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Show Page2 The West View - Horizonte Students Work with Spyhop, Receive Awards By Melissa Sillitoe Six ‘Horizonte students were among 22 students honored with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Youth Leadership Awards at Kingsbury Hall on Jan. 19: Lutimila Falemaka, Heperona Hunt, Wendy Pousima, Siunipa Takai, Melevea Tuli, and Peaulethe Vaisigano. | | Each year the University of Utah presents these awards to outstanding students, grades 7-12, who have “demonstrated their commitment to promoting social action, positive change, and building bridges among our state’s cultures Students. and communities.” received a plaque and $100. The Horizonte students produced a documentary chronicling the high dropout rates and low test scores among Pacific Islander students on the West Side. The students, whose club is called Kainga Malosi - Kainga is Tongan for family and Malosi is Samoan for strength - were recruited by Spyhop, a west side nonprofit agency that empowers teenagers by providing them with equipment and experience in film making. The film has been viewed in community centers and churches, at the Salt Lake Community College Polynesian festival, and as part of a public television confer- school Since they didn’t get to say thank you at the MLK awards, Hunt, 17, asked even if they feel that their teachers are unsupportive of them because could make a quick acceptance speech. He was joined at the inter- they are Pacific Islander. view by Tony Vahe, 15, and Ofa Lelehe, 18. On behalf of his group, Hunt thanked God, their country, their teachers at Horizonte, and who discouraged them, too: “Tt did- n’t make us fall back. It just gave us a reason to go forward.” Lelehe felt that becoming friends — a family - was a benefit of making the film. They discussed how they had seen some of the kids enjoying dents will see it and not give up, if he their teachers at Spyhop—particularly Amelia Niumeitolu--who shepherded them through the filmmaking process. Hunt paused and then added his thanks to the people not When asked what they hope this film will accomplish, Lelehe said that she hopes her fellow stu- ence in New York. Heperona included school, not having transportation, and teen pregnancy. : en eins RCN 0 SS ae ne prea Se eg Sas ae oe an Eg ete a a en ann En Two Horizonte Students (names unknown) pose after. receiving the MLK Youth Leadership Awards for their participation in the making of a Spyhop documentary about Pacific Islander students on the West Side. roll” and “b-roll.” The decided as a group what to their interviews. All were by the amount of time it Photo by Amelia Niumeitolu students use from stunned takes to tion as valuable, but teenagers are less sure. Vahe said, “The kids say ‘the life we live is hard, everyone struggles, we’re stuck in the ghet- Hunt adds, “Pd encourage all kids to strive to do better in school, no matter what. Don’t give up your dreams.” Vahe agrees: “When you’re a kid, there’s only one struggle, school; and if you give up that _ Struggle, you struggle for the rest of your life. So you’ve got to get through it.” Other student members of Kainga Malosi who helped make to.” Some kids in that world do the movie are: Melevia Tuli, Lethe ~ For Niumeitolu of Spyhop, making this film was a labor of things just to get along with the crowd.” All three students agreed Vaisigano, edit footage. _ Rona -Hunt, love. “It reminded me how power- that their peers would benefit from Sefo as “different” and “gangsters” until ful and how brilliant the oceanic Dousima, Luti they got to know them and realized that they were all the same. Niumeitolu and the Spyhop staff taught the students the technical process of making a film, including how to make an audio track and technical terms like “a- community is. Work can only be talking to their parents and learning why they feel school is important. The State Office of Education found that 86 percent of 2002 students graduated from high school. Lavata’I, Sheena done as a community and never alone. And I remembered that power can become profitable.” The students interviewed their _ However, Pacific Islanders’ graduaneighbors and learned that adults in tion rate was only 76.1 percent. the oceanic community see educaReasons cited for dropping out of Aaron Lautaimi, C.J. Alono, Nipa Takai, Pole, Ofa Malohi, Wendy Falemara, Gave Latu, Alama Fifita, Roxanne Fonua, and Salesi — Hautau. Will Unga of. the Community Action Project (CAP) and Joanne Milner of Horizonte High also gave support to the docu- mentary. COMMUNE continued from page | STAFF Residents are committed to creating a place where resources are shared, lives are simplified, earth is respected, and diversity is welcomed. The physical layout of Wasatch Commons, located just off of California Ave. at 1411 S. Utah Street, was designed to encourage community interaction. A footpath - winds through the area in close proximity to the units, which face directly toward the path; the units have large, strategically placed windows, so that residents can easily keep an eye on activity out in the courtyard; and instead of garage door entries, each unit has a small Editor Charlotte Fife-Jepperson Layout / Design Photos courtesy of Five Points Media - fivepointsmedia.com was excited about an opportunity to shared community they desired. view the film and to discuss it afterSeeing the film stimulated wards with the director and a few Angelastro’s interest in the socioloof the film’s subjects over a potluck gy of communes. “In any commudinner in the Common House in his nity, there are issues of fairness,” he community. 