Oakland Green Arts & Media Center

Download Choas Da Kader's New Single "Rude Awakening"

2010-04-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Copy & Paste To Your Search Engine:

http://limelinx.com/files/dcb8185d1a56d776502520f39be20a2f

OGYMAC Music Video Class

2010-02-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

Green Youth Arts & Media Center Aquaponics and Beyond

2010-02-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

Entering The Flow: Meditation in Hip Hop, Art, and Daily Life

2010-01-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

The Dream In Action Next Thursday

2010-01-26T14:18:00.000-08:00

Dig Cooperative at the Oakland Youth Center

2010-01-25T13:53:00.000-08:00

Well… you wouldn’t know it by the late hour of this Monday post, but I worked ALL weekend. Yes indeed… I’ve been a busy little bee and I’m excited about a lot of the upcoming posts. So please stay tuned…

As I mentioned last week, folks are gearing up over at the Oakland Green Youth Media & Arts Center for their big grand opening this week… Thursday, January 14th. It’s been a whirlwind of activity over there, and even though I’m late jumping on the bandwagon (they’ve been working for literally years to achieve the realization of this center), I won’t be shy about singing their praises.

Thursday of last week was a big day. Not only did the mural project I’m documenting get underway (Spoiler Alert: I’m making my first movie!), but a large crew of volunteers, headed up by Tondre of Oakland organization DIG Cooperative, worked furiously to install a community garden behind the Center.

The focus of DIG Cooperative is all about water… water-smart homes and water-smart gardens. While speaking to a completely engrossed audience of Oakland youth, Tondre discussed the need for water-wise behavior moving into the future, given that we live in a region whose population is expected to double before then end of the next century.

“The number of people are going to double. But the amount of water is going to stay the same.”

He discussed the healing benefits of green space… the need for a place of peace and quiet, a respite from the onslaught of sensory noise we are subjected to every day in our urban environment. The garden will also contain a sacred altar space to commemorate all of the fallen youth of Oakland, victims of violence.

What’s amazing about this garden is how much they are accomplishing in an exceedingly small space. In fact, the entire garden is installed on top of concrete/asphalt in what was once, presumably, a small parking area. I love this. I had to resort to the same sort of creativity in creating a sidewalk garden in my concrete surrounded home in West Oakland… I used recycled wood crates and boxes from Urban Ore as large planters on top of the sidewalk. The Youth Center has set things up similarly with raised beds built out of wood, and even simpler “instant” pop-up planter beds made out of re-purposed plastic bamboo root barrier systems. Genius.

Additionally the garden makes use of aquaponic gardening (a union of aquaculture and hydroponics) through the assistance of Kijiji Grows, a collaborative group of farmers, artists, engineers, builders and educators working to change Bay Area lives through urban sustainable growing systems in schools, homes and businesses. Aquaponics is especially effective in areas with little space or access to healthy soil… the plants are grown without soil, utilizing the organic fertilizer produced by the fish (fish poop!), with minimal water usage, and absolutely no pesticides. Kijiji’s aquaponic kits make great classroom laboratories, useful for demonstrating principles of math, science, technology, and critical thinking. They believe their greatest impact can be made in teaching the next generation to be good stewards of the Earth.

The garden installed last week is considered Phase I, and there are extensive plans for Phase II to be accomplished throughout 2010. These include rain catchment and gray water recycling systems, removing the asphalt/concrete and establishing plants in the ground that will repair the health of the soil.

OAKLAND GREEN ARTS & MEDIA CENTER NOW OPEN!!!!!!

2010-01-15T14:42:00.001-08:00

VIDEO OF MURAL PAINTING ON THE OAKLAND GREEN ARTS & MEDIA CENTER

2010-01-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

A 6 minute time lapse video of the creation of a new mural for the grand opening of the new Oakland Green Youth Media & Arts Center on Telegraph Avenue at 28th Street. Filmed over 8 days. Project organized by Community Rejuvenation Project.

