Young Iowans Cultural Council Launches E-zine
For Immediate Release October 22, 2002
DES MOINES, Iowa—Hook up. Tune in. Zone out. Log on– to www.culturalaffairs.org/young_iowans_cultural_council/xyzine
to see what the Young Iowans Cultural Council (YICC) has been up to lately.
What you’ll find is …xyzine, an online e-zine geared toward young Iowans ages 17-26 who are interested in the arts, history and culture. The site explores what young people around the state are doing to advance the arts and culture here, and publicizing events and other activities that will help them stay. And it’s all in a hip format.
"We wanted to make the e-zine something that young people would find useful, but fun and cool at the same time to pique their interest," said Sarah Oltrogge, YICC co-facilitator. "So we’ve added a few non-traditional elements to the site that we think will be effective."
The e-zine will be updated every other month with new articles and features written by YICC members. New sections will be added as well, such as a gallery to feature artwork, poetry, photography or literature by young Iowans. In addition to the articles, the e-zine includes a "Missing Links" page, a "Rat Race" page to search for jobs in Iowa, and a "Zone Out" page where they are taken to a Yahoo! User Group where they can sign up for a list-serv, check out a calendar of events, answer poll questions or post messages.
"Never before has there been a single, central place for young Iowans to go to become informed about what is happening in Iowa arts and history or Iowa culture," said Ted Stephens, III, YICC member. "It’s our hope that arts and cultural organizations will embrace this site to gain knowledge about the YICC and work to find ways within their own communities to make culture accessible to young people."
The Young Iowans Cultural Council is a group of 17- to 26-year-old Iowans working to keep young people involved, engaged and committed to Iowa culture. The group was formed in June, 2001, as part of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs’ Imagine Iowa 2010: A Cultural Vision initiative. The e-zine is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.
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