Project: A.R.T.

awareness.respect.truth

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release Media Contact:

January 2009 Sista Sayre 313-429-6069

Three Fourths of MILLION DOLLARS

For Something Good in the Hood

DETROIT -- The statistics are startling:

… about 20 percent of ALL teens will experience depression;

… untreated DEPRESSION is the #1 cause of SUICIDE ... the 3rd leading cause of DEATH among BLACK teenagers;

... at least 1 in 4 teenage GIRLS has a SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE;

... LESS THAN 42% of BLACK boys are expected to graduate from HIGH SCHOOL;

... VIOLENT juvenile crime 6x MORE LIKELY to happen between 3PM and 6PM.

However, studies have proven over and over again that youth and young adults who participate in after school programs tend to avoid fights, improve their grades, have better school attendance, and feel better about themselves.

Despite these facts, many parents are hesitant to enroll their teenagers in after school programs because of their age. In other words, their teenagers are old enough to take care of themselves.

"We believe that attitude is unfair to the students and unfair to the community," says KD, President for Project: A.R.T. (awareness, respect & truth), Detroit's ONLY Hip Hop Arts Organization. "Every student has the right to be engaged, enlightened and educated during after school hours and the community deserves some peace of mind."

Fortunately for West Side Academy Alternative School in Detroit, Project: A.R.T. was awarded $150,000 per year for five years to conduct FREE after school programming for their students on Monday's, Tuesday, Thursday's and Friday's from 2:30pm to 6pm. The monies were awarded by the Michigan Department of Education as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant. Project: A.R.T.'s ZigiDeeBooM Hip Hop After School program includes homework help, tutoring, Life Skills, Job Readiness, College Prep, Entrepreneurship, and training in the Four Elements of Hip Hop: MC'ing, DJ'ing, Breakdancing, and Graffiti Arts.

Sista Sayre of Project: A.R.T. says that "students can look forward to learning about the business of the Hip Hop Industry and parents can be assured that their children will be immersed in a program that builds character development, community awareness and helps transition their children in productive adults."

Established almost 13 years ago in 1996, Project: A.R.T.'s purpose is to engage, enlighten, and educate youth and young adults on the business and entrepreneurship of the Hip Hop Arts.

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