OGYAMC FEATURED IN THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

2010-01-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

The walls are freshly painted in blues, browns and whites, the bamboo dance floor is polished, and the sound equipment has been tested again and again.

It's the Green Youth Arts and Media Center, and when it officially starts business on Telegraph Avenue on Jan. 14, the center will offer much more than a building full of professional-caliber recording studios and new computers loaded with high-end multimedia software.

Its backers think it will bring hope to more than 200 underprivileged youths from the meanest streets of Oakland - hope of learning how to creatively channel sadness and rage into a marketable career, or at least into a healing form of expression. For inspiration, they need look no further than the Black Eyed Peas, the superstar hip-hop group whose Peapod Foundation is helping fund the $400,000-a-year center, along with the Adobe Foundation, the city of Oakland and several local nonprofits.

The Peas may have hit chart gold with frivolous fare such as "My Humps," but they've made no secret of the fact that their most heartfelt work is in more serious songs such as their plea for peace, "Where Is the Love?" The new Oakland center- which is similar to two others they've funded since 2008 in Los Angeles and Redwood City - is the embodiment of that more genuine impulse, they say.

"At this point in my career, with our success, what is going to make you happy and feel good in your soul?" said Apl.de.ap, co-founder of the group. "I understand what these kids are going through. ... You feel better knowing you're making a positive change."

Results matter most

The singer grew up impoverished in the Philippines, only coming to America after he was adopted, and he said he never forgets what it was like to be hungry and without hope. That's part of why he and his bandmates haven't made a big publicity push for what they are doing in Oakland - so much so that few public officials know of their involvement, and The Chronicle had to lobby for months to get confirmation of it.

The Peas say they are interested only in what the kids think.

"Action speaks louder than words," Apl said. "It'll show later when these kids start showing their skills. That's what people should pay attention to."

Hungering for more

Judging by the interest already at frenzy pitch at the center, his wish may well come true.

Dozens of youths affiliated with Oakland organizations aimed at nonviolent solutions to gang and street-life chaos - ranging from Art in Action, which has been leading the formation of the center, to fellow organizers Grind for the Green, Colored Ink and Community Rejuvenation Project - have been testing out the center for more than a month. Those organizations and about a dozen others will be using the center collaboratively when it opens, offering classes and holding meetings alongside the studio recording and art sessions. The verdict, after putting the high-end Adobe software, Pro Tools and other fancy machinery to use, is an enthusiastic hunger for more.

Rapping about rage

Exhibit A: 19-year-old Olondis "Ozone" Walker.

Walker was a high school kid in 2006, living rough in East Oakland's heavy gang territory, when a gang member mistook him for someone else and shot him four times. The shooter was never caught.

The attack left Walker with a limp, erasing any chance of following up on the scholarship queries he was getting at the time to play tennis in college, and leaving him with rage against fate.

He channeled that rage into joining Silence the Violence and learning how to rap about his pain and the desire to rise above the despair of his crime-ravaged neighborhood. Now he has one self-produced CD under his belt and his first real job, music production manager at the youth center.

Alternative to street life

As he shows other kids how to work the studio tracks, Walker is learning from the other musicians and cutting new tracks himself. Their lyrics all espouse rejecting gang pressures and finding legitimate ways out of poverty.

"You need an alternative to the streets," Walker said as he sat in the center one recent day. "That's why I am helping make this center. Everyone from all the communities - turfs that might not normally like each other - can come here to say what they need to say, speak about what's going on.

"You can learn something real here," he said. "Drugs, killing, pollution. It's not right. You need to think about what you're doing in your life, need to think about how you can have a positive life. You feel me?"

Healthy bodies, planet

The pollution reference is important to Walker and others founding the center. The organization's mission statement says it will "serve youth impacted by violence and poverty through innovative programs in the arts, media production and environmental stability" - and the environmental part comes through in the way much of the center was built with sustainable or recycled materials, and in planned discussions on health.

"We want the kids to understand that if you go green, if you take care of yourself by eating healthy food, you can overcome asthma, obesity and so many other things. You can save money in your business, and you live longer," said Program Director Galen Peterson. "The youth can understand that."

