Last week, we shared with you BEAT’s all new mission, vision, and strategic plan. This week, I want to let you know what is staying the same: our commitment to high-quality arts education rooted in Hip Hop culture.
Four years ago, I joined BEAT as the Administrative Coordinator. I’ve seen BEAT grow into a powerful force for good. And now, as BEAT’s Program Director, I’m honored to share our vision for the Arts Education program for the coming five years.
Over the years, BEAT has impacted thousands of New York City’s under-resourced youth and people with disabilities through our beatboxing (Rockers), breakin’ (Breakers), and music production & lyricism (Explorers) programs. And our commitment to our participants has only been strengthened by our recent strategic planning process. In fact, we’ve been able to articulate what values make our program unique, strong, and impactful, and we’re capitalizing on those strengths to grow BEAT into an even more powerful force for good for youth in our community.
Over the next 5 years, we will:
- Be deliberate in cultivating teaching artists that reflect the diversity of our students, and train up the next generation of top-notch teachers.
- Deliver our excellent, in-demand arts education programs, while also refining our programs using our new focus on Hip Hop as a tool for mental and physical wellbeing.
- Scale up our programming to impact more students, at more schools, in more cities and states nationally, always guided by our commitment to youth in under-resourced communities and people with disabilities.
The work we’re doing in our new Research and Training & Tools departments (which you’ll hear about in coming weeks) will serve to strengthen the programming for our arts education participants.
While we talk about ourselves differently, rest assured that the BEAT programs that you and your students love is here to stay—and it’s going to get even better. There is a bright future ahead.
You’ve gotten us to this point, and we’re grateful that you’re along for the ride. If you want to bring one of BEAT’s arts education programs to your school or community, I’d love to speak with you. You can reply to this email or schedule a conversation HERE.
Thank you for believing in BEAT.
Sincerely,
Brittany Wilson
Program Director
