In an effort to reduce gun violence, we teach all things music and entertainment industry and digital media
creation while skillfully weaving in life skills to Washington DC area artists,
high school students,vulnerable youth and returning citizens.
Creative Solutions 4 Youth Inc & The Center for Non Profit Advancement was renewed to provide Safe Passage at 3 DCPS schools and implement a innovation Conflict Mediation Program
ACADEMY DC MAKIN MOVES TRAVEL PROGRAM RECAP
DO BETTA DC: 5 PART DOCU-SERIES ON THE GUN VIOLENCE EFFORTS OF WASHINGTON DC
PRODUCED BY THE ACADEMY DC
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS 4 YOUTH ANTI CARJACKING AD CAMPAIGN
Our “Think About It” Ad campaign was originally funded by the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. The recent spike in the car jacking’s in Washington DC created an opportunity to develop several more ads for the district. The goal here is to encourage youth to think first and that this type of activity is not cool!
THE ACADEMY DC'S DASHAWN WALKER "MAN TIME" WINS FILM FEST AWARD!
This short 9 minute film titled “Man Time” was created by the Academy DC for the Office Of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement
where we trained the the program’s ambassadors how to act, shoot and develop a film.
This film was directed by Joseph Austin III
PODCASTS DEVELOPED BY OUR MENTEES @ OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD
SAFETY & ENGAGEMENT
SAFETY & ENGAGEMENT
Listen on Apple Podcasts Click here
Listen on Apple Podcasts Click here
ACADEMY DC WORKS WITH RETURNING CITIZENS
COURT SERVICES & OFFENDERS SUPERVISION AGENCY
ACADEMY DC PROVIDES PODCAST TRAINING
With over 30 years of radio and digital media experience under my belt, we thought it would be great to explore the idea of producing a podcast with our youth at DYRS. The goal is to train them to host and produce/edit their podcasts in Adobe Audition. #JobTraining Check out our first podcast below! #Funny
ACADEMY DC MEMBERS ON YOUR TV
Congrats Ice Karim the Winner of our I GOT NEXT CHALLENGE! He won a $500 DTLR Gift Card, Free Video Shoot & Studio time courtesy of Haven House Studios. Plus the video for “Amazing” debuted in all DTLR stores nationwide and also on WUSA 9.
WE TEACH IMPORTANT LIFE SKILLS
JOB READINESS TRAINING
One of the biggest obstacles our clients face is unemployment and having a challenged past can make this even more difficult. To address this we brought in Carmen Drummond to assist us in getting our clients job ready. We are also working with a few local businesses who have agreed to offer second chances to returning citizens.
DEZ GETS TWO JOBS!
Meet Dez one of our day one students from the CSOSA DC program. His passions are now gourmet cooking, fishing and he’s also appeared in a few local movies. Check out story of how he bought into our process and got 2 jobs in one week!
VIOLENCE REDUCTION
The Washington DC area is currently experiencing an increase gun violence. At the Academy we frequently bring in compelling speakers to share their stories with our at risk youth and returning citizens. We recent sat down with The NO SLIDE ZONE to talk about their efforts to curb violence in the African American community.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF LOLA DIOR
The story of how one of our students turned her life around
MEETING THEM WHERE THEY ARE
Music and Video Production, CD Art Creation, Social Media Strategy, Stage Performance, Breath Control and Important Life Skills
MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
Each 16 week session our clients team up to create and conceptualize a music video from scratch. We first record the actual song then create the video. This is also a opportunity to expose them to cameras and the equipment used to create. Some have expressed interest in learning how to produce and we are exploring the idea of doing a few sessions on how to actually shoot and edit the videos themselves. VIDEO: Click here to see the videos they conceptualized.
LIVE PERFORMANCE TRAINING
Most of our clients are raw talents and most have never performed on stage or with a live band. We recently created a a jam session where our clients performed their verses with a live band. It was pretty amazing! VIDEO: Click here to see how it turned out.
YOGA & CHILL
Each 16 week session we bring in our certified Yogi Akil Taffe to teach stretching and breathing techniques. Akil is also The Regional Marketing Director for RCA records. He also teaches our clients the in and outs of the record business as well. Emotional intelligence and Self Awareness are hallmarks of what we teach our returning citizens.