REPORTS TO: Executive Director as member of Executive Staff
PURPOSE: To assist the organization’s communications program with
tasks associated with outreach and publicity. Responsibilities include,
but are not limited to, generating blog/website/newsletter content,
drafting press releases and media advisories, maintaining social media
presence, and other tasks as requested by the Executive director.
About Words Beats & Life, Inc. Founded in 2002, Words Beats &
Life transforms individuals and whole communities through the core
elements of hip-hop culture. At the heart of all that we do is the
belief that hip-hop can serve as the necessary filter between hope and
despair for the youth of the District of Columbia. WBL currently serves
150 students at its three Urban Arts Academy sites in D.C. and up to 300
students during the summer. At WBL, we feel that hip-hop is the ideal
means for creative expression to break the cycle of hopelessness because
of its history and culture, which is rooted in the community itself. By
valuing hip-hop culture, we validate the students themselves. Our staff
develops curriculum, projects, and programs geared specifically towards
breaking the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. WBL also organizes a
local and national network of hip-hop based organizations (The Cipher),
which equips organizational leaders with the tools and experiences
necessary to build sustainable communities. WBL accomplishes its goals
through two main program areas—The Urban Arts Academy, a pre-vocational
arts program for youth ages 5-23 in the District of Columbia, and The
Cipher, a growing resource for our ever-expanding network of hip-hop
based organizations. This year, The Cipher will expand to four
geographies for its third national gathering, Remixing the Art of Social
Change: A Hip-Hop Approach teach-ins: St. Paul, Minnesota; Chicago,
Illinois; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, D.C. Past teach-ins have
drawn a total of over 150 organizations from around the U.S. doing
comparable work that were previously working in isolation from one
another. The Cipher is a multi-component program that is completely
unique in the hip-hop nonprofit field. However, the focus is singular—to
serve as an invaluable resource to hip-hop independent artists,
non-profit organizations, scholars and activists both nationally and
internationally. This is accomplished by providing research-based
resources, convening members of the field, establishing promising
practices for this field, advocating on behalf of the field with members
of the foundation and corporate communities.
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| Words Beats & Life in Uganda |
About DC Urban Arts Academy At the heart of all that we do is the
belief that hip-hop can serve as the necessary filter between hope and
despair for the youth of the District of Columbia. WBL is committed to
producing learning journeys through hip-hop that lead Academy students
to succeed in our three focus areas: Employability, Skill Mastery, and
Post-Secondary Education. We accomplish our goals through two main
program areas—The Urban Arts Academy and The Cipher. The Academy is a
pre-vocational arts program for youth ages 5-23 in the District of
Columbia.
Our Vision: The Urban Arts Academy seeks to use hip-hop culture as a
vehicle to increase youth development in employability, mastery, and
self-awareness. To foster a new generation of students and scholars who
see the value in preparations, mastery, and extended learning.
Our Mission: It is through the development of intergenerational
relationships rooted in hip-hop culture, the staff of the Urban Arts
Academy work closely with the students as Mentors. These mentoring
relationships allow the teaching artists, to share their skills as a
means of increasing the students cognitive, communication, and
interpersonal skills. To use our talents as artist to be the buffer
between hope and hopelessness. To use, hip-hop as the ideal medium
through which to create such a buffer. To use the sound aesthetic
movement written language of the culture to teach geography, science,
art, history and more.
O
ur Goals:
1. To promote post secondary education to all our students
2. To create a positive community young scholars, artists, and
musicians
3. To host the premiere events for young hip-hop artists in
the Washington DC area
4. To develop an appreciation for the history,
techniques, and developments of the elements of hip-hop.
5. To promote
the study and evaluation of hip-hop culture in an academic environment.
6. To promote youth development through the arts; particularly hip-hop.
7. To decrease the number of students in gang activity, drug activity,
and destructive behavior.
8. To expose the DC community to the talent
and contributions of its young people.
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| Mazi at WBL Mural |
PRINICPLE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES:
• Generate text for the
website/blog
• Generate text for the newsletter
• Managing social media
outlets
• Draft press releases and media advisories
• Research media
outlets and journalists to disseminate press releases to
• Distribute
press releases and advisories
• Maintain database of past media coverage
QUALIFICATIONS:
• Must be knowledgeable or have a small a working
knowledge of hip-hop
• Must have the ability to work independently, at
the same time, being able to follow through on multiple
projects/deadlines with minimal oversight;
• Must have strong
interpersonal and written communications skills
OUTCOMES:
• Securing at least one form of media coverage per month
(Blog, Radio, TV, print)
• Creating press release and media release for
all major WBL programs, events and projects.
• Update the WBL website
weekly with reviews, photos and event descriptions and reviews.
• Help
to manage relationship with WPFW to insure the broadcast of WBL panel
discussions
LOCATION: 1525 Newton St NW Washington DC 20010
HOURS: 10am-6pm
PERSONALITY/WORKSTYLE: Outgoing, loves to smile, great interpersonal
skills, experience working with people of diverse backgrounds,
organized, works well independently, and a positive attitude towards
learning.
- Start date
-
June 4, 2012
- End date
-
August 17, 2012
- Application deadline
-
May 1, 2012
- Hours per week
-
10
- Compensation
-
Unpaid
Return travel to and from the Summit in Pittsburgh