3 said. He has experienced first hand Although Angelastro lived the inherent problems that exist Advertising Chad Jepperson Salt Lake West Journal Staff - Subscriptions Kate Rubalcava Distribution Salt Lake West Journal Consultant / Advisor James A. Fisher Dale Young, Brandon Rawlings, Boyd Petersen PHOTOGRAPHERS i egal Support Mary C. : Gordon d Linnette : Brenkmann The West View is a communitybased oy se oan onal ; . idi ng a henclin .d Niumeitolu Chad Jepperson Vicky Wason WRITERS resource oF residents an Neos Sarah Munro businesses on the west side of SaltLake — yenarickson Dale J. Neilson Kate Rubalcava Melissa Sillitoe through the period of time when with communal living, such as fair- City. We welcome community involve- ly dividing up responsibilities and resolving problems of inequities. “There is a need for rules, and if people don’t follow them, they ment and appreciate story and photo Jepperson contributions. We able on newsstands in local recreation need to be kicked out,” he said. defamatory or slanderous in nature. prime during the early “70s, was especially intrigued with the film. communes were popular, he was not sold on the idea. “Frankly, I didn’t have a real high opinion of them,” he said. “I thought they were a haven for free loaders.” | It was later on in his life when he began to understand the benefits of shared community. He and his wife bought a condo thinking that the condo association would be tight-knit. They soon discovered that people living in his condo ~ “My wife, Linda, and I were once a community rarely associated at all, offers tours of their community the tion of around 24,500 copies delivered part of a theatre group, where we would attend plays and discuss them afterwards over dinner.” He and five years later, they moved 2nd Sat. of every month. Contact monthly to every household and busi- into Wasatch Commons, where they have finally found the type of Vicky Wason at 908-0388 to set one — ness on the West Side. It is also avail- storage space near a carport. Wasatch Commons resident Mike Angelastro, who was in his VIOLIN continued from page | school has made _ remarkable improvements over the past few years. “We have many secondlanguage learners, so our reading scores are low, but our edit all submissions for style and space, centers, and ters, will not publish Please email anything submissions that is to senior centers, libraries, and shopping on the web - cenat www.thewestview.org. the Please contact us if you live outside editor and include your full name, city the distribution area and would like to or community, and telephone number. be added to our mailing list. The sub- You may also deliver your submissions scription rate is $15 per year (12 issues). to us on a compact, floppy or zip disc. As an insert in the Salt Lake West Journal, The West View has a circula- up or for more information. Our Contact Info: editor@ thewestview.org The West View 1094 Garn Way SLC, UT 84104 Ph# 801-355-9572 http://www.thewestview.org Westside Leadership Institute Offers Training for Budding Community Leaders ‘By Sarah Munro and Kate Rubalcava math scores are exceptional,” says Wilde. She believes the music program boosted the math scores. “This is a great little school. We recently had several grades attend a Rinie- Woodbury performance. Everyone was so pleased that our students know how to be an audience and how to appreciate the arts.” * Like Black Bear Commune members, Wasatch Commons residents take community seriously. Their experience with communal living has made a lasting, over-all positive impact on their lives. Wasatch Commons Cohousing reserve the right to Charlotte Fife- The (WLI) Westside Leadership Institute supports the development of west side resident leaders as a catalyst for positive change in their communities. Three community partners, University Neighborhood Partners, SL Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS), and SL Weed and Seed, created and opened the WLI in spring of 2004. They brought together six faculty members from the University of. Utah with west side community leaders to co-teach a grassroots, community leadership course based on the Pew Foundation’s Both classes will meet on Mondays from 6 to 9 p.m. for nine weeks, beginning March LeadershipPlenty program. © are available. Last spring, 20 participants successfully graduated from the program and three of them applied for and received a $400 Community Mini-Grant to carry out a community project. : As spring approaches, the WLI begins its second year. This year, the course will be taught in both English and Spanish. West side residents who are interested in getting more involved in their communities are encouraged to enroll. For an application, please contact Daniel or Marisol at 539-1590 or stop by the NHS office at 622 West 500 North, Salt Lake City, Utah.. 21. The cost is $90; however, scholarships | | |
