Why
On Thursday, August 20,
2009, two articles, published the same day in the Baltimore Sun
newspaper, illustrated both the reality
of the incarcerated future that is expected for many Baltimore young
people juxtaposed against the positive results of investing in youth at an early stage in their lives as
organized
youth team sports can do.
The Ripken World Series
bought ten US teams and six international teams, along with families and
supporters to Aberdeen, Maryland for an eight day event that delivers more than $4million
dollars, annually, to Harford County and the State of Maryland in
August.
The $100 million dollar Maryland State expenditure to house
youth “criminals” who’ve been socialized to interface with the
criminal justice system assumes a non-productive future for them.
Something’s got
to change or our communities are headed on a self-destructive path. We
can be the solution should we choose. A planned cultural center, in the
northwest Baltimore community of Calloway-Garrison, can, possibly, be a
part of the solution in the future.
As youth, both Michael
and I benefited from youth oriented programs in our neighborhoods,
schools and in our homes where our parents and other dedicated adults,
committed to our future, invested their time and resources. Training in
the arts, early technologies, athletics and the humanities were
significantly a part of our early development that, we believe, made us
better human beings, highly skilled in our fields and dedicated to
social change privileged by our early life experiences.
In 3911, we'd like to offer
space for artist/practitioners in visual & performing arts, holistic
wellness, information technology/new media and green space development
to develop new ideas, do business with each other & the greater
community at-large and share, through exhibitions, performances,
workshops, classes and apprentice opportunities their talents and
recently discovered skills & techniques of their craft.
While skills
training opportunities will be offered to the community as a whole,
special emphasis will be given to skills development for the youth.
Every minute the space is open to the public, there should be some
activity in service to the residents of the Calloway-Garrison, Ashburton
and other Northwest Baltimore neighborhoods.
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