City Councilman Larry Reid called the center a welcome addition to similar efforts such as Youth Uprising and Youth Radio.

"Oakland's kids are just full of creativity and energy, and tapping into that with programs like this is very important," he said. "This will really make a tremendous difference in the lives of young people."

OGYAMC IN THE NEWS!!!!!

2010-01-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

Oakland's Art in Action will launch its Green Youth Art & Media Center in Oakland, Calif., on January 14, 2010. The solar-powered center, at 2781 Telegraph and 28th St., offers entrepreneurial, vocational and green-job readiness training for Oakland youth between the ages of 18 and 25. Center activities include leadership development, new media, arts training, music production, community organizing skills and green-job education, plus a business that sells and contracts merchandise produced by program participants. The Center’s Youth Green Team remodeled the 3,000-square-foot site, putting in recycled fiber carpeting, a mini-garden, a Kijiji Grows aquaponics system, four state-of-the-art recording studios, a computer lab and an eco-dance floor made of bamboo. The Grand Opening, starting at 3 p.m., features a Youth Arts Festival with freestyle rap and dancing and live painting, followed by arts performances and a ribbon-cutting.

FIYAWATA'S GREEN LIGHT SONG IS FEATURED ON MUSIC MONDAY

2009-12-07T18:09:00.001-08:00

Fiyawata-Green Light

Ambessa the Articulate, a Brooklyn native and one half of Oakland’s own Fiyawata, brings soulful conciousness to the hip hop world. He is part of a growing hip hop scene that incorporates eco- into their consciousness.

Ambessa’s lyrics flow from the convergence of his music and life- “My wife and I have been vegetarian for close to a decade- we always thought to live natural, shop local and natural and we keep everything congruent with the natural cycles of the planet,” he says, and you can hear the cycles in his lyrics.

Fiyawata’s track “Green Light Go” gets right to it with the chorus, “One for the people, one for the globe, one life to live let’s keep it eco… Green Light Go.” The track bumps with the energy and style of Public Enemy or KRS-One and raises up a message of environmental justice that blends with classic hip hop culture themes of social justice and power to the people.

“We knew that what we had been talking about suddenly had a deeper meaning- Once we saw that, we knew that we could align our background with this movement and forge ahead, being socially conscious artists anyway.”

Look for Ambessa’s next release with Fiyawata to reflect the green side of hip hop and come out as a digital release to be as sustainable as possible.

WINTER GAMES DANCE BATTLE DECEMBER 18TH COME THRU

2009-12-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

OAKLAND GREEN ARTS & MEDIA OFFICIAL GRAND OPENING JAN.15TH

2009-12-07T14:46:00.001-08:00

SOUL OF THE GREEN PANEL WITH DEAD PREZ NOV.15 BEFORE THE BIG AFTERPARTY

2009-11-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

PAULSE OF THE GREEN NOV.15 PERFORMANCES BY DEAD PREZ & ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

2009-11-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

OGYMAC PAYS TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON WITH THE SMASH DANCE BATTLE

2009-11-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

COME THRU TO GREEN WEEK!!!!!! NOVEMBER 7-15TH

2009-10-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Go Green @ CommuniTree's 3rd Eco-Arts & Music Festival!
COMMUNITREE, Art in Action, Global Exchange & SF Green Festival Presents:

Roll up your sleeves, green your block, and celebrate sustainability during Green Week, Nov. 7-15th.
CommuniTree invites you to participate in a week of art, activism, and environmental service for urban renewal.

Gain green skills (for free!), collaborate with amazing people of all ages & make a real difference in your community.

Join us in Richmond, Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco to create solutions to climate chaos and learn practical tools for resilience. We will be restoring watersheds, planting school gardens, installing solar energy, building bamboo bikes and learning soil bio-remediation. In celebration of this movement, acclaimed artists from across the country will perform throughout the week.

For a full schedule of over 15 community Eco-Arts service projects go to: www.myspace.com/communitree.events www.communitree.net

To support CommuniTree and the Oakland's new Green Youth Arts & Media Center, check out our Facebook page and scroll down to peep our featured events...

