The “Pasos Al Futuro” (Steps Toward the Future) program aims to develop awareness about news literacy issues and teach specific news literacy skills and capacities to young Latino people who attend Chicago public high schools.

The program will provide high school teachers with guidance for revising their journalism curricula to incorporate news literacy principles and activities. CPS students gain knowledge of Latino media through their interactions with professors, journalists, DePaul students and so many more, who take the time to show students the passion they have for their work. Students participated in visits to stations such as Telemundo and Univision, and participated in TV and radio broadcasts. The students were introduced to journalism in many forms including social media, one the largest growing trends.

The Pasos al Futuro social media team at DePaul developed a , , blog and Instagram page that are used to interact with the students of Pasos al Futuro. In return, the students along with the Latino community learn about Pasos al Futuro and what the program does for Chicago’s youth. The community receives an inside look into the program from social media with the stories students reported on to practice their news literacy skills and distinguish fact from fiction.

About DePaul University

Founded in 1898 to educate Chicago’s burgeoning immigrant population, and drawing its values from the life and teachings Vincent de Paul, a 17th century French cleric, the mission of DePaul University is to pursue the preservation, enrichment, and transmission of knowledge and culture across a broad scope of academic disciplines. DePaul’s College of Communication launched the Latino Media & Communication program in 2010. The LM&C concentration is offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The program teaches students to think critically about all aspects of media and communication, with a particular focus on Latino media and communities. Here, students learn to create communication strategies that effectively reach Latino populations. Academic courses are based on an awareness and appreciation of Latino cultures in the U.S., and are grounded in history, communication, culture, performance, and sociology.

Impact

• 6 educators and professional Latino journalists  will be involved in the program.

• PAF partnered with LatinoUSA on 10 questions created by PAF participants and recorded by Spanish Public Radio, then sent to News or Noise. As a result of this, Spanish Public Radio has asked 2 of the high school students to do public service announcements for their station.

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