Regent Park Focus

It was time to get out and explore together as a group during the last Diva Girls session. The sun was shining and the skies were blue. So we packed up Focus' digital cameras and headed outside. The urban landscape of Regent Park is continuously changing around us as the demolition and revitalization process continues. As our radio dramas from the last week are being edited, I thought it would be a good time to have a brief class on outdoor architectural photography. Before heading out, we discussed 5 ways on how to improve shots of buildings and architectural forms. 1. Know Your Camera- Become familiar with the major settings on your camera and how to use them. If you see an interesting photo you want to take, try a variety of settings. It better to have more options than fewer ones. Keep in mind you are also going to edit these photos using software to make adjustments. 2. Think About Reflections- Many of the new condos have very shiny surfaces because they usual

Last week's Divas Girls sessions marked the second installment of the series on emotional and mental health by our intern Erika from the University of Toronto. Since the girls started writing their radio dramas last week on peer pressure, this week's focus was on recording them!  With help from the radio co-coordinator Tyrone, the girls were able to use the latest recording software. They discussed the importance of using their voice to emphasize the characters that they created and other nuances that could make the dramas more successful. The girls worked in groups of three or four and developed tag lines, slogans and introductions.  The girls learned many things about radio production, including the time and patience it takes to successfully record a drama. They needed to work together and support one another in order to have a successful recording. All these groups were able to record their dramas and now it is time for the editing process. Stay tuned for

Last Friday, May 9th marked the first class of a three week unit on social and emotional health lead by our new intern Erika Hughes, from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Last week's class was about peer pressure, social expectation and ways to combat and deflect peer pressure. Erika started the class with warms-ups that stimulated conversation, and sought out any assumptions or beliefs the girls had on peer pressure. First, they defined the terminology; what is a peer and what forms can peer pressure take? Next they discussed and learned that peer pressure is often negative, but it can also have some positive aspects as well. The discussion concluded on the note that it is important to surround yourself with people with like minded views and beliefs, so that they can support your decisions and encourage you to pursue your goals and aspirations. After the discussion, Erika started the "Skills to Combat Peer Pressure" activity, where she han

Tonight the students from Radiozilla came in to learn how to properly conduct interviews using handheld recorders and mics, how far you should be from your interviewee and how you should go about asking your questions to get quality answers. As part of the interview training the students conducted mock interviews using the remote recording equipment provided by Regent Park Focus.This process is to gear them up for when they are ready to interview people on the streets of Toronto for their audio documentaries. They did an awesome job! Funding for this project was provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Mozilla Hive Toronto.