RIP Magazine Strives to Inspire At-Risk Youth
Publisher Seeks to Help Troubled Teens, Urges Youth Development
Oct 16, 2008
A second-generation Dominican and product of a low-income upbringing, Evelyn Rodriguez's decision to invest her life savings and tireless energy into an upstart publishing venture, RIP magazine, for troubled teens and other urban adolescents is something the energetic businesswoman attributes to a higher power.
"I was once told that I would sound crazy saying that (the motivation to publish RIP) was a calling from God, but I do believe it's a higher force that is driving me to move forward," remarked the Bronx, N.Y., native during an Oct. 16, 2008, interview.
Based in Washington, D.C., and published quarterly, RIP made its debut in December 2006. The teen magazine's inaugural issue, however, was several years in the making.
Troubled Teens, Poverty Lead to Teen Magazine
Says Rodriguez: "I got the idea of doing RIP in 2003 when I was heavily involved doing health fairs in public schools in the Bronx. To my dismay, I was appalled at the lack of information, positive statements and overall beautiful and inspiring things at the schools, especially compared to middle- and upper-class schools. ... And then there was the horror in seeing a lot of overly sexualized young girls and many pregnant girls."
For Rodriguez, these experiences inside the urban areas, where "the schools looked dismal and everything was just so gloomy and horrible," were disheartening as well as a reminder of her own childhood and teen years.
"I am a product of this environment and was lucky to escape the vicious cycles of poverty and poor education," she shared, "and so I believe I know how to serve these young people in ways that are meaningful and not targeting them in those stereotypical and insensitive ways that I have seen, as if they were not special people, or even inferior."
The creation of RIP, which stands for Revitalize, Inspire, Perform, represents "something inspiring and beautiful that I wanted to bring to these kids," recalled Rodriguez, who earned Master of Arts degrees in communications and spiritual psychology. "What I really want to do is provide a positive outlet for young people-positive messages and beautiful things to read and see, not the dismal (messages) that continue to plague these low-income communities."
RIP Magazine Tackles Teen Issues Facing At-Risk Youth
In her efforts to reach a broader audience, Rodriguez publishes part of the educational magazine in English and part in Spanish. Each issue features reader-submitted poems, stories, photography and artworks, as well as culturally relevant articles-most 200-300 words each-about issues affecting urban teens, from self-esteem boosters and fashion tips, to stories that promote positive body image, healthy nutrition and life choices, including messages that discourage teen pregnancy and information about sexually transmitted diseases.
Although some may think topics undertaken by RIP are somewhat controversial for a primarily teen readership, Rodriguez and her editorial staff defend their decision to openly tackle subjects such as contraception or the disadvantages of teen pregnancy alongside more teen-friendly features, including videogame or CD reviews, because teens-especially those in low-income and poverty-plagued neighborhoods-deal with sexuality-related issues at younger ages than many may realize.
"I have learned (our readers) are very vulnerable to the messages of the major-media companies and marketers, that there is a lot of fear and ideas that somehow these young people will never escape their predicaments, and that they don't trust new and positive situations," Rodriguez observed. "But they are really hungry for knowledge and help in all areas of their lives."
Overall, RIP readers "are not empowered and don't know where to go for help," she continued. "These are low-income, latchkey kids that sometimes even lack the parental support they need to really succeed not because they are not loved, but because they are victims of perpetual poverty. And I firmly believe that we can make a difference with our publication."
Publisher Expands Free Magazine From Urban Areas to Internet
In addition to being available online and via subscription, RIP is distributed for free in public middle schools, high schools, youth/recreation centers and at participating free clinics in D.C. and urban areas in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Most recently, the magazine gained limited distribution in the Nashville area, thanks to an editorial partnership established between RIP and a select group of mass communication students at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Admittedly, Rodriguez has long since emptied her savings to create and publish RIP, but she diligently pursues new sponsors and advertisers who, like her, believe in the power of young people and the importance of promoting literacy, educational opportunities and positive life choices to at-risk adolescents who often need these messages more than most.
And while she sometimes grows weary from pounding the pavement to ensure RIP's continued funding, she conceded, Rodriguez's efforts are a labor of love fueled by knowledge that there is a genuine "need to serve this misunderstood and so underserved population" of youth.
"All of the positive endorsements and submissions we continue to get every time we publish an issue keeps me going," she said, smiling, "as do the letters from young people who are hungry and want to help me make a difference. ..."
For more information about RIP, please access its Web site.
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