STREET POETS INC

SEEKING PEACE: WE FACILITATED 44 HYBRID (VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON) "SEEKING PEACE" POETRY & MEDITATION WORKSHOPS VIA ZOOM AND THE STREET POETS OFFICE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SERVING AN AVERAGE ATTENDANCE OF 10-20 YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT PARTICIPANTS WEEKLY.IN ADDITION, WE FACILITATED A "SEEKING PEACE OUTSIDE!" SESSION AT REUBEN INGOLD PARK WITH LOVE SOURCE L.A. (AUG. 18, 2024).OPEN MIC/STREET POETS PRESENTS & DJ SESSIONS: WE HOSTED 9 "SP PRESENTS" IN-PERSON COMMUNITY OPEN-MIC EVENTS AND PUBLIC POETRY READINGS/INTERVIEWS OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR. THESE EVENTS WERE HELD AT VARIOUS PARTNER SITES, INCLUDING PIETER PERFORMANCE SPACE, LA PLAZA DE CULTURA Y ARTES, EMERSON COLLEGE, AND ART SHARE-LA IN THE DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ARTS DISTRICT, AVERAGING 45 ATTENDEES AT EACH.OUR FEATURED ARTISTS AT EACH EVENT WERE WELL-ESTABLISHED, PROFESSIONAL POETS AND PERFORMERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY; AND OUR AUDIENCE SPANNED FROM STUDENTS TO ALUMNI, TO THEIR FAMILIES, STREET POETS SUPPORTERS, 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 COLLABORATIONS INCLUDED: WE PARTNERED WITH YOUTH MENTORING CONNECTION FOR OUR 2 ANNUAL YOUTH RETREATS AT BIG BEAR LAKE - A YOUNG WOMEN'S AND NON-BINARY YOUTH RETREAT AND A YOUNG MEN'S RETREAT. IN ADDITION, STREET POETS AND YOUTH MENTORING CONNECTION COLLABORATED FOR A TOTAL OF 4 MONTHLY POETRY WORKSHOPS FOR AN AVERAGE GROUP OF 20 YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS, AS WELL AS A "VOICES IN MOTION" POETRY AND DRUMMING EVENT HELD AT YOUTH MENTORING CONNECTION FOR A CROWD OF ABOUT 30 YOUTH AND ADULT PARTICIPANTS.WE COLLABORATED WITH UNLIKELY COLLABORATORS FOR THE INTUITIVE LEADERSHIP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE (NOVEMBER 25, 2024), THE UNLIKELY COLLABORATORS SUMMIT (JUNE 20TH-22ND, 2025), AND THE MOTH COMMUNITY WORKSHOP (FEBRUARY 5TH - 6TH, 2025).WE ATTENDED AN INTERNATIONAL ARTS & REVOLUTION SUMMIT (JUNE 14TH-23RD, 2024) THROUGH WITNESS FOR PEACE. WE ALSO HOSTED 3 INTERNATIONAL DELEGATIONS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INTERNATIONAL CITIZEN DIPLOMACY OF LOS ANGELES - PROMOTING MUSIC THROUGH SOCIAL CHANGE (OCT. 2, 2024), EMPOWERING YOUTH COMMUNITY LEADERS (OCT. 24, 2024) AND MUSIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP (MAY 15, 2025).OTHER COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS: STREET POETS FACILITATED ADDITIONAL, ONE-OFF AND SHORT-SERIES PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS, INCLUDING OUR POETRY AND GARDENING PROGRAM, WHICH WE FACILITATED AT METROPOLITAN HIGH SCHOOL, ALONG WITH A SPECIAL WORKSHOP AT ONE OF OUR OPEN MICS.OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS, THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH AHJN, WITH LOS PADRINOS JUVENILE HALL, DEXTER MIDDLE SCHOOL IN WHITTIER, AND DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE, SERVED BOTH YOUTH AND ADULTS VIRTUALLY AND IN PERSON. THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS, STREET POETS REACHED OVER 400 ADDITIONAL YOUTH AND ADULTS.STREET POETS ALSO PARTICIPATED IN CONFERENCES, CONVENINGS AND INVITES TO SPEAK AND PRESENT, INCLUDING A COMMISSION ON HIV: 2025 CONSUMER RESOURCE FAIR (FEB. 13, 2025) HOSTED BY THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY COMMISSION ON HIV CAUCASUS, PEN AMERICA WORLD VOICES FESTIVAL (MAY 3, 2025), ASPEN OPPORTUNITY YOUTH FORUM CONVENING (MAY 21, 2025) HOSTED BY L.A. OPPORTUNITY YOUTH COLLABORATIVE, AND JUSTICE AND ART JAM (MAY 24, 2025) ORGANIZED BY LA FREEWAVES.WE MENTORED (BY PHONE, TEXTING, CONFERENCE PLATFORMS SUCH AS ZOOM, AND IN PERSON) A DOZEN OR SO CURRENT AND FORMER STUDENTS, WHILE MAINTAINING REGULAR EMAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT WITH A DEDICATED NETWORK OF OVER A HUNDRED STUDENTS AND ALUMNI AND SUPPORTERS.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 PROGRAMS 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 INDIVIDUALS.STREET POETS HELD A SESSION WITH A CERTIFIED THERAPIST TO EXCHANGE INFO ON OUR BEST MENTAL-HEALTH APPROACHES VIA THE ARTS AND HOW THE ARTS ARE ESSENTIAL/INCREDIBLY VALUABLE, YET LARGELY MISSING, IN THERAPY AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

MUSIC: WE OFFERED 36 WEEKLY IN-PERSON "BEATS & RHYMES DROP-IN, MUSIC-MAKING WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS, AGES 13-25, SERVING A GROUP OF ABOUT 15 PARTICIPANTS. IN ADDITION, WE CONTINUED OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, ONBOARDING 2 SELECTED COHORTS OF 10 TOTAL YOUTH TO ATTEND, ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN, AND ACQUIRE SKILLS FROM, ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS WITH MASTER/PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS WHO COULD PROVIDE INSIGHT AND WORKSHOPPING ABOUT THE MUSIC AND RECORDING INDUSTRY, AS WELL AS WEEKLY MUSIC AND WRITING PROGRAMMING.ALL OF OUR PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING INTERNS, PARTICIPATE IN EDUCATIONAL AND ARTS EXCURSION ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS PUBLIC PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES AND MONTHLY OPEN MIC, WHERE PARTICIPANTS HAVE HOSTED, DJ'D, PERFORMED ON STAGE AND LEARNED ADDITIONAL SKILLS IN EVENTS AND PERFORMANCE ARTS. YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS 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 PARTICIPANTS FROM BOTH THE DROP-IN "BEATS & RHYMES" PROGRAM AND THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM HELPED PRODUCE, WRITE, PERFORM AND RECORD FOR THE ORIGINAL, STREET POETS HIP-HOP AND SPOKEN WORD ALBUM ENTITLED "LETTERS FROM LA."IN ADDITION, WE PRESENTED THE FRESH TRACKS PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH TWO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS (JAIL GUITAR DOORS AND GIVE A BEAT). WE PROVIDED 45 SESSIONS OF OUR TWICE A WEEK MUSIC RECORDING AND PRODUCTION PROGRAMMING TO YOUNG ADULTS SERVING AN AVERAGE OF 15 SYSTEM-IMPACTED OR AT-RISK YOUNG ADULTS IN THE WEST HOLLYWOOD AREA - LEARNING IN A STATE-OF-THE-ART STUDIO WITH ARTISTS SUCH AS THE LEGENDARY WAYNE KRAMER.