A slew of youth hip-hop performers, a red carpet photo-op and plenty of hors d'oeuvres will be present as local nonprofit The DJ Project celebrates its 15-year anniversary in the Mission tonight.
In 2001, The DJ Project introduced an eccentric idea to the Mission: using hip-hop as a teaching method for youth. A decade and a half—and several cohorts, emcees, DJs, dancers and event coordinators later—this then-criticized approach has been legitimized and even adopted into many institutions of higher learning, including Harvard, which now has a Hip-Hop Archive and Research Institute.
The free violence and drug prevention serves 75-100 young adults annually, helping them develop skills in entrepreneurship, project management, marketing and technology. Along the way, they learn audio engineering, DJing, and event planning, among other skills. An application is required to participate in the program, but most people get accepted, according to program coordinator Korise Jubert.
The DJ Project’s anniversary party aims to bring together both past and current members to celebrate the past, present and future of the hip-hop based prevention program. There will even be an interactive timeline of the project; members can take, print, and post photos onto a physical timeline to indicate when they were involved in the program.
They also encourage those in the community to come celebrate their efforts. “We want them to see the richness of the social service fabric in the Mission community, and recognize that we’ve been supporting teenagers in their neighborhood for years and years,” said program director Jeff Feinman.
“We want to celebrate our presence. We are survivors, and we are part of the Mission District's history, and we think that history needs to be celebrated.”
The anniversary party will be held tonight, July 9th, at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts from 5-8:30pm. The event is free and open to the public, and you can RSVP for tickets here.
