Roots and Beats Project

Summary: Roots and Beats Project fosters positive youth development through media arts education and cultural engagement. Our curriculum merges tradition and technology to weave culturally-rooted digital storytelling focusing on immigrant, refugee and ethnic diaspora experience. We work in partnership with local nonprofits and schools to provide music and multimedia workshops at no cost to underserved youth ages 12-21 years old. We strive to make our curriculum culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and bilingual, aspects crucial to meet our students where they are. Our work is informed by a belief that when young people feel safe expressing themselves creatively, embracing cultural diversity, and bonding with adult mentors, it unlocks great potential for the development of wide-ranging skills and competencies towards becoming future community leaders.