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Dance and song filled John F. Hartranft Elementary School in North Philadelphia as hip-hop music was played to jumpstart purposeful conversations on bullying, future careers and navigating life at school and home.
DJ Deezy of the Cause International spun the tunes at the Thursday morning assembly program. Clusters of students contorted their bodies in the latest dance styles. The DJ cheered on 150 students, often calling up the best dancers to the stage.
A competition ensued for students to guess the names of the artists and songs to warm up the crowd.
DJ Deezy introduced a panel of professionals with experience in various careers including a ticket sales executive from the 76ers, a counselor working with incarcerated youth, a hip-hop artist who started his career at 13 and Chase Moore, an education equity advisor at the U.S. Department of Education.
Moore shared that growing up, his father was incarcerated for life, and that he struggled learning to read when he was younger. Despite the odds, he persevered, and has a successful career at a federal agency.
“We want to inspire the youth and show them that there are so many ways to be successful,” said Antoine Taylor, 28, the founder and CEO of Cause International. “We do that by creating a panel that is representative of people from diverse backgrounds, individuals in diverse career paths.”
The group’s “What’s Your Cause” tour has taken the program to about 30 schools nationwide. It started in Los Angeles and has traveled to Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C. and as far away as Ghana.
Keith Arrington, the principal at Hartranft, said the music helps the students relate.
“If you listen to the same music that they do and dance to the same music that helps to make those connections,” he said. “It’s all about building relationships.”
Throughout the year, the school brings in professionals such as lawyers, firefighters and police officers to give the students people they can look up to.
“We strive to put examples in front of our students that can motivate them, speak life to them, to help them to see what they can aspire to be and help them to understand they can achieve it,” Arrington said. “When it is a different voice, it resonates more.”
DJ Deezy spoke about being bullied as a young student and asked the students to raise their hands if they were against it. Nearly all the students raised their hands. Principal Arrington said teachers could use that as a starting point to address the coming-of-age issues in class.
The assembly and discussion were made possible after State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who represents the 181st District where the school is located, invited Cause International to Hartranft.
Taylor said they want the students to open up about subjects like bullying and mental health.
“They feel comfortable,” he said. “When you are trying to inspire and help kids to get to the next level, you have to be relatable.”
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series that explores the impact of creativity on student learning and success. WHYY and this series are supported by the Marrazzo Family Foundation, a foundation focused on fostering creativity in Philadelphia youth, which is led by Ellie and Jeff Marrazzo. WHYY News produces independent, fact-based news content for audiences in Greater Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey.
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