International Journalism Fellow and director of the Center for Digital Journalism in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Center is a project of the University of Guadalajara and the International Center for Journalists and has offered online courses to more than 200 Latin American journalists from 17 countries since its start in July 2008. Breiner has more than 30 years experience as a business reporter, editor and publisher. He is fluent in Spanish and has done newsroom seminars on leadership, business journalism and investigative journalism in Bolivia and Peru. He also is fluent in Italian and proficient in French. Rosa Flores, KHOU Rosa has been a reporter with KHOU since September of 2007. Previously she worked for KPMG as an accountant. Before moving to Houston, Rosa worked for, KWTV, the CBS affiliate in Oklahoma City. While at KWTV Rosa contributed reports to CNN, The Weather Channel and CBS National Radio. She co-founded the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and served as president and vice-president. Rosa also made dozens of public appearances and motivational talks at schools, juvenile centers, churches and non-for-profit functions. Rosa founded "Corazon a Corazon," a food and clothing drive to Mexico. She has been delivering food to communities along the U.S. - Mexico border ever since. She has three degrees from The University of Texas at Austin. Rosa graduated from the McCombs School of Business with a Bachelor's in Business Administration and a Master's in Accounting. Tony Diaz, Nuestra Palabra Tony Diaz is the author of the novel THE AZTEC LOVE GOD and the editor of the anthology LATINO HERETICS.  He is also the founder of Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say. NP began in April of 1998 in the party hall of Chapultepec restaurant.  NP organizes readings, workshops.  We also have our own radio show, NP Radio, on 90.1 FM, KPFT.  We also organize The Houston Latino Book and Family Festival, one of the largest book fairs in Texas. Tony Diaz earned an MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.  He is also a professor at Houston Community College. Film Competition Student films created at the event can be submitted for entry in the Global Short Film Competition, hosted by the Mexican Foreign Ministry. Generous support from The Bezos Family Foundation Bank of America Mexican Foreign Ministry Special thanks to Lee High School!