April Smith will be interviewed on CBC Vancouver Radio The Early Edition by Guest Host Ian Hanomansing at 7:12 AM on Wednesday November 25, 2009

November 25, 2009 ahamedia 2 comments

April Smith will be interviewed on the topics of BC’s Child Poverty Rate being the highest in Canada for the sixth year in a row as well and the stigma that still remains for people living in the DTES who are trying to get out of poverty and what supports are needed to help children in need on CBC Radio The Early Edition by Guest Host Ian Hanomansing at 7:12 AM on Wednesday November 25, 2009

Listen Live

Listen to CBC Radio 690 AM/ 88.1 FM Vancouver online

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hanoman…

Taken from his Wikipedia article:

“Ian Hanomansing (or Hanoomansingh) (born 1961) is a television journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He is the co-anchor of CBC News: Vancouver, CBUT’s supper hour newscast. From 2000 to 2007, he was the anchor of the national segment of the defunct newscast Canada Now. He has been a reporter with the CBC since 1986, and was one of the network’s main reporters for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is married, and has two sons.

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According to article by CBC

B.C.’s child poverty rate still Canada’s highest

Customers in need of extra food line up at the Surrey Food Bank. (CBC)

British Columbia’s child poverty rate has remained the highest in Canada for six years in a row and it’s time the provincial government took action, according to a child and youth advocacy group.

In its annual Child Poverty Report Card released Tuesday, the advocacy group First Call said B.C. had 156,000 poor children in 2007 — even though that was a good year for the provincial economy.

“When will the provincial government take action?” asked First Call chairwoman Julie Norton, who released the report on the 20th anniversary of an unanimous House of Commons vote to end child poverty in Canada by 2000.

‘We are seeing dramatic declines in child poverty in British Columbia,’—B.C. Children and Family Development Minister Mary Polak

The proportion of children living in poverty in B.C. was 18.8 per cent, while the national child poverty rate was 15 per cent, according to Statistics Canada data cited in the report.

Please read rest of CBC’s article http://tinyurl.com/ycmalxq

Categories: AHA Media, April Smith, CBC Radio, CBC The Early Edition, Children, Community Engagement, Downtown Eastside, Hastings Street, Homelessness, Interviews, Media Event, Poverty, Social Enterprise, Social Justice, Social Media, Twitter, Vancouver, Vancouver Downtown Eastside, Youth

Peter Davies of AHA MEDIA films Mayor Gregor Robertson speaking at Uncovering Vision Art Show at UGM’s Maurice McElrea Place in Vancouver Downtown Eastside on Friday Nov 20 2009

November 24, 2009 ahamedia 2 comments

Peter Davies of AHA MEDIA films Mayor Gregor Robertson speaking at Uncovering Vision Art Show at Union Gospel Mission’s’s Maurice McElrea Place in Vancouver Downtown Eastside on Friday Nov 20 2009

What: Uncovering Vision: A Discovery of Art Forms by Men and Women on the Downtown East Side, sponsored by the East Side Culture Crawl. Opening will be attended by many of the featured artists, Mayor Gregor Robertson, Photographer Kevin Clark, Artist Pamela Masik, and others.

When: Opening Friday, November 20th at 4:00pm; show runs Friday, Nov. 20th 4pm-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm

Where: Maurice McElrea Place, 361 Heatley Ave, Vancouver.

The following photo and video is of Mayor Gregor Robertson speaking at Uncovering Vision Art Show at Union Gospel Mission’s Maurice McElrea Place

This was filmed by Peter Davies of AHA MEDIA on a New Media camera – Panasonic DMC-ZS3. AHA MEDIA is about exploring mobile media production through New Media cameras. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith Twitter.com/AprilFilms or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

Please see 42 photos of the Uncovering Vision Event on our Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahamedia/sets/72157622870449682/

AHA MEDIA is very proud to celebrate its First Birthday and First Year Anniversary online on Wednesday November 11, 2009

November 12, 2009 ahamedia Leave a comment

AHA MEDIA is very happy to celebrate its First Birthday and First year Anniversary online on Wednesday November 11, 2009 !!! 🙂

AHA MEDIA has come a long way in one year when we ( April Smith, Hendrik Beune and Al Tkatch) formed AHA MEDIA ( using the first letter of our first names) and decided last year to have our very own site online!

AHA MEDIA does mobile new media/social media reporting and event documentation for all communities in Vancouver and Downtown Eastside. We have even been invited to the cities of Whistler and Victoria to do mobile media and livestreaming.

With lessons learned from the Fearless City Mobile project from W2 Community Media Arts Centre http://www.creativetechnology.org, we are proud to continue to grow everyday and help support/report in all our neighborhoods from social justice issues to social media events!

AHA MEDIA enjoys providing an independent and alternative perspective to general media views. Through our new media devices and cameraphones, we hope to be a news resource for everyone who is interested in us.

Over the year AHA MEDIA has grown to include 11 people affiliated with AHA MEDIA – nearly all live and work in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside.

We are honored to have the Aboriginal/Native Culture perspectives from our Aboriginal reporters – Brody Benson, Alvin Clayton, Clyde Wright

Other fantastic members of AHA MEDIA are :

Peter Davies – Photographer

Ken Glofcheskie – Sports and Social Justice

J-Hock – Housing and Economic Issues

Derrick Simms – Tech Support

Alain Assaily – Real Journalist!

