Youth

From the nightclub stage to the university ballroom, in community centers, youth detention centers, and public school classrooms, we focus on making our work relevant and accessible in as many settings as possible. We advocate strongly  for the youth, because they are the future. 

There has been a war on youth for several decades now.  More prisons are built than schools. Funding for music, arts, and after school programs are continually cut, along with job training and childcare programs for struggling parents.  Almost 1/4th of children in the United States live in poverty.

There seems to be a general fear of young people overall, especially poor youth and youth of color, which is reflected in criminal laws that over-prosecute youth for minor offenses.

Within this social context, we feel a strong responsibility to give our time and energy to young people of all backgrounds.

We are dedicated to sharing our work with young people, engaging them in workshop settings, discussing contemporary issues of identity, culture, and politics, encouraging creative and artistic expression, listening to young people, collaborating with them, and taking time to explain our work as poets, musicians, artists.

Not all of our material is suitable for young audiences. We work hard, however, to create content that is appropriate, challenging, and inspirational for young people at all age levels.

Email us at soulaju@gmail.com to book us for classroom visits and assemblies, youth organization visits, youth summits and conferences, and benefit events.

Work for the youth:

 

 

Youth Media: “Trinidad Undaground”

SOULAJU spent some time in Trinidad, CO in May and June 2010 working with a group of young people connected to a criminal justice “Diversion” program.  Good kids, smart and conscious of their surroundings, who got in some minor trouble and luckily evaded more serious problems like juvenile incarceration.  These youth meet weekly and have to satisfy a number of requirements to complete the diversion program, including weekly meetings and community service.  We had worked with Tony Diego, the diversion program director, on other youth programs through an organization called OYE (Organized Youth for Empowerment).  He had an idea for a youth video project with flip cams.  We had limited time and funding was also limited, but this is what we came up with after a few trips down to Trinidad: a documentary about youth culture in Trinidad, Colorado:

Our main goals in working with these young people were to empower them to tell their own stories and engage in a process of creating their own media.  Before we put cameras in their hands we ran some workshops with them, talking about their experiences, identity, their dreams, life beyond Trinidad, getting them writing their thoughts on paper.  The following video is a “making of” look at our work with this group of youth.

 

SOULAJU Youth DJ Workshop w/ DJ Icewater:

 

 

DJ Icewater (Bay Area/Brooklyn) was in the area late in January 2010 for SOULAJU pre-release parties at the University of Wyoming and the Walnut Room in Denver.  We collaborated with Hip-Hop Congress Denver and also the Flobots organization to host a  free DJ workshop for young people, teaching them about Hip-Hop culture from a  community perspective, and also about the mechanics of DJing.

DJ Icewater was joined by local DJs Cisco Rockwell, Dj Lazy Eyez, DJ Stretch.  The overall vibe was extremely positive. In addition to breaking down the mathematics behind the 1s and 2s, the DJs focused on the importance of working hard, pursuing your dreams, and having fun with whatever you choose to do in life.

More photos from the Dee-Jay Workshop:

 

SOULAJU Youth Climate Justice Jam:

 

 

SOULAJU hosted a youth jam / youth climate justice workshop with Green Spaces Denver in January 2010. The event brought together young people for a night of fun, entertainment, green activism, sustainability dialogue, and youth advocacy.  Some of Denver’s hottest community artists participated in the youth jam, including DJ Cavem, Ara Cruz, Jozer Guererro, and Mirai Daiko.  Shannon Francis, Neambe Leadon, and Johnny 5 of the Flobots facilitated workshops at the event. Event sponsors included Green Spaces Denver, Woodbine Ecology Center, Blue & Yellow Logic, and Challenge Day Denver.  Youth advocate Josh Watkins played a major role in organizing the event. We plan to host similar events in Denver in the near future.

	Opening ceremony by Mirai Daiko – Traditional Japanese Drum Ensemble.
Friends  and families enjoying the Green Spaces atmosphere and beats by DJ Cavem.
	Fun night of the arts, sustainability dialogue, green activism  & youth advocacy.

More photos from the SOULAJU Youth Jam/Youth Climate Justice Workshop:

 

Email SOULAJU@GMAIL.COM to book school / organization / group home visits, workshops, presentations, and performances.