FRESH The Magazine
Aug 2, 2010
Hello there world! Can you believe it will soon be one year that I’ve gone on my own and detached myself from corporate America’s “steady paycheck”, to actually live out my own vision of what my life and career will entail!?
Yes, yes, ya’ll… September 11, 2010 will mark the day I went off to pursue happiness!
But what I really wanted to share with you today, is a fairly new project I’ve been working on since the beginning of this year with Tomas Alvarez of Beats Rhymes and Life (BRL), a clinically-based community organization rooted in Oakland, California that aims to promote mental health and wellness among youth and young adults by utilizing Hip Hop and other forms of popular culture (www.beatsrhymesandlife.org).
I’ve taken on the challenge to coordinate “FRESH The Magazine” (www.freshthemagazine.com), the sister program of BRL, currently based out of Oakland High School and partnering with The East Bay Asian Youth Center (www.ebayc.org). FRESH which stands for “For Real Expression Start Here”, provides a platform for youth to showcase their creative works, build community, become advocates for themselves, discuss critical issues affecting youth health, and learn more about local programs and resources, while developing professional business and media skills
It has been an amazing experience, allowing me to revisit my passion for managing a team, and learning how to become an effective educator. I’ll keep this short, and will share more about the program in future posts, so until then please visit our website when you get a chance, and share with the young people in your lives:
A few of the FRESH Magazine staff/students I work with, at Lake Merrit, Oakland, CA