Can you blame my generation, subjected gentrification,
Depicting their frustrations over ill instrumentation
Cause music is the way to convey to you what I’m facing,
Placing my life in front of your eyes for your observation
Now if you can’t relate then maybe you are too complacent,
Athletes today are scared to make Muhammad Ali statements
Whats up with your motto?
Will you lead? Will you follow?
Improve your values,
Education is real power…
Taken from My Generation from the CD Distant Relatives
By Nas and Damian Marley
CPRLive Initiates Youth Internship
Over the years, many have cautioned that as CPR moves to preserve reggae music, special efforts should be made to involve the youth of our community. This of course seems very basic and obvious but devising an effective strategy for achieving this is quite something else. For example, while many have commented favorable about youth participation at our community forums, others have lamented the level of engagement coming from the youth. However, when invited to suggest ways to address that situation, that’s where it becomes challenging.
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??Perhaps we have not yet found the solution to that particular challenge but we are quite excited about My Generation, the broadcasting project recently announced and set to be previewed on August 19 in a week long celebration of the birthday of Marcus Garvey. My Generation will offer a weekly presentation of youth programming on CPRLive every Friday from 7:00PM to 10:00PM. This programming will be conceived, researched, developed, produced and presented by youth between the ages of 12 and 21 for youth and the young at heart.
My generation is the leading edge of a more expansive internship program which will engage youth in all aspects of the operation at CPRLive. CPR has already established itself as a work site in the Federal Work study program and will engage college students from the metropolitan New York area in all aspects of its operations. Production assistants will conduct research and otherwise assist in the production of the new programming being introduced to CPRLive as well as the existing ones; students from the communications and marketing arena will help shape the image of CPR and CPRLive and get the word out about the work and the programs they offer; technologists will help advance the use of technology by CPR and CPRLive.
To make all of this work, CPR must contribute to the interns’ schooling not only with the training and experience they will receive but also financially and that’s where you come in. As a membership driven organization, CPR depends largely on memberships and donations from the community to conduct its work. The federal work study program requires that worksites contribute a portion of the stipend the students receive and we need your support for this portion of the youth initiative to succeed.
If the longest journey begins with a first step, then for CPR, the launch of My Generation is the first step toward a vibrant youth initiative and development of a youth audience for roots reggae music. For this journey to be completed however, the community must make real the motto of CPR, ‘Working Together to Make Things Work’. Please visit our website and make your donation to the internship program.
“We, jah people can make it work (if we) come together, and make it work,” Bob Marley