FEATURED GREEN WEEK SERVICE EVENTS
For a full schedule go to www.myspace.com/communitree.events
Friday, November 6th
Solar Pond Installation & Urban Garden Eco-Arts

Host: Farms To Grow & CommuniTree

Description: This is an amazing opportunity to assist with installing a solar-powered pond at Charles Drew School, which will be used as an educational tool to teach students about alternative sources of energy and environmental sustainability. There will be Eco-Arts performances throughout the day during this lively and exciting service project.

When: Friday, November 6th, 2009
Where: Charles Drew School, 50 Pomona Street San Francisco, CA 94124
Time: 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Contact: Farms to Grow, Inc. (415) 359-7825
Saturday, November 7th
Urban Farming & Native Restoration

Host: Friends of Alemany Farm

Description: Come out to the largest farm in San Francisco for an inspiring day of urban agriculture, native restoration, soil fertility-building and special arts activities. Help prepare the farm for winter by digging new beds, cover cropping, and general harvesting.

When: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 12noon-5pm
Where: Alemany Farm, located at 700 Alemany Blvd, San Francisco
Contact: Julia Brashares, juliabrashares@sbcglobal.net, or 415-572-1727

Wednsday, November 11th
Urban Farming Service Day

Host: Alameda Point Collaborative: Growing Youth Project Farm www.apcollaborative .org

Description: Join the Growing Youth Project on an amazing urban farm in Alameda that provides formerly homeless residents with fruits, vegetables, eggs and honey. On this lively service day we will be facilitating activities around harvesting for produce delivery, planting native species, and possible onsite building project. Have the opportunity to support urban sustainable agriculture in Alameda.

When: Wednesday, November 11th, 2009, 2-5pm
Where: Growing Youth Project Farm, 2500 Barbers Point Road, Alameda
RSVP: Kate Casale 510.898.7828 · kcasale@apcollaborative.org

Friday, November 13th
Sustainability & Eco-Arts Education Day

Host: Esperanza Sustainability Center & CommuniTree

Service Project: A lively and engaging community day in an outdoor sustainability and urban gardening site in the Mission District, S.F. Learn about urban garden planting, natural building and other sustainability education projects. There will be eco-arts performance throughout the day.

When: November 13th, 10am-4pm
Where: Esperanza Community Garden, 685 Florida Street at 19th, San Francisco, CA
Contact: esperanzagardens@gmail.com

Saturday, November 14th
Urban Tree Planting

Host: Urban Releaf, www.urbanreleaf.org

Description: Urban Releaf, an urban forestry organization will partner with the Keep Oakland Beautiful Board, a volunteer agency that does beautification projects around the city for a day of urban tree planting. Join other volunteers in planting an urban forest.

Date: November 14th, 9am-2pm
Where: Meet at 9am at 835 57th, Oakland, Ca 94608
Location: International Boulevard in East Oakland.

For more Green Week service events such as workshops in climate justice, watershed restoration, beach clean-ups, water catchment, permits/procedures for building community gardens, and how to lower your carbon footprint, go to: www.myspace.com/communitree.events.
Benefit Events for CommuniTree
& Oakland's Green Youth Arts & Media Center
Women's Earth Alliance, CommuniTree & Art in Action Present:

Fall 2009 Series: Coming Up From The Roots

A Local to Global Celebration of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Justice with acclaimed author and eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, Amira Diamond (Co-director of Womens Earth Alliance), with live music by Youssoupha Sidibe (Senegalese Master Kora Player) and special artistic performances and updates by local organizations Art in Action and CommuniTree.

