Real
Men Stand Up "YES WE CAN"
5
Week Youth Service Learning Project with
Essay & Presentation Competition!
Prizes
to be awarded. Winners will perform at opening
ceremony of Real Men Cook &
Charities, Inc. more..
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Totally
Positive Productions give thanks to GOD and everyone
for their support.
We
would like to than all the youth participants and
adults for their efforts. A special thanks
to: STATE FARM YOUTH
ADVISORY BOARD, ALLEN HEATH MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
and BLACK UNITED FUND OF ILLINOIS for their sponsorship.
The Service Learning Project produced by Totally
Positive Productions in 2006 and sponsored
by The National Crime Prevention Council involved
issues and problems youths confront in their
school, communities and home. Totally Positive
Productions offered assistance to the youth leaders
initiating this project by helping them to outreach
to other youths. The service learning project
focus was on how hip-hop can be used to prevent
crime in their communities and schools.
First, we voted on team leaders
who decided on what information and resources they
were going to use. Youths worked together with
their team finding out about hip hop and what affects
it has on the youths in their communities. Afterward,
the teams researched, found material and facts
on their topics. The goal was to work as a team
to gather and research information. Afterward,
the youths worked individually on their topic for
the essay and presentation competition.
Youth leaders and adult
supervisor were willing to support youths in achieving
their tasks on researching the hip-hop movement
and utilizing this method to help prevent crimes.
Totally Positive Productions met with the youths
for six consecutive weeks beginning on Saturday,
May 6, 2006 and ending on Saturday, June 10, 2006.
We had an open discussion with the youths addressing
issues and/or problems they see in their school
and communities. Based on the youths’ discussion,
the following are problems the youths are faced
with everyday.
The youth stated most
of the youths have a mind of their own and don’t
want to change to make a difference in their lives.
Some of the young ladies who are sexually active
are referred to as bust down or bobba head (is
the new term). According to the youths, it appears
in their schools and in their communities. They
mentioned the result of this happening in their
communities is related to drugs and or young women
listening to negative hip hop music or competing
for their boyfriends.
Drug dealers and violence connects to gang wars
and fights in some of their schools and communities.
Youth discussed gang wars are because of issues
surrounding drugs, who want to be on top and different
territories where drugs can be sold. Violence in
the school and communities can also be based on
how a person dress, the colors they wear and hats
turned a certain way can indicate that a youth
is representing or affiliated with a gang.
Youth mentioned of 14 years old boys becoming
fathers with girls 13 years of age becoming mothers.
Issues were discussed concerning girls fighting
because they want to become involved with other
girls, as lovers. It was stated that youths were
experiencing these behaviors due to drugs; peer
pressure, low self esteem or perhaps the parents
are gay.
The questions were asked by the youth leader (Chevas
Pankey) “What is Hip Hop and the Hip Hop
movement? Does everyone think hip-hop music influence
the youth behaviors? Youth had to answer this question
as part of an assignment and submit it the following
week.
Adult supervisor played the Satanna music CD about
a 5 year old boy using profanity talking about
his teacher. Youths were asked to give feedback
and comment on the music played. They replied and
stated some people listening to negative rap music
are subject to violence, crime and drug abuse.
Youth leaders (Chevas Pankey and Jeremiah Coleman)
asked what are some crime prevention methods or
ideas that can be used as an alternative to the
issues discussed. The youth made the following
comments or suggestions:
- Develop more youth entertainment centers
- Have more youth programs establish in the communities
- Become a part of something that is positive
- Turn in guns to get awards
- Get more people involved in helping the youths
- Entertainers should use more encouraging messages
to educate the youths
On June 10, 2006 a pizza party was held before
the final essay competition. The youths prepared
themselves for the essay competition held at Christ
Center of Truth “The Knowledge Center”.
Totally Positive Productions staff and adult supervisor
distributed awards to youths who had perfect attendance.
Awards were also distributed to youth for completion
of essay and the service learning project. These
are the essay topics youths wrote on and presented
at the competition:
- Chevas Pankey - "How
Hip Hop can stop youth from joining gangs"
- Isazel Williams - "Stop
letting rappers influence kids by selling drugs,
sex and violence"
- Jeremiah Coleman - "How
Rappers influence People to do bad things"
- Ryan Scarlett - "How
Hip-Hop affects sex and violence"
- Brittany Slater - "How
does hip-hop affect a young person"
- George Hale - "How
we can make the world better by making hip
hop stop influencing kids"
- Isaac Williams - "More
Positive Rappers"
- Dominka Smith - "How
using the hip hop movement can promote social
change"
- Cordaro Johnson- "The
influence of hip hop and rap to the youths"
We started out with 17 youths participating in
the essay competition, however only 9 participated
in the essay competition. The other youths attended
the sessions and the competition but did not finalize
their essay for the competition. The 1st prize
winner was Cordaro Johnson, 2nd Prize winner, Dominka
Smith and 3rd prize winner, George Hale. All of
the youths were winners because of their efforts
to participate and put forth an essay to present
publicly regarding, “Hip-Hop Movement as
it relates to crime prevention”. Because
of their determination and effort they were awarded:
movie passes from the staff, $10.00 check to each
participants and $5.00 to the four runners up from
two of the judges on the panel.
Totally Positive Productions strives to support
youth in various communities in addressing social
change that will bring about environmental and
social improvement in our communities. Totally
Positive Productions and the youths would like
to thank The National Crime Prevention Council
for making this positive service learning project
possible.
Sincerely,
Tajudeena Jones,
MBA
Executive Director |