Blog Archives

BlackFutures: A Sankofa Series Black History Month Program

2/25/2021

As Black History Month comes to a close, it is important that we treasure the wisdom of our elders and elevate the leadership demonstrated by our youth. The Sankofa bird is often interpreted to mean "return and get it."

Register using the link below to join us tomorrow, February 26, as our young guest community activists Myra Richardson and Anthony Kenny engage in a two-way dialogue with the founder of Dialogue on Race Louisiana and LSU desegregationist Maxine Crump and the first Black EBR school board member and EBR public schools desegregationist, Press Robinson.

In the afternoon we'll be showing off EBR students' soul at Fresh Heat: The Griot Edition, hosted by Asia Reese and Marcel P. Black. Asia is a Humanities Amped alumna and community educator at Belaire High School. Marcel is an Amped hip hop educator at Westdale Middle and founder of the after school hip hop leadership series Soul Cypher. You do not want to miss this amazing showcase!

Recorded Livestream

We also invite you to read this report on the history of Black Baton Rouge, written by Dr. Lori Martin & Christopher J. Tyson, JD, and published by MetroMorphosis.

Black Baton Rouge Yesterday & Today

What's New at Humanities Amped

Forming Youth City Lab with our partners Front Yard Bikes, Big Buddy Program, and Line 4 Line represents enormous possibility for our Baton Rouge youth! Read more about it here.

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Thank you for Choosing to #AMplifyHOpe With Us!

2/6/2021

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Thank you, Amped family! We are so, so grateful for your generosity over the course of the #AmplifyHope Drive, especially in light of the year’s challenges. We recognize the importance of your choice to support this work, and we value your trust in us.

Because of you, we have been able to continue building a beloved community with Baton Rouge youth and educators as we amplify well-being, youth voice, and community-minded problem solving together. Here’s what that work looks like:

Coaching & Mentorship for Amped Educators

A cohort of teachers at Park Forest Middle, Westdale Middle, Belaire High, Broadmoor High, and McKinley High Schools meet regularly with an Amped coach to reflect, plan, and implement Amped methods in their classrooms. In the words of one Amped teacher, “Coaching gives me the tools and the confidence in my journey toward becoming an Amped teacher who can model methods for my cohorts.” Because of your generosity, we are able to offer ongoing professional development tailored to our teachers’ goals and their desire to develop as leaders.

Transformative Leadership Experiences for Students

Amped Studio Afterschool offers youth a chance to extend their Amped experience after school through tutoring, opportunities to grow as writers in WordCrew weekly writing workshops, and tools to build the future they desire in Dreamkeepers. Youth in Amped Studio have dedicated space to build community and leadership skills: last semester, an apprentice leader shared with us that being in Amped has taught her that “when other people tell me what they’re going through and I don’t understand, I know I don’t need to understand, I just need to be there for them.” Our new Soul Cypher weekly training builds on these ideas: in Soul Cypher peer leaders use hip hop as a lens to engage in dialogue about mental health and ways to support peers in crisis.

Classroom Supports

In addition to providing some classes with a dedicated Amped Community Educator, a partner teacher who collaboratively plans and co-teaches Amped electives, we are also offering a series of push-in workshops that support youth voice through writing and well-being through dialogue.

Black Futures: The Sankofa Series Black History Program

This February 26th event, co-sponsored by Humanities Amped and Metromorphosis, will feature intergenerational dialogue, a special edition of Fresh Heat Open Mic, and a variety of performances and visual art submissions from young people around Baton Rouge. Look for more information about how to attend this event soon!

We are excited about the learning and growth ahead of us in the year to come as we set up shop with our Youth City Lab coalition partners in our new home at 4385 Government Street. Our work is not possible without your support, and we are proud to have you on our team!