Featuring: Indoor Farmers Market Bazaar

Seed Exchange (CommuniTree)
Plant Sale/Display (Planting Justice)
Organic Food (Back To Earth Catering)
Food Justice Orgs (Mo'Betta Foods, Kulture Freedom, People's Grocery
Oakland Food Connection, Healthy Hoodz, Farm Fresh Choice)
Bamboo Bike Project (Richmond Spokes/CommuniTree)

November 10th
Reception: 6:30pm, Program: 8:00pm
@ The David Brower Center,
2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, Ca 94704
$15 in advance, $18 at the door
Don't Miss... The Official Green Festival After Party:

Featuring: Dead Prez, Speech (of Arrested Development), Davey D, Audiopharmacy, J-Boogie, Aima the Dreamer, Sake One, B-Brown, Fiyawata, Climbing PoeTree, Wisdom w/DJ Swint & Seasunz, Turf Unity, Destiny Arts, DJ Twelvz, Kevin Danaher (Co-Founder of Global Exchange), Ross Mirkarimi (District 5 Supervisor, SF), David Satori, El Diablo, & Sidecar Tommy of Beats Antique, Queen Afua, Selassie, Lotus Drops, Sweet Anomaly, Social Prophet Choir, Javier Reyes (Colored Ink), latef Hotep Vita, Da Masters, and surprise guest performers.

Live Painting: Ras Terms, MamaWisdom, & AndreasOne

Organic food, local art/vendors, & more!

Sunday, November 15th
1015 Folsom Street, SF
8pm-4am
$15-$20 sliding scale at door. Buy Tickets here.

This is a benefit for Oakland's Green Youth Arts & Media Center. The Center is a creative empowerment hub in Oakland that supports personal, professional and community development. We serve youth impacted by violence and poverty through innovative programs in the arts, media production, and environmental sustainability.

The first of its kind in the country, The Center is a collaboration between several veteran youth organizations including Art in Action, Grind for the Green, Colored Ink and the Community Rejuvenation Project.

For media inquiries contact: alli@artinactionworld.org

Sponsored by:

Art in Action http://www.artinactionworld.org/
Global Exchange http://www.globalexchange.org/
Hard Knock Radio http://www.hardknockradio.com/
Grind for the Green http://www.grindforthegreen.com/
Numi Tea http://www.numitea.com/
Green for All http://www.greenforall.org/
Green The Block http://www.greentheblock.net/
YBR Promotions http://www.ybrpromotions.com/
Alliance for Climate Education
http://www.acespace.org

1015 Folsom Nightclub http://www.1015.com/

CommuniTree
is a grassroots organization dedicated to environmental stewardship, social justice
and community resilience through arts and service learning. We are a program of Art in Action.

For more info about us go to www.communitree.net

Rappin' for Climate Action: Ambessa of Fiyawata Promoting Climate Action Event

2009-10-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed your inbox flooded with a barrage of petitions, online campaigns, Facebook invitations, video contests and e-mail blasts about the current standstill in Washington over climate legislation. Right now it is looking like the U.S. will be the only one not making it to the Copenhagen party this December and climate advocacy groups are stepping up their efforts to put pressure on our feet-dragging senators.

They other thing you may have noticed is that there seems to be a bunch of well-intentioned nonprofit organizations all marching to their own tune with no coordinated messaging -- a big problem if we are hope to get real grassroots leverage on Capitol Hill.

Thankfully that is about to change this Saturday, Oct. 24, the International Day of Climate Action which brings together the biggest climate activist organizations like 350.org, 1Sky, Bioneers, ACE (The Alliance for Climate Education), Green for All, PowerShift and many more. Over 6,000 events are taking place in nearly every country in the world.

One action you can take part in even if there isn't a local event near you is to upload a photo that somehow includes the numbers 3-5-0 which refers to 350 parts per million, the amount of CO2 that is now considered to be the safe limit of CO2 concentration in our atmosphere.

FYI: we are currently at 387 PPM and scientists are predicting a spike up to 500 PPM (given current CO2 levels), but the hope is that if our governments can agree at Copenhagen (and the U.S. participates) that spike will be short-lived and survivable as CO2 rates gradually drop back down to 350.

