Voices of Vieques: Students Use Journalism to Spotlight Community Struggles

The absence of a hospital and sports facilities in Vieques, along with the maritime transportation crisis, were among the issues tackled by young residents of this municipality in their projects as part of the third edition of Medioscopio, a media literacy and citizen journalism initiative coordinated by the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo’s Journalism Training Institute.

At the start of the summer, over 10 days of workshops, the youth of Vieques learned to verify information and identify reliable sources, understand their rights to freedom of expression and access to public information, and analyze gender and racial representation in the media. They explored how media representation can influence public opinion about a group or community, learned the importance of questioning sexist content, and recognized the value of their environmental and community surroundings when reporting.

“It was amazing, a very emotional experience for me,” expressed Yamila Quiles Díaz, 12, a middle school student at the 20 de Septiembre de 1988 School. “I had a lot of fun and learned so much. I had so many experiences that I want to do more and inspire the youth here in Vieques to keep pursuing their dreams and future.”

For their final projects, participants developed two episodes of a podcast called Islote Podcast, composed a rap song to tell community stories through alternative means, and created a photo exhibit with images taken on their cell phones while visiting La Colmena Cimarrona farm.

Through a 20-piece photo essay, the group documented the natural landscape of the farm, which has practiced solidarity economy, agroecology, and beekeeping on the small island for nearly a decade. They learned about the farm’s work and the food security challenges in Vieques and participated in a photography exercise led by veteran photojournalist Alina Luciano. A selection of the photos the participants took was showcased during the project’s final event and exhibited at the Fortín Conde de Mirasol until the end of July.

“At first, I was very nervous because I didn’t know what I was going to do,” said 13-year-old Emmanuel Quiñones Bermúdez, a 20 de Septiembre de 1988 School student. “But as the days passed, I felt more comfortable observing and learning. It’s something that, at the beginning, a person might feel nervous about, but as time goes on, you develop confidence.”

Calling for More Attention to What Happens in Vieques

During Medioscopio’s two weeks of workshops, the participants emphasized the importance of people across Puerto Rico becoming more interested in and aware of the situations faced by the people of Vieques, which add to decades of struggle and resistance to preserve their island.

“I would like people to listen to our podcast because, for example, right now in Vieques, there is no media coverage,” Emmanuel explained. “Right now, on the main island, they don’t know what’s happening here. If something happens here, they won’t find out over there.”

In the Islote Podcast episode titled “Sports in Vieques: Challenges and Opportunities,” the students discussed the lack of opportunities for athletes. They also voiced their concerns about the poor maintenance of sports facilities in the municipality and how this affects the development of their communities.

“I chose the topic of the sports complex because I’m an athlete,” Emmanuel said. “I play basketball, and sometimes we have to move from one court to another when we’re playing. We don’t have a stable place. And it’s not just about me; many athletes here don’t have the necessary resources. For example, a judo club practices in a school, and the volleyball players practice on school courts. There’s no place here where everyone can practice and have more opportunities in sports.”

Meanwhile, Yamila Quiles was part of another group that worked on the episode “Transportation and Health in Vieques,” where they discussed the shortage of health services in the island municipality. They also reflected on how the lack of an effective transportation system worsens the situation and puts the lives and well-being of Vieques residents at risk.

“The podcast we made in Medioscopio was about maritime transportation and health in Vieques,” said Yamila. “It’s not that I’m saying our island is in a bad place, [but] it’s the food prices, the problems we have with the elderly, and technology,” she added, mentioning other topics she would like to address in future episodes.

Music and the Transmission of Knowledge

Hery Colón Zayas, Coralis Cruz González, Bryan de Jesús, and Michael Lebrón from the Casa Comunitaria de Medios, part of the Jobos Bay Ecological Development Initiative (Idebajo) in Salinas, offered a workshop on musical composition as an additional means to tell community stories, preserve memories, and raise awareness. From there, they developed community communication projects and documented the history of the Aguirre community.

Coralis Cruz González, from the Casa Comunitaria de Medios team, participated in the previous edition of Medioscopio, which was held in Salinas with participants from Arroyo, Guayama, and Santa Isabel.

“It was a growth experience,” Cruz González said. “I think the young people can also see themselves in this experience I had: they can participate in Medioscopio, and later, if they continue to develop, they can also, in the not-too-distant future, become workshop leaders. We gave a workshop on rap as a narrative medium. It was really good. The participants took the workshop and made it their own.”

Cruz González noted that the Vieques students were motivated by the workshops and was moved by the group’s awareness of residents’ situations and problems.

“They knew about all the issues. They even knew about laws, politics, and what was happening in Vieques. They’re so aware that it really surprised me,” Cruz González said. “I hope we can continue to hear more podcasts from these youngsters in Vieques; maybe even rap songs about what’s happening because sometimes we don’t like to read an article, but we can listen to a song.”

Indeed, one of Medioscopio’s objectives is for its participants to engage in community advocacy and seek solutions for their communities through communication and citizen journalism.

“The students learned that their voices have value and that through the technology they have at hand, they can express their experiences, denounce the social problems they face daily, and start to create change from and for their communities,” explained Ishbel Cora Rodríguez, Program and Community Relations Officer at the Instituto de Formación Periodística.

The third edition of Medioscopio was made possible with the support of the Fundación Ángel Ramos, Fundación Luis Miranda Casañas, Report for America, and the collaboration of the Boys & Girls Club in Vieques, the Fortín Conde de Mirasol Museum, La Colmena Cimarrona local farm, the Vieques Human Rights Film Festival, the Vieques Women’s Alliance, the Vieques Historical Archive, SAMAR Marine School, and the Municipality of Vieques.