Daiyon Kpou of Moves Philly
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chanell Ketchmore of Ketchmore Kids
Charlotte, North Carolina & Newport News, Virginia
Brittany Young of B360
Baltimore, Maryland
Rovion Reed of Kinetic Vibez
Houston, Texas
Khalif Guiden of Royal City Collaboration
Charlotte, North Carolina
The creative community has been the heart and soul of social justice movements throughout history. Creatives have brought the struggle for justice and change to life through the arts, and we are proud to honor and carry on their legacy.
In partnership with the Center for Civic Innovation, a civic venture fund that invests in community-driven ideas, The Action Accelerator is a week-long boot camp for ideas around the nation that uses art, music and hip-hop culture as a vehicle to advance justice and opportunity in their communities.
A3C Action chooses 5 finalists to join the Center for Civic Innovation in Atlanta for the A3C Festival & Conference. These five finalists from across the US are flown to Atlanta to participate in the Action Accelerator, where they strengthen their business model, revenue model, and the way they talk about their work.
At the end of the week, the finalists participate in a pitch showcase, the A3C Action Pitch Night, in front of a high profile audience of investors, artists, partners, peers, and community leaders. A3C invests $10,000+ into ideas with the greatest potential for impact and success.
Hip Hop Mentoring Cypher Sessions: A creative wellness program that uses hip hop to engage teens on issues of critical thinking, emotional wellbeing, and social justice
Words Liive: A technology-powered, music-based literacy program that aims to bring ¾ of the student population in the US to grade-level reading by 2040
Cool Moms Dance Too: Fun, multigenerational fitness and dance classes designed to improve the mental and physical health and connectedness of families
Supreme MCs Rule Hip Hop Expression Program: A music education program that uses hip hop as a gateway to self-discovery and positive coping skills
FlexIn FlexOut: Workshops get youth dancing inside detention and foster care facilities, coupled with programming to continue the mentorship once kids get outside
Make Music Count (Atlanta, GA) The mission of Make Music Count is to increase elementary and secondary students’ mathematical skill development through piano playing and reducing their math anxiety.
Girls Cut Films Too (Atlanta, GA) Girls Cut Film too is an initiative to train and equip teen girls with the skills needed to be competitive in the film production industry.
Real Life Poets (Birmingham, AL) We will implement the Teen Poetry Initiative within a minimum of two of the nineteen Birmingham Public library neighborhood branches and at Real Life Poets community arts hub in the East Lake community.
Breaking The Chains (New York City, NY) This project would be implemented in New York City at Rikers Island jail. This project will allow for youth within four facilities at Rikers to write around specific themes and be featured in monthly performances during their incarceration.
Media Rhythm Institute (Baltimore, MD) The goals and mission of Media Rhythm Institute to encourage, promote entrepreneurial thinking and empower youth to expand their knowledge of the media industry through research and hands-on documentary projects.
Armed Services Arts Partnership - ASAP (Arlington, VA) empowers veterans and their communities with purpose and healing to have a voice in their communities through a stand-up comedy boot camp.
Creative Core (Washington, DC) offers a fellowship program for youth who are in school, have dropped out, or are court-involved to prepare and place them as support staff in creative businesses with a focus
[People's Choice] Girls Make Beats (Miami Lakes, FL) teaches young girls music production, DJing, and audio engineering through an after school program at a state of the art recording studio. They mentor and nurture girls to have their voice heard, and create future career opportunities for participants.
Notes for Notes (Atlanta, GA) equips, staffs, and runs free recording studios, providing music education and mentorship for youth for 160 members in a censor-free environment.
[Runner Up] Shooting Without Bullets (Cleveland, OH) is a revolutionary youth advocacy and fine arts education program that
[Winner] The Village of Arts and Humanities (Philadelphia, PA) offers a paid internship and media-centered
Creative Core (Washington, DC) offers a fellowship program for youth who are in school, have dropped out, or are court-involved to prepare and place them as support staff in creative businesses with a focus in the arts, music, and hip-hop industries.
303 Community Coalition, INC. (Atlanta, GA) Create a short film about gentrification vs. resident upgrading, using narratives from residents containing all five elements of hip-hop.
[Winner] Chop Art (Atlanta, GA) Empower homeless youth through art by providing a two week arts summer camp focused on the holistic immersion of music, theater and dance.
Media In Neighborhoods Group (Philadelphia, PA) Prisoners, police, prosecutors, judges, at-risk youth create short documentaries about each other to increase humanity and understanding.
ourtime.org (Washington, DC) One of the nation’s largest non-profit organizations committed to increasing the voter participation of young Americans.
Poem Over Pistol Program (Atlanta, GA) The P.O.P Program is a Life Skills Program that teaches Youth how to redirect their negative emotions into a rap, poem, song or short story.
The Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) focuses on improving the efficiency of public organizations and increasing civic participation. CCI is the City's Lab aiming to push Atlanta to be a smart, equitable, and engaged city by investing in community-driven ideas, supporting social enterprises, and engaging people in dialogue and action. CCI hosts programs for community based social entrepreneurs at all stages, but they focus their investments on early stage, untested projects.
The Hip Hop Caucus (HHC) is a national, non-profit and non-partisan organization that connects the Hip Hop community to the civic process to build power and create positive change. HHC hopes to establish the culture and practice of voting as part of a desired civic lifestyle as well as empower and train leaders and volunteers from our communities to be strategic leaders, messengers, and spokespeople for issues critical to equality, justice, and opportunity.
