Mobile “Hi Fi” Tour Launch + Pilipino Workers’ Center Fundraiser
Pilipino Workers’ Center, los Angeles- CA
09/26/09

In August of 2002, the City of Los Angeles designated the neighborhood south of the 101 Freeway and north of Beverly Boulevard, between Glendale Boulevard and Virgil Avenue, as Historic Filipinotown, a.k.a. “Hi Fi.” What makes Historic Filipinotown Filipino? What is historic about the area? Pilipino Workers’ Center (PWC), Public Matters, UCLA’s Center for Remap and HyperCities have partnered on PDUB Productions to engage neighborhood youth in a multimedia project that brings Hi Fi’s hidden stories to the surface. Their work has resulted in the Immigrants’ Guides featured on the Mobile Hi Fi Tours. Using the latest digital technology to explore Historic Filipinotown’s buried past, they offer a mobile media experience akin to time travel.

On Saturday, September 26 at Pilipino Workers’ Center, PDUB Productions will launch the Mobile Hi Fi Tours from 1-6pm, followed in the evening from 6:30-9-30pm with a “barrio fiesta”-style fundraiser for PWC, aptly themed “Historic Filipinotown: Yesterday, Today + Tomorrow,” which includes musical entertainment and an outdoor PDUB Production screening under the stars. Tour-goers will use GPS-enabled Nokia tablets to access audio, photos and maps that bring to life four immigrant perspectives and time periods: a Filipino “Fountain Pen Boy” (1898-1945), a Filipino Farm Worker (1945-1965), a Latina Teen (1965- 2002), and a Filipina Caregiver (2002-present). The event will kick-off at 12:30pm with the official unveiling of PWC’s original World War II jeepney, which will provide special tours of the historic neighborhood led by celebrities such as City Council President, Eric Garcetti.

On Saturday, September 26 at Pilipino Workers’ Center, PDUB Productions will launch the Mobile Hi Fi Tours from 1-6pm, followed in the evening from 6:30-9-30pm with a “barrio fiesta”-style fundraiser for PWC, aptly themed “Historic Filipinotown: Yesterday, Today + Tomorrow,” which includes musical entertainment and an outdoor PDUB Production screening under the stars. Tour-goers will use GPS-enabled Nokia tablets to access audio, photos and maps that bring to life four immigrant perspectives and time periods: a Filipino “Fountain Pen Boy” (1898-1945), a Filipino Farm Worker (1945-1965), a Latina Teen (1965- 2002), and a Filipina Caregiver (2002-present). The event will kick-off at 12:30pm with the official unveiling of PWC’s original World War II jeepney, which will provide special tours of the historic neighborhood led by celebrities such as City Council President, Eric Garcetti.

About Pilipino Workers’  Center- (PWC) is a nonprofit resource and information center committed to helping low-income families with employment, healthcare, affordable housing, and immigration issues since 1997. PDUB Productions is an innovative digital youth media and civic engagement program at PWC that engages neighborhood youth in the creation of content about Historic Filipinotown’s history and significance, and aims to increase the neighborhood’s visibility and foot-traffic. Public Matters is an interdisciplinary social enterprise that designs and implements neighborhood-based new media and civic engagement projects. UCLA Center for Remap and HyperCities are award-winning projects that map the cultural, architectural and urban history of cities.

Individual Tickets for the Barrio Fiesta Fundraiser to benefit PWC are $50 (including food + screening + guaranteed spot on Walking Tour); Mobile Hi Fi Walking Tours are FREE, but space is limited and reservations are strongly recommended. Jeepney Tours are $20. Ticket prices for Celebrity Jeepney Tours vary.

When:
Sat., September 26^th, 2009

Schedule:
12:30 - 1:00pm:  Unveiling of PWC Jeepney
1:00 – 6:00pm: Mobile Hi Fi Walking Tours + Jeepney Tours
6:30 - 9:30pm: Barrio Fiesta + Outdoor Screening + Musical Entertainment

Location:
Pilipino Workers’ Center
153 Glendale Blvd., 2^nd Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

(Cross Street: Rockwood Street, just north of the 1st Street bridge, west of downtown)

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More information at: http://hypercities.com/pdub/
Or to purchhase tickets, go here.