Street Poets Inc

STREET POETS, INC. IS AN ARTS EDUCATION-BASED VIOLENCE INTERVENTION/PREVENTION PROGRAM SERVING AT-RISK YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS IN THE UNDER-SERVED SCHOOL COMMUNITIES, STREETS AND JUVENILE PROBATION FACILITIES OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY AND BEYOND, USING POETRY AND MUSIC TO INSPIRE YOUTH TO BREAK SELF-DESTRUCTIVE CYCLES AND BECOME CREATIVE PEACEMAKERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

SCHOOLS: STREET POETS LED WEEKLY IN-PERSON POETRY-WRITING WORKSHOP SERIES AT LOS ANGELES COUNTY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR INCLUDING AT THE FOLLOWING SITES: WALLIS ANNENBERG HIGH SCHOOL, VOX MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND WEST ADAMS PREP HIGH SCHOOL, AS WELL AS AT WOLF CONNECTION (WITH STUDENTS FROM R. REX PARRIS HIGH SCHOOL AND DESERT WINDS HIGH SCHOOL). IN ADDITION, IN ONGOING MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP, STREET POETS LED A 5-DAY INTENSIVE WORKSHOP SERIES AT MIAMI HIGH SCHOOL (MIAMI, AZ). THE SCHOOLS PROGRAMS SERVED A TOTAL OF ABOUT 260 YOUTH.

PROBATION: IN COLLABORATION WITH ARTS FOR HEALING & JUSTICE NETWORK (AHJN), STREET POETS LED WEEKLY AND BI-WEEKLY POETRY-WRITING WORKSHOPS AT THREE LOS ANGELES COUNTY PROBATION DEPARTMENT AND COMMUNITY SITES INCLUDING CAMP AFFLERBUAGH, HORACE MANN CONTINUATION HIGH SCHOOL, AND CAMP KILPATRICK, SERVING 75-100 YOUTH INCARCERATED OR ON PROBATION, AGED 13-18.

MUSIC: OUR MUSIC PROGRAM OFFERED 30+ WEEKLY VIRTUAL "BEATS & RHYMES" OPEN MUSIC-MAKING WORKSHOPS ACROSS THE YEAR FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS, SERVING NEARLY 15 YOUTH. IN COLLABORATION WITH RHYTHM ARTS ALLIANCE, WE HELD A MUSIC FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM, SERVING A SELECTED COHORT OF 12 YOUTH, WHO HAD NEARLY 40 GROUP AND ONE-ON-ONE SESSSIONS WITH MASTER/PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS. YOUTH WERE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE AN IN-DEPTH CURRICULUM, COVERING AREAS THAT INCLUDED MUSIC PRODUCTION, BEATMAKING, MUSICAL ENGINEERING, WRITING, PERFORMANCE, RECORDING AND PRODUCTION. MANY OF THE YOUTH FROM BOTH THE OPEN "BEATS & RHYMES" PROGRAM AND THE MUSIC FELLOWSHIP HELPED PRODUCE, WRITE, PERFORM AND RECORD FOR THE ORIGINAL HIP-HOP AND SPOKEN WORD ALBUM ENTITLED "COSMIC ELEMENTS OF CREATION."IN ADDITION, WE COLLABORATED WITH TWO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS (JAIL GUITAR DOORS AND GIVE A BEAT) TO PROVIDE MUSIC RECORDING AND PRODUCTION PROGRAMMING TO YOUNG ADULTS THROUGH A PROGRAM CALLED "FRESH TRACKS," SERVING 15 SYSTEM-IMPACTED OR AT-RISK YOUNG ADULTS.

SEEKING PEACE: WE FACILITATED NEARLY 50 VIRTUAL "SEEKING PEACE POETRY & MEDITATION WORKSHOPS" VIA ZOOM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SERVING 10-12 YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT PARTICIPANTS WEEKLY.OPEN MIC/STREET POETS PRESENTS & DJ SESSIONS: WE HOSTED 11 VIRTUAL COMMUNITY OPEN-MIC EVENTS AND PUBLIC POETRY READINGS/INTERVIEWS OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR ON IG LIVE, AVERAGING 25-40 ATTENDEES AT EACH AND OCCASIONALLY WITH OUR SPECIAL FEATURES REACHING ONLINE AUDIENCES OF 250. OUR VIEWERS SPANNED FROM STUDENTS TO ALUMNI, TO THEIR FAMILIES AND BEYOND. THESE EVENTS OFFER THE YOUTH IN OUR COMMUNITY AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THEIR VOICES AND CREATIVITY HEARD, AS WELL AS BE EXPOSED TO POETS AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS. OTHER SPECIAL OPEN MIC EVENTS INCLUDED: PARTNERING WITH AHJN, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, TO HOST AND PERFORM AT AN IN-PERSON OPEN MIC AND SHOWCASE REACHING OVER 100 INDIVIDUALS. WE ALSO PERFORMED AT AN ONLINE SHOWCASE TITLED "MID-SUMMER SHOWCASE." WHERE MANY OF OUR YOUTH MENTEES WERE FEATURED.OTHER COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS: STREET POETS FACILITATED ADDITIONAL SINGLE, ONE-OFF, PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS, INCLUDING OUR POETRY AND GARDENING PROGRAM, WHICH WE FACILITATED AT BOTH BOYLE HEIGHTS CONTINUATION SCHOOL AND CALIFORNIA POLY/POMONA;OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS, THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH AHJN, WITH THE WHITTIER, PASADENA, AND POMONA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICTS; AND PROGRAMMING FOR SOLEDAD ENRICHMENT ACTION (SEA), SERVING BOTH YOUTH AND ADULTS VIRTUALLY AND IN PERSON. THROUGH THESE PROGRAM STREET POETS REACHED OVER 100 ADDITIONAL YOUTH AND ADULTS. STREET POETS ALSO PARTICIPATED IN CONFERENCES AND CONVENINGS, INCLUDING THE SOCIAL JUSTICE LEARNING INSTITUTE (SJLI) CONFERENCE AND THE AHJN NATIONAL PEER LEARNING EXCHANGE, REACHING OVER 300 MORE INDVIDUALS.STREET POETS PUBLISHED AND RELEASED OUR ANTHOLOGY TITLED, "THE BURNING RIVER: POEMS OF PANDEMIC & PROTEST, AND GIFTED OVER 650 COPIES TO OUR BROAD CIRCLE OF CURRENT AND FUTURE POETS. THIS COLLECTION WRITTEN BY OUR YOUTH, FELLOWSHIP MENTORS, ALUMNI, AND OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS INCLUDES 50 ORIGINAL, SELECTED POEMS BY SOME 30 CONTRIBUTORS.WE MENTORED, BY PHONE, TEXTING, AND IN PERSON, A DOZEN OR SO CURRENT AND FORMER STUDENTS, WHILE MAINTAINING REGULAR EMAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT WITH A CIRCLE OF OVER A HUNDRED STUDENTS AND ALUMNI.