By Brandon E. Roos
A charter school in South Los Angeles will be forced to terminate its successful Hip Hop culture curriculum this June due to ever-increasing budget cuts.
The Global Awareness Through Hip Hop Culture program is one of the only educational Hip Hop courses in the nation offered regularly to middle and high school students.
The program was founded by Sebastien Elkouby as a solution to connect with students disinterested in more traditional school subjects. As Elkouby explained, “This class uses the positive elements of Hip Hop culture that aren’t usually promoted in mainstream media as a medium to develop critical thinking skills while teaching [students] language arts, social studies, and life skills.”
Active since 2006, the program has hosted KRS-One and MC Lyte as guest speakers, sent students on deejay retreats and received press from around the world. In 2008, the National Society of High School Scholars selected Elkouby as an “Educator of Distinction.”
Despite this recent setback, Elkouby remains positive about his program’s future. “It doesn’t even have to be offered at a school,” he says. “I’m open to bringing the program wherever the need is. I know that there’s money available to fund creative programs. We just have to find it. Who knows? It may even come from someone in the Hip Hop community.”
You can find out more about the program at www.globalawarenessthroughhiphopculture.com.
I think its funny how people complain that hip-hop sites don’t talk about “real hip hop” and have alot of irrelevant topics but when they post topics like this, no one seems to comment or let alone read it. Back to the topic, I wish this program success as long as its core values reflect “true hip hop” and educating the youth. Its great to see Sebastien Elkouby is doing something.
well, at least people are tweeting this topic (a few of them) and I hope Sebastien Elkouby finds some sort of funding.
Elkouby sounds like he’s hoping someone will pick up the program, but it sounded great while it lasted. Schools are getting hit the hardest now, I’ve been hearing about all types of budget cuts, whole workforces get fired, etc. from lots of cities recently.
your child’s future was the first to go with budget cuts – lupe fiasco
Hey Hip Hop Fans want to know what’s the
hottest song on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq3KfV3r7w8
well that’s no fun
Sebastien’s program was a great thing for that school. That’s a good dude using hip hop to actually give back and better the next generation, not just pad his ego/pockets. A lot of hip hop cats talk the talk, but very few of them put in much time at all, if any, dealing with the youth directly…salute that man.
Just spoke with the guy. I teach a hip hop class here in Detroit. Its a shame that he has to deal with the issues of budget. He is really doing a great work in CA.