HarlemLIVE is celebrating its 11th Annual Summer Youth Media Challenge!
Each year, 20 to 40 teens are divided into teams in order to compete in our seven-week contest. This summer starts with a city-wide scavenger hunt on July 7th, which foreshadows some of the stories and topics the students will cover during the challenge. The teams showcase competitive presentations to invited community and media personalities, who act as judges to pick the best presentation and make constructive criticisms. The teams compete to create the most and best content for the online magazine and the HL TV show. The summer challenge culminates with our Annual Awards Ceremony where the leader of the winning team is generally appointed as editor in chief for the following school year. In years passed, the ceremony has been held at Teachers College (2000-2002), Time-Warner (2003), Thomson Reuters (2004), Bloomberg (2005), set of Live with Regis and Kelly (2006), ESPN (2007), CUNY Graduate School of Journalism (2008).
Some of the topics students will cover this summer include:
- Rich Carlton speaks on Harlem Arts Alliance
- Harlem Week 2010
- Profile: Damon Dash - A proud Harlemite and back in charge at Roc-A-Fella Records
- Up and coming comics come to Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre every week to perform free comedy
- Community Supported Agriculture in Harlem
- Op/Ed: The New York Public Library's huge financial hit
- Harlem Community Views: Pending legislation (Girls Protection Act) prohibiting the transport of women and girls abroad for female genital mutilation
- Arts/Culture pieces: Al Pacino in Shakespeare In The Park, Summerstage, Damrosch Park, Prospect Park Bandshell
- Museum shows and gallery openings in the city: Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs @ Discovery Times Sq., Bruce Nauman (Winner of the 2009 Golden Lion at the Venice Biennial) @ MoMA, Young Architects Program @ PS1, James Franco @ Clocktower Gallery, Andy Warhol @ the Brooklyn Museum.
- Health Programs: Shape Up NYC.
- Topical Events: The Oil Spill - effects in Cuba and the Caribbean
- The World Cup: Reactions in Harlem - focus on the Latino community
- The New York Botanical Garden's garden-to-table - featuring a different seasonal favorite every week.
The Summer Youth Media Challenge is a full-time program operating from noon to 7PM Monday through Thursday, with our judging sessions taking place Fridays at 6:00PM.
If you are interested in becoming involved, please contact Nico Rosario, Program Manager: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Dacia has been with Harlem Live since July of 2008. Dacia has taken the role of leader of her team and acted the part as she leads her team successfully winning three presentation challenges. 
