Adjuntas, Puerto Rico – At the headquarters of Casa Pueblo, a grassroots community organization in the mountainous region, the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI) celebrated the closing of Medioscopio 2025 last Saturday, May 10. The project was focused on media literacy and citizen journalism and brought together students from Lares, Jayuya, and Adjuntas, who spent 12 Saturdays learning how to engage with information critically and produce content that reflects their communities.
After the final session, participant Jovier Vélez presented a group project exploring the barriers faced by special education students in public schools. Reflecting on the experience, he said, “This workshop is something I’ll never forget. Meeting new people, the energy, the way we worked on those special education topics to help students and understand what they go through — it really meant a lot.”
Kamila Martínez, a student from Lares, highlighted the impact of the Voice and Diction workshop led by CPI’s journalist Damaris Suárez. “I’ve improved my diction and how I communicate when I speak in public or present projects at school. It’s something that will definitely help me in the future,” she said.
Workshops were led by journalists, editors, and photographers from the CPI, along with collaborators from organizations such as Casa Comunitaria de Medios, Revista Étnica, and ComunicArte. The weekly sessions provided tools for developing media projects that enable students to document and share stories from their communities through writing, photography, video, podcasts, and social media content.
Workshop topics included: How to Critically Analyze Media, Racial Representation in the Media, Creating Non-Sexist Content, How to Spot Fake News, Citizen and Community Journalism, The Right to Access Public Information, Rap and Narrative Building, Photography, Video and Editing, Podcast Production, Voice and Diction, among others.
“These students surpassed all our expectations from the very first session to the last,” said Carla Minet, executive director of the CPI. “As we wrap up this journey, we feel incredibly proud of the experience, the students’ work, and our team and collaborators. We’re also grateful to have hosted the project at such a meaningful place as Casa Pueblo. It gave these program participants the chance to connect, learn about the powerful history of this space, take charge of the microphones at Radio Casa Pueblo, and become inspired to tell stories about the rural communities they come from.”
The closing event included the inauguration of a photography exhibit by the participants, focused on Casa Pueblo. Their final projects — including community interviews, podcasts, and micro-documentaries — were presented and recognized. In total, 23 participants took part in the program.
Arturo Massol, director of Casa Pueblo, reflected on the experience: “Today we celebrate the outcome of a meaningful collaboration between like-minded institutions. Seeing that reflected in the faces of these young people, who have gained a transformative experience, not only brings us joy — it reminds us that the effort was absolutely worthwhile.”
Launched in 2021, Medioscopio is made possible with support from the Fundación Ángel Ramos and Universal. The initiative has already reached more than 80 students from communities across Puerto Rico, including Loíza, Vieques, Salinas, Guayama, and Patillas.