AHA MEDIA enjoys peer training, participating and engaging in our communities to produce content for everyone to see and hear!

Among our many news/events coverage, our next ongoing project is documenting and archiving events leading up to and during the 2010 Winter Olympics. We will report on all perspectives as well as hearing the personal stories of folks in our neighborhoods.

Two future projects AHA MEDIA will be involved in are:

1) Documenting the Poverty Olympics – a satirical view of the Games put on by CCAP who are concerned about economic, housing and social justice issues of the Downtown Eastside

2) Participating in Fearless City’s CODE Live and Bright Lights editions – the Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition, part of the 2010 Winter Olympics celebrations. The projects will include streaming videos created by local residents and shown on giant screens at W2, a community media arts centre opening this winter as part of the Woodward’s development.

AHA MEDIA is proud to be part of ongoing year long documentary filming process for a movie called With Glowing Hearts – http://www.vimeo.com/5401993

AHA MEDIA is still learning and growing everyday! We humbly thank EVERYONE who has supported us, been our mentor and most importantly been our friend!

We couldn’t have done it without you! 🙂

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Below is a photo of AHA MEDIA – Al Tkatch, Hendrik Beune and April Smith celebrating our First birthday and First Year Anniversary together on Wednesday November 11, 2009 in Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver Chinatown

We hope AHA MEDIA will continue to have good luck, good fortune and live as long as the turtles swimming in the ponds! 🙂

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Below is a photo and video of AHA MEDIA Co-founders Hendrik Beune and Al Tkatch and their thoughts

This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

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Below is a photo of three ducks swimming at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver Chinatown. AHA MEDIA believes that beautiful things can happen in small places especially in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside

AHA MEDIA thanks everyone once again during our year long journey into media making online and offline 🙂

April Smith of AHA MEDIA was very proud to be invited to speak about social media for social justice activisim with BCGEU members in North Vancouver

November 11, 2009 ahamedia Leave a comment

April Smith of AHA MEDIA was very proud to be invited to speak about social media for social justice activisim with BCGEU members at the Holiday Inn in North Vancouver, B.C.

BCGEU – BC Government and Service Employees Union http://www.bcgeu.ca

BCGEU is holding their fall Labour Institute in early November, which is a three-day school with an academic stream and a campaigns stream. This time BCGEU’s campaigns stream is just for young workers (under 30).

April Smith will be speaking on how she got involved in social justice activism, how she uses social media in social justice activism and why it’s valuable, and a bit about the projects she’s worked on or are working on currently.

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Below is a photo of April Smith standing by ” Today Events” where it mentions BCGEU is in the Seymour Room

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Below is a photo of Doug Dykens welcoming the BCGEU members!

In this video is an Introduction to BCGEU Young Workers event at Holiday Inn in North Vancouver with Doug Dykens and Leah Squance, where April Smith of AHA MEDIA is to give a speech on how she uses social media for social justice activism.

This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

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Below is a photo of April Smith speaking:

I feel that using social media nowadays is a very fast, effective and inexpensive way to engage your audience, whether it be a targeted one or a more broad spectrum. One can control how your information is given out and how you and your company is represented. You no longer have to wait for the traditional media or PR agents to talk about you.. You can do that yourself in the best possible way… You are your own best cheerleader – It bridges the gaps, democratizes media information and helps bring everyone together in a dynamic interactive way – through a participatory way online.

There is obviously a lot more to be said and learned about this. Here is my best advice:

“The best way to learn is to get actively engaged and I hope that I have inspired you!”

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Below is a photo of April Smith receiving a BCGEU gift bag from Leah Squance after presenting her speech for social media for social justice

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The evening entertainment was by Vancouver TheatreSports League! 🙂

Below is a photo and video of, Vancouver TheatreSports League actors – Brian Anderson, Bill Pozzobon and Ted Cole perform a hilarous skit – “BCGEU Young Workers of tomorrow and Cellphones “at the BCGEU Fall Labor Institute event at Holiday Inn in North Vancouver Saturday November 7, 2009.

Vancouver TheatreSports League –http://www.vtsl.com

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Below is a photo of Peter Davies, Photographer for AHA MEDIA

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AHA MEDIA thanks BCGEU http://www.BCGEU.ca for the inviatation to come and present social media for social justice activism to BCGEU Young Workers. We appreciate the BCGEU gift bag filled with BCGEU items! 🙂

Alvin Clayton of AHA MEDIA from the Nisgaa Nation in Northern BC, speaks of his Aboriginal Art inspired by loving memory of his Father

November 7, 2009 ahamedia 1 comment

Alvin Clayton of AHA MEDIA from the Nisgaa Nation in Northern BC, speaks of his Aboriginal Art inspired by loving memory of his Father who was involved in community services for a very long time.

Below are photos and video of Alvin and his hand drawn Aboriginal artwork prints to be used for fundraising for Harm Reduction in Vancouver Downtown Eastside

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Below are photos and video of Alvin Clayton who dedicates his art to be used as the WAHRS ( Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society) banner at LifeSkills Centre in loving memory of his father who was very involved in community service in his Nisgaa home nation up North in B.C.