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To engage and empower youth to become leaders to positively transform their community.
To build a movement to improve the community, centered around the principles of economic and social equality, with young people being an instrumental part of that movement in roles of leadership and action.
To increase levels of understanding, awareness, confidence, self-esteem, and hope in youth through providing opportunities, mentoring, creative outlets, and resources. 3rd EyE aims to unite young people, utilizing Hip Hop, a common cultural art form and voice for the people, to engage and empower youth to positively change themselves and their community.
a) Build a movement to improve the community, centered on the principles of economic and social equality, with young people being an integral part of that movement in roles of leadership and action.
b) Empower youth to think critically and independently, therefore fostering a heightened understanding of themselves, their peers, and important societal issues.
c) Build leadership skills by providing valuable experience in video production, organizing, event planning, and community outreach.
d) Create positive activities for inner city youth that aim to promote their talents and bring people together in a safe, energetic atmosphere.
e) Raise awareness in our community by advancing the positive and progressive aspects of the Hip Hop culture, which challenges the status quo, and offers an array of diverse and unique ideas to society. We strive to give young people a chance for their ideas to be developed and their voices to be heard, regardless of race, creed, or religion.
f) Provide forums that allow young people to express themselves, to communicate with other youth, and to create art that is reflective of themselves and their environment.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND:
3rd Eye is composed of youth and young adults who see a need for change in the community and are dedicated to doing the work necessary to make change happen. 3rd Eye was founded in 1998 by three New Bedford youth looking to do something positive and creative. The idea of which was to educate people and create change using the tools of Hip Hop. The name “3rd Eye” stems from a concept found in many cultures and often used in Hip Hop lyrics which means that you have the infinite capability to use your mind to critically evaluate life’s situations. Through a grassroots approach to youth organizing and development, 3rd Eye has been a powerful change maker in the community, building skills, providing positive learning experiences, and inspiring awareness and activism among youth.
TEN YEAR HISTORY OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
3rd Eye has become the premier social institution for at-risk teens in New Bedford. Staff and volunteers have mentored and positively impacted hundreds of young people in our ten year history. The youth who have participated in the 3rd Eye program have benefitted from being immersed in a creative, positive, and family-like environment that seeks to foster engaged awareness and action in the community. Program youth have taken leadership through 3rd Eye by leading programs and activities for their peers and elders while also devoting the time to mentor the younger students in the program. Most youth who’ve come through our program have overcome numerous obstacles to attend and graduate college while pursuing degrees and careers that help them give back to their community. And over the last ten years, 3rd Eye has been a beacon of hope for the urban youth of New Bedford and continues to be a voice for peace, love, and justice.
PUT OUT THE WORD! (POTW!)
Community access television show produced by youth that uses Hip Hop as a vehicle to educate youth. We have expanded the television viewing audience to PBS’ sponsored Youth Channel, and cities and towns throughout the Northeastern U.S. and now in Europe, constituting over 20 million households! We have produced 80 plus episodes, many of which have been educational resources on focused topics such as Reflecting In Peace, which analyzed the root causes of youth violence, and Women In Hip Hop, which empowered young women to go against the status quo of male domination in Hip Hop. Over the years of POTW!’s production, hundreds of youth have contributed to the filming and editing phases of development, helping youth garner technical skills while working in a creative capacity.
“VOICE OF NEW BE” PROJECT
A video survey of +100 youth (ages 14-21) from all areas of New Bedford was completed in 2006. The video captures the thoughts, emotions, and solutions regarding issues such as: the thirty-three percent drop-out rate at the local high school, the lack of economic opportunities for youth, the lack of youth activities and one-stop centers, gun violence, drug use, and more. We held a public screening of the “Voice of New Be” at the Greater New Bedford Historic Whaling Museum in Downtown New Bedford, attracting more than two-hundred community members, and amplifying a collective voice of change from the people who are going through many of society’s ills.
EIGHTY-TWO SUCCESSFUL EVENTS OVER A TEN YEAR SPAN:
Throughout its history, 3rd EyE has organized such events without one incident of violence, and has provided a safe, inspiring, communal resource for the youth of New Bedford.
At 3rd Eye we find it essential to build relationships with community partners toward the end of creating a comprehensive safety net for the youth of the city. To that end we’ve established important collaborations which enhance our impact on youth directly, as well as through advocacy for positive solutions to the obstacles that youth face.
3rd Eye has joined forces with the Coalition Against Poverty’s Education Collaborative aiming to improve New Bedford’s schools and decrease the city’s school drop-out rates. Through this collaboration, we are empowering New Bedford students and drop-outs to share their school experiences, helping school administrators understand the effects of their policies. Another major collaboration is the New Bedford High School Hip Hop Club program, in which we collaborate with North Star Learning Centers to create an after- school program that addresses the creative and academic needs of youth. 3rd Eye has helped to facilitate that Hip Hop Club program for the last three years.
Our organization also works consistently with programs such as YouthBuild New Bedford and the Marion Institute in order to coordinate events and actions related to building a movement for green collar jobs and sustainable practices that protect the environment and reduce global warming. In 2008, 3rd Eye produced a video of YouthBuild members performing an energy audit in homes in the New Bedford community which was awarded best overall video by Green For All, a national organization working for green job creation. 3rd Eye also collaborated with both of these partners to help coordinate the Marion Institute’s world renowned conference Bioneers by the Bay and a separate event on Green For All’s national day of action.
Collectively we are able to provide a wide range of holistic services that empower youth to become leaders. We have held events at numerous centers in the area to help expand our reach into various sectors of the youth population. Such centers include: Boys and Girls Club of New Bedford, the YMCA, the Denison Memorial Community Center, and Insight Teen Center.
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