Harambe is our morning celebration of learning and inspirational moment held daily before classes at the Arts & Tech Academy of Ballou HS in Washington, DC. Facilitator of Harambe session is Baba Ras D of Revel Youth Shine (RYS) & Guerilla Arts Ink, LLC

"Harambe" is a Kiswahili term that means "We agree to come together and pull together to ensure the victory of Light Over Darkness, Good Over Evil, Love Over Hate, and Life Over Death".  This is the vibration we are striving to engage our children in, when many of them are surrounded by despair.  Salute to Baba Ras D and Jabari "AuraGin" Exum for sharing their passion and truly exemplifying what it mean to be a "Guerilla Artist".

 

 

Slickfish Education & Therapy is an aquatic science curriculum developed by Jay "Per A" Coleman, that allows students to learn how to build a saltwater fish tank as well as maintain and care for its unique inhabitants.  Although founded over five years ago, Slickfish originally partnered with Guerilla Arts Afterschool Program in 2010 to build a 29-gallon tank in the Park Morton (aka "640") neighborhood of NW DC.
This school year, we have partnered with Cesar Chavez Middle School (Parkside Campus) to provide arts programming during the Targeted Instruction blocks of the school day, Monday - Thursday each week.  Below is a clip of the Slickfish/GA program in action with the Chavez Middle Schoolers.

i am the stone that the builder refused from ralston smith on Vimeo.

 

 

 

The Green Line Initiative (GLI) is a service-learning initiative that seeks to increase support for and awareness of community-based organizations and activities that improve the quality of life for residents who live near or around Washington, DC’s Green Line Metro Stops—home to many traditionally underserved communities.

With a focus on environmental awareness, green living & jobs, health, nutrition, and wellness, GLI will link volunteers with organizations in need and partner with local businesses to advance a shared goal: Healthier and more sustainable communities that work together to improve the quality of living for all. Through our innovative series of workshops and specialized team of artist educators and professionals, we are looking to help empower students to transform not only their inner selves, but the communities within which they live, work, and play. The GLI at Ballou will feature three workshops that explore what we consider “transformative arts”:
yoga and meditation, creative writing, and the culinary arts

GLI was created from a partnership between Guerilla Arts Ink, Bloombars, and Vonderpool Gourmet, Inc. Both organizations have already done significant youth outreach and community service in the Shaw, Columbia Heights, Anacostia, and Congress Heights communities, and would like to continue working with, and in service to, the students of the Ballou SHS community.

 

Guerilla Arts Ink, LLC, is a community-based arts & education organization dedicated to improving the overall quality of life of the youth we serve through quality arts programming, innovative curriculum design, and educational consulting. In the advent of much needed arts and music education being cut from schools and after school programs, we intend to bridge the achievement GAP through authentic, hands-on arts enrichment and youth development programming by any means necessary. Founded by educator and award-winning Hip Hop artist, Gabriel "Asheru" Benn in 2005, Guerilla Arts Ink was formed out of a response to NCLB laws that stifled many arts and music programs in schools in favor of test results-driven, "standard education". Having seen firsthand the effects of his unique style of Hip Hop and arts integration in the classroom, Benn realized that arts exposure is an absolute necessity in order to bring out students' potential, regardless of ability level or learning style. Along this aim, the GA Artist Registry was formed to provide a platform for local artists to do what they love, help their communities, and make a buck all at the same time, while allowing for the flexibility in scheduling that many artists desire.

In this effort, GA specializes in recruiting, training, and hiring artists and young professionals of various media and background experience to become "Guerilla Artists"; those committed to sharing their talents and time in working collaboratively with youth to create art, music, literary and media productions to impact change within the communities in which they live. We are a for-profit company based in Washington, DC.

CURRENT GA PROJECTS INCLUDE:
1) H.E.L.P. – In 2005, Guerilla Arts partnered to form Educational Lyrics, LLC a company dedicated to providing culturally responsive teaching materials for the 21st Century Classroom. Our cornerstone program is H.E.L.P., the Hip Hop Educational Literacy Program – a supplemental reading curriculum and instructional training offering a cross-curricular, differentiated approach to effective literacy instruction.
2) S.H.A.R.P. – Summer Humanities Arts Readiness Program – A summer humanities and arts training program taught by Guerilla Arts trained, Arts Instructors at Ballou SHS in Washington, DC.
3) G.A.P. - Guerilla Arts Afterschool Program – A series of afterschool arts intensive workshops facilitated by Guerilla Artists and other young professionals. Sites include Ballou SHS, Garfield Terrace, Park Morton, and Hope Community Charter School.
4) GA Artists Roster - GA is proud to work with our illustrious roster of artists of various media (dance, theater, poetry, creative writing, art, music production, songwriting, visual media, etc.). Each member of our team exhibits the resourcefulness, drive, compassion, and professionalism that qualify them to be called a "Guerilla Artist", and they are committed to serve as tutors and art instructors in our various after school programs across the city. We have an ongoing enrollment to our arts roster, all interested applicants should send a headshot, bio, resume and letter of interest to danielle@wethewilling.org.

G.A.P. programs include Earth Day Everyday, and The Green Line Initiative which promote environmental awareness through the arts, The Artist's Way, a creative writing program for young women, and many more for students grades 3-12. Although it is important to have our youth examine and critically analyze media content and its messages within, we also provide the platform for students collaborate with professional artists to create their own media productions in our featured audio and video production clubs and graphic design/mural workshops.

Most Recent G.A. Partnerships:
--Partnered with American University’s Office of Community Service and the DC READS program (2010 School Year)
--Partnered with DC Housing Authority (DCHA) and Howard University’s Center for Urban Progress (CUP) to provide afterschool programming for two sites: Park Morton and Garfield Terrace Apartments (2009-2010 School Year)
-- Partnered with DC Public Schools (DCPS) and Department of Employment Service (DOES) to run Summer Humanities Arts Readiness Program (SHARP) at Ballou SHS
(Summer 2009)

Most Recent H.E.L.P. Partnerships
--DC Youth Investment Trust Corporation partnered with HELP to provide professional development to 10 community organizations (Summer 2008 & 2009)
--Worked with Street Soldiers, an Oakland based non-violence community organization (2007—2008)
--Worked with Rock Creek Academy in NW Washington, DC to provide professional development for teachers and literacy programming for students (2008-2010)
-- Partnered with Keepers of the Art, a non-profit organization based in Akron, OH to provide HELP programming to area middle schools (scheduled for Fall 2010)