THOUGH OUR CAMPAIGN HAS EXPIRED, YOU CAN STILL DONATE VIA OUR FISCAL SPONSOR FRACTURED ATLAS!  PLEASE VISIT: https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/prof...

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The Hip Hop Re:Education Project is a NYC-based community organization that uses Hip Hop's elements (i.e., emceeing, breaking, DJing, graffiti, beatboxing) to transform communities and improve youth motivation and achievement. Since 2009 we have partnered on the BronxBerlinConnection, a program that supports international exchange trips for at-risk youth from Berlin and New York City!

In 2013, through our Travel Agency of Change initiative, we are scheduled to not only take youth delegations to Berlin, but also to Barcelona and New Orleans! While on these trips our young people will perform, attend and lead workshops and develop new collaborative work with their international peers. Ultimately, these trips encourage our young people to explore and express the critical challenges they face and the solutions necessary to enact change in their own lives and the community at-large.

We are currently seeking $12,000 to cover the following costs:
- Passports for international trips
- Meals in Barcelona (airfare and accommodations have been secured!)
- Airfare to Berlin (meals and accommodations have been secured!)
- Travel and Boarding for New Orleans
- IndieGoGo Administrative Fees

If we do not meet our funding goal, the money raised will be used to support as many young people as possible for our trips to Barcelona and Berlin. If we raise more than our funding goal, the suplus will go to supporting future Travel Agency of Change trips.

The Impact

For many of our young people this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel abroad.  They have dedicated their art to advocating for change in their own lives and in the community.  This trip is a reward for all of their hard work, and an opportunity to take their commitment to the global level. Past participants in the Travel Agency of Change have been tremendously transformed by their experiences abroad, more intently committing to their own academic and personal growth.

What young people participating in our program are doing:

- 90% are currently enrolled in a college/university/trade school.
- 80% maintain a part-time, full-time job/internship.
- 65% have worked as teaching assistants/mentors for younger program participants.

What young people participating in our program are saying:

“This program has given me my life back.  It became a safe-haven and open environment where I could share my passion and absorb knowledge from others.  I’m so happy to have met such an amazing group of talented, positive young people.  It has inspired me to finish up my high-school degree, and it has given me the drive to secure a job!"

Stephanie Herrera, 21

"Before my trip to Berlin there were a great deal of things not going well in my life.  There were people in my life that were bringing me down.  I hated school and complained about it everyday.   My time in Berlin was so fun that it kind of taught me to live and let go.  I started to realize that there were certain people that I needed to cut out of my life.  Since the trip, my expectations for what I want from life—my standards have skyrocketed!  I realize now that if I’m not happy, it’s up to me to change it."

Tanesha Philips, 19

"I learned that as an American I’m always living in the future, thinking about what’s next.  In Berlin, even though I knew the itinerary, I didn’t know the setting or the language.  I was forced to live in the present, which was awesome!  I may not know what I want to do in life, but this experience has taught me that I will figure it out and that I will take the right steps to make it happen."

Yolandri Vargas, 19

“As someone who went on a trip in 2010, I really hope others get to go as well.  It is a great opportunity to experience somewhere other than your own backyard.  I may not have known the languages or lifestyles of the people I met in Berlin, but I still developed an amazing connection to them because of the similar troubles that we both share.  It has given me the confidence and drive to continue with my life and graduate Hostos.  I now want to pursue a career in music.”

David Lightfoot, 21

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The Hip Hop Re:Education Project is a resident-artistic company of La MaMa Experimental Theater Club and would like to thank La MaMa/Culture Hub/the Coca Cola Foundation and Gangway Beatz for all of their support.  None of this would be possible without you guys!