GREEN MEDIA CENTER IS IN THE PRESS

2009-10-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

While economics has contributed to the dual degradation of the environment and communities of color, racism has accelerated environmental and economic problems. "White flight" from inner cities fueled suburban sprawl, leading to more driving, more highways, and more carbon in the atmosphere. And in industries like agriculture and food production, with prominent racial hierarchies, employers find it easy to generate competition and scapegoating between various groups of workers, killing unionization drives that could produce better wages and conditions for all of us.

Luckily, a growing number of people know better than to separate environmental and economic recovery from race. Local groups have started green jobs programs for young people that are inclusive and future-oriented. In Oakland, California, for example, the brand new Green Media Youth Center boasts a green job training program that can help create pathways out of poverty for young people in the city. Last Friday at the Center, Milani Pelley recorded her latest song in a brand new studio. Jhamel Robinson showed off the permaculture garden behind the building. And the list goes on.

But great programs here and there aren't enough. We need to bring those programs to scale, and create both training and the actual jobs through federal, state and local policy. We need to spend real money funding job creation, and then closely monitor implementation to make sure new programs generate local hiring, affirmative action, great wages and benefits and long term career paths, among other elements that will make them work.

THA FACULTY WILL BE PERFORMING "CHANGE THE NATION" AT F.A.S.T

2009-10-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

GYMC WILL BE APPEAR AT THE 2009 BIONEERS CONFERENCE

2009-10-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Bioneers Conference is a leading-edge forum—join us in San Rafael, California, October 16-18 (with intensives October 15 and 19). At this premiere environmental conference, social and scientific innovators focus on solutions inspired by nature and human ingenuity.

Youth from the Oakland Green Youth Media Arts Center will performing Saturday Night, so come on by and have a great time with us.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE GO TO http://www.bioneers.org/ AND REGISTER

GYMC WILL BE APPEAR AT THE 2009 SF GREEN FESTIVAL

2009-10-06T14:05:00.001-07:00

WE WILL BE IN THE PLACE AT THE SAN FRANCISCO GREEN FESTIVAL THIS YEAR EDUCATING PEOPLE ON ECO ARTS, WE WILL ALSO BE PERFORMING SOME OF OUR MUSIC MATERIAL SO COME JOIN US THIS NOVEMBER 15, 16, & 17TH....FOR MORE INFO GO TO WWW.GREENFESTIVALS.COM

$ 15 per person Festival Pass
One or all 3 days
Entry to all activities
Free 1-year membership to Green America when you sign up at the booth or mail in coupon (new members only)
10% discounts Green Festival Store and Global Exchange booth
Subscriptions to ODE (1 year) and The Nation (2 months)

$10 per person reduced price Festival Pass
One or all 3 days
Includes all benefits of regular registration for one or both days, but applies to the following people:
College Student with ID
Seniors over 62
Bike riders with a ticket from the Green Festival Bike Valet
Public transit riders with a fare card or pass
Special Festival PASS - $29 three day pass for 2 people with FREE Green Festival t-shirt
Entry to all activities
Free Green Festival t-shirt - pick up at the event
10% discounts Green Festival Store and Global Exchange booth
1-year membership to Green America and Global Exchange when you sign up at the booths or mail in coupons (new members only)
Subscription to ODE ( 1 year) and The Nation (2 months)
Green Festival Donor - $100 three day pass for 2 people with FREE Green Festival t-shirt
Help Green Festival grow while enjoying the ultimate Green Festival Experience.
Entry to all activities

Free Green Festival t-shirt - pick up at the event
Reserved main stage seating a 10% off Green Festival Store and Global Exchange booth
Reception with Alisa Gravitz, executive director of Green America, and Kevin Danaher, cofounder of Global Exchange - Saturday and Sunday at 4:30pm in the Green Lounge
Exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Greening of the Festival
1-year membership to Green America and Global Exchange when you sign up at the booths or mail in coupons (new members only)
Subscription to ODE ( 1 year) and The Nation (2 months)

FREE Admission:
Youth 18 and under
Green America and Global Exchange members
Volunteers

JUST BEGUN: FINAL EVENT OF THE SEASON

2009-09-24T14:55:00.000-07:00