CHICAGO, IL – June 9, 2015 ‒ (HISPANICIZE WIRE) – United Airlines has announced its sponsorship of the Chicas Poderosas (“Powerful Women”) project, which is designed to create a corps of female digital media leaders in Latin America and increase the number of Latin American women journalists working directly with newsroom technologies.
Around 50 women journalists, media technologists and interactive designers from across the Americas will meet with professors, journalists and innovators at the Chicas Leadership Summit at Stanford University this month to receive technology training that will help them improve visual and interactive storytelling in Latin American media. The goal is to create a network of tech-savvy women in Latin American newsrooms, who will then organize training events in their own countries.
“We are very proud to support Chicas Poderosas,” said Maria Cristina Osorio, United’s director – international communications for Latin America. “Latin America is important to United’s operations and Chicas Poderosas has the potential to transform the ability of women journalists to tell the stories of the people, places and culture of Latin America in captivating new ways.”
Mariana Santos, a former International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Knight Fellow and current John S. Knight (JSK) Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, developed the program, which is being operated under the auspices of ICFJ. Director of interactive and animation for Fusion in Miami, Santos is a visual storyteller who did groundbreaking work as a member of the interactive-design team at The Guardian in London. She is originally from Portugal.
“We are thrilled to partner with United Airlines,” said Santos. “This sponsorship represents not only an honor for us, but a responsibility to train as many women as possible throughout the Americas on technology that will help them enhance their stories visually for their communities.”
As the official airline of Chicas Poderosas, United is sponsoring transportation for many of the Latin American journalists to Palo Alto to participate in the Chicas Leadership Summit event. For more information about the Chicas Poderosas project, visit http://www.chicaspoderosas.org.
United also sponsors the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the International Center for Journalists “Bringing Home the World” International Reporting Fellowship for Minority Journalists, and the Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals.
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of nearly 5,000 flights a day to 373 airports across six continents. In 2014, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 138 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 34 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 and the 737-900ER. United is also welcoming 49 new Embraer E175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 84,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.
About ICFJ
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is at the forefront of the news revolution. Its programs empower journalists and engage citizens with new technologies and best practices. ICFJ’s networks of reporters and media entrepreneurs are transforming the field. ICFJ believes that better journalism leads to better lives. For more information, visit www.icfj.org.