Goodbye For Now…
For my final blog entry, I will provide an overview of the work I did while in Uganda, discuss project sustainability and future plans, and share a few lessons learned from my Fulbright experience.
The Overview
One Hand Stand
The goal of my Fulbright project was learn how the Hip Hop Therapy Project (HHTP) could be strengthened to better serve the young people participating in it. In this effort, I conducted a needs assessment exercise with the aim of using the findings to inform the project’s growth and development.
After speaking with over 30 young people and meeting with other project stakeholders I decided to focus my efforts on:
members
information for project members
In order to accomplish the first objective I used some of the money I receive from Fulbright and mtvU to organize over 10 training workshops and a Back-to-School breakdance show and competition. I also established weekly breakdance classes that are youth-led and take place every Saturday from 2-4pm and arranged for some of the more experienced project members to teach breakdance lessons to adults once a week. These classes provide them with teaching and leadership experience as well as a source of income for paying their school fees and scholastic materials.
To accomplish the second and third objectives, I partnered with an organization called the Gulu Youth Center (GYC). The GYC provides youth-friendly age-appropriate information and services on sexual and reproductive health. Through this partnership, the HHTP project was able to benefit from a free practice space that is accessible to all youth (thereby increasing the number of project participants) and increase direct access to age-appropriate sexual- and reproductive health-related information and services for project members. Before I left Uganda there were over 100 registered members of the Hip Hop Therapy Project.
Project Sustainability and Post-Fulbright Plans
While in Uganda, I made it a point of telling the young people that I was working with that I wouldn’t be there forever and that it was important for them to take ownership of the project. We selected project leaders and established roles and responsibilities for other project members. Those with more dancing experience were given the responsibility of teaching the ones with less experience. Project members even took the initiative of designing and producing their own fliers in order to recruit more members. Thankfully, a friend named Josh Jones also agreed to assist me with coordinating the project after I left.
Before I left Uganda, some young people approached me and said that they weren’t so good at dancing but that they love to rap and would like trainers to be brought in to assist them with their rapping and performance skills. This is something that I would like to work on with Josh in the future as well as creating more performance and traveling opportunities for the HHTP members.
After the Fulbright, I will be pursuing a PhD in Global Women’s Studies at the National University of Ireland in Galway. I plan to do my research on gender and sexuality norms among adolescents in northern Uganda and the implications for HIV prevention. I will therefore be returning to Gulu most likely in the Spring of 2011 to do my PhD research. I plan to continue supporting the HHTP from Ireland and working on it again when I return to Uganda.
Lessons Learned
There are a couple of valuable lessons that I learned while working on my Fulbright project that could be useful to those who are just starting their Fulbright or those who are interesting in applying for a Fulbright in the future:
Finally, I would like to thank mtvU and the State Department for their support and for making this experience possible. I feel that I have personally greatly benefited from this experience and so have the young people participating in the project. Thanks to Josh and the members of the Hip Hop Therapy Project, Breakdance Project Uganda, the Gulu Youth Center, and all the wonderful friends I made in Gulu.
In closing, I wanted to share with you a rap song that the youth from the HHTP secretly recorded and performed for me at the Breakdance for Peace and Positive Social Change Grand Finale show but unfortunately because it’s over a Dr. Dre beat and I don’t have the proper clearance to use that beat on this site I can’t. So, instead, here are the lyrics to the song and a slideshow of some memorable moments from my time working on this project. Enjoy!
“Hip Hop Therapy” Song Lyrics:
There was a time
when our land was full of crime
conflict n war
we wanted to write rhymes
we wanted to dance
we wanted love
and so we prayed to god above
In 2006… an angel came
…Melissa was her name
Introduction to hip hop
We started to dance
We got so good
Let’s raise our hands…
Melissa, you’re our sista/
You’re our Mama/
We’re gonna miss ya/
(Repeat)
Hip Hop Therapy
We’re one big family
We won’t stop
Til we reach the top
Hip Hop Therapy
(Repeat)
Melissa, you really inspire
We were down so low
And now we’re higher
So high, we see the clouds
When people see us dance
They’re like WOW
Gulu B Boys n Girls
We’re ready for the world
Gulu B Boys n Girls
We’re ready for the world
So these are some words of thanks
This isn’t bye bye
Let’s raise our hands
Melissa, you’re our sista/
You’re our Mama/
We’re gonna miss ya/
(Repeat)
Hip Hop Therapy
We’re one big family
We won’t stop
Til we reach the top
Hip Hop Therapy
(Repeat)
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