HEART OF MEXICO: VALLE DE BRAVO, 2014

 

The Heart of Mexico program was founded by Thorne Anderson and Lenin Martell. The project, now entering its third year, brings together students and faculty from the University of North Texas (UNT) and the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEM) for one summer month in a small town in Mexico state. The Dallas Morning News supports the program with members of their editorial staff who serve on the faculty.

 

This year 11 UNT journalism students were joined by five UAEM journalism students and six UAEM translation students. Students were divided into six teams trans-cultural teams, each comprising at least three of these specialties: writer, videographer, still photographer, and translator. Academics from the UAEM Department of Tourism presented their research to the Heart of Mexico group to provide a foundation for students’ field work.

 

Following intensive training as a group in the art of narrative storytelling, the teams were immersed in the small-town of Valle de Bravo and a nearby village, Pipioltepec. Students lived in the homes of local people and found their own story subjects. They revised their stories extensively through faculty consultation and group workshop exercises, and they presented their stories in a public forum open to a local audience, even including the subjects of the stories.

 

The Heart of Mexico project performs as a beacon for cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary collaboration and narrative multimedia storytelling. Each year the project expands its capacity as a field school where journalists and academic researchers might come together for mutual benefit – to intensify the depth and quality of storytelling, to provide an outlet for academic researchers seeking a wider popular audience, and to explore the boundaries and potential for narrative evidence.

 

 

PROJECT CREDITS

 

WRITERS

Desiree Cousineau, Writer in Residence

Drew Gaines

Karina Roldán

Ashlea Sigman

Byron Thompson

Jacqueline Valderrabano

 

VIDEOGRAPHERS

James Coreas

Drew Gaines

Christina Gunlock

Caitlyn Jones

Jun Ma

Alice Nalepka

Amanda Ogle

Jeff Woo

 

STILL PHOTOGRAPHERS

Greta Díaz

Anaid González

Karen Lizarraga

Alice Nalepka

James Coreas

Desiree Cousineau

 

TRANSLATORS

Alland Barberena

Edith Carranza

Cristhian Mejía

Addi Mendieta

Ignacio Ortega

Veronica Velasco

 

LOGO DESIGN

Karen Lizarraga

 

WEBSITE PROJECT MANAGER

Cortney Pace

 

PROOF READER

Belem Ortíz

 

FACULTY

Thorne Anderson, UNT School of Journalism, Director

Lenin Martell, UAEM Department of Communications, Director

David Tarrant, Dallas Morning News, Writing Instructor

Hugo Andrade, UAEM School of Languages

Samantha Guzman, UNT, Project & Still Photography Instructor

Alfredo Corchado, Dallas Morning News, Mentor and Writing Coach

 

RESEARCH CONSULTANTS

Romano Segrado, UAEM School of Tourism

Rocío Serrano-Barquín, UAEM School of Tourism

 

PROJECT FINANCIAL, STAFFING AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT FROM

Joint UAEM-UNT Research Seed Funding Program

UNT Frank W. & Sue Mayborn School of Journalism

UNT Study Abroad Office

UAEM Department of Communications

UAEM School of Languages

UAEM International Office

Dallas Morning News

Feng Ruan & Paul Valdés

 

MUSIC

“Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, (CC)