TECHNOLOGY NON-PROFIT DEDICATED TO AT-RISK YOUTH RE-DEFINES INITIATIVE

Recently 1600 Avenue, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, announced a variety of endeavors in an expanded effort to assist “at-risk” youth to gain exposure to technology through hip hop culture. This effort facilitates youth pursuing higher education, and technical careers, thereby creating greater diversity in the technology industry. Founder Frank Satterwhite had created on-line components which were to be coupled with its annual on-site Camp. However, the organization’s annual Hip Hop Leadership Camp International had de-emphasized the primary driver behind the overall initiative. This Hip Hop Leaders Initiative included implementation of a year round international educational curriculum, with the purpose of getting our kids into college. Thus, to clarify the organization’s commitment to a transition from an annual event to a year-long educational endeavor with several elements, Satterwhite has declared the overall program “Hip Hop Leaders.” And under this moniker, Satterwhite’s organization will internationalize learning, offer technology and college prepatory curriculums, offer My Hip Hop: a MySpace social collaboration tool that allows youth to globally share and learn from life experiences, offer My Hip Hop TV a hipper version of PBS, and continue their on-site University campus event through the “Hip Hop Leaders Program”. While still providing hands on exposure to the inner workings of the entertainment industry, additionally the 5-day campus event at UCLA will now also feature heavy technology exposures. “Within the next 3 years, there will be upwards of 5 million jobs available in the technology industry that will go unfilled due to an unqualified workforce. Too much money, too much opportunity, and too many youth, if given a chance, could do it.” Our shift to bring our annual campus event under the larger Hip Hop Leaders Initiative umbrella, was to emphasize that we are going to use the power of hip hop to create a year round training ground for the advancement of young minds.