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January 17, 2004
WHAT'S UP EVERYBODY!!? I'm full of energy! Even more than usual. For those of you who don't know, I'm working with an organization here on starting a Hip Hop Youth Arts Center. It's 100% invigorating! Young people, parents, emcees, djs, breakers, activists - a diverse set of individuals from all sorts of places and mindsets - are excited with me. Based on the basic elements of Hip Hop - djing, mcing, break dancing, and graffiti art - the youth center will be a safe space, an empowering space, and a space for development. We will provide a space where creativity and growth are fostered, and work hard to provide outlets that young people ages 14-24 in our community truly want and need. Because most young people in our area grow up in Hip Hop culture, we feel it is necessary to provide relevant opportunities that are not currently available. I'd like to ask for your help. Right now, this list includes over 130 people from Cincinnati and far beyond. If I can get half the people on this list to name even 5 other people who they think might be interested in this project, my email list will be three times the size it is now. Not to mention all the people I talk with that don't have email or even a phone number where I can reach them. And what will I do with that list? I'll get access to resources, both financial and informational. I want to fund this project locally. I'm sick of talking about building a funding base of individuals. And I'm sick of writing grants. I want my family and friends to fund this project. I want to be accountable to my neighbors and co-workers, not some Board of Directors or Program Officer in San Francisco. Also, I've learned so much from people in other places that have started spaces like this, and who have given me tips on doing local fundraising, and who have told me exactly what it is going to take to make this work. So whether you know Bill Gates and can ask him to kick down one one hundred millionth of his backup bank account, or you know somebody who started an after school program in Brooklyn that I have just got to take notes on, please let me know. Whether you're a student who knows everybody from the age of 14-24 in your area, or a parent who remembers exactly how few outlets your child had, please get in touch. I would like to ask everybody on this list for 20 bucks. 3 less drinks at the bar tomorrow night, or one less trip to the movies next weekend. We need 17,400 more dollars to keep this place open once a week for the first year - including a weekly Hip Hop History Hour, weekly BBQ and food served, and special guest Hip Hop Headz consistently. Plus we are working right now to secure equipment for a recording studio right from the start. You can help make this happen! OK, I've done my best to keep this short and to the point, so I hope I did well enough. You can expect to get emails like this with info and updates periodically, so if you want to be taken off the list please let me know. But, on the other side of things, please feel free to forward this email WIDELY!! to anybody you think might be interested. In closing, please consider emailing me a list of 10 names of people that you think might be interested in this project. Also, consider putting a check in the mail for whatever amount you feel comfortable with, the address is below, don't hesitate, do it now. Thank all of you for support and for taking the time to consider this project. You can check out... www.citybeat.com/2003-12-03/news.shtml for more info, and there is a one page summary about the space attached in a word document. Peace, Gavin Leonard Director @ Elementz: The Hip Hop Youth Arts Center 513.721.5800 work 513.266.1508 cell gavin.youthcenter@fuse.net
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