Bronx River Ecomedia Blog

On June 2nd, BRAC ecoMedia students participated in Hunt’s Points 4th Annual Fish Parade: Love Your Environment, Backyard and Beyond co-sponsored by the Point and Sebaco. The first Hunts Point Fish Parade was held in 2003 to raise public awareness of the community that was to become home to the Fulton Street Fish Market, following in the trail of wholesale meat and fruit vendors. Prior to the first parade, the Point spearheaded an outreach to and protest for the residential neighborhood, highlighting environmental concerns about a huge commercial enterprise coming to the area (more pollution from truck traffic, for example). When the move became inevitable, the parade became a vehicle to celebrate Hunts Point and get to know our new neighbor. Loosely modeled after the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, the parade welcomes the participation of community groups, organizations and individuals. Key to the Fish Parade is an emphasis on incorporating some of the quality-of-life issues in Hunts Point into the pageantry of Parade. Winding for a mile through the streets of Hunts Point, and stopping traffic as it crosses Bruckner Boulevard, the procession features new and vibrant work by emerging artists, community groups and schools throughout the Bronx and beyond.

ecoMedia students had their faces painted, carried a hand-made banner, dip nets, and handed out microinvertebrate stickers to people lined on the streets. Before the parade some families went on canoe rides up & down the Bronx River with Rocking the Boat, gathering sounds, and taking pictures, and they also participated in fishing along the dock organized by I FISH NY. It was a fun (and extremely HOT) afternoon!

Barry Joseph from Global Kids coordinated eight teens (7 in person, one in TSL) to talk about their work at the Games for Change Conference at the New School University. making, modding, evaluating, and making movies out of games.

Brandon Pagan represented the Bronx River Art Center, and spoke on a panel with teens from Computer for Youth Global Kids Playing 4 Keeps & Virtual Video Project, and the Institute for Urban Game Design in Washington, D.C. Brandon spoke about the role/impact of games in his life, and how the ecoMedia program is using contemporary game engines to articulate environmental issues. Using a PowerPoint slide show that he and the Media Coordinator put together, he articulately shared the entire process of creating a game level in Unreal Tournament, including modeling 3D objects in Maya, using his own project as a reference.

The teens ranged in age from six grade to two who graduated just two days earlier (one as valedictorian). Each group presented for 5-8 minutes and then took questions from the audience, who consisted of about 150-plus educators, academics, techies and non-profit workers that instantly warmed to the panel.

Many people have contacted Barry since the conference, and told him how inspiring they felt the panel was.

See the article from Toronto Star on the Youth Panel