Creating an impact in Newburg!

January 14th was showcase day for "Roots & Wings” in the Newburg Community. It was an opportunity to showcase our talents individually, but also to allow the youth to witness our collective goals. Showtime was set to take place at 4:45pm. Being that myself and Hannah visit the community center weekly we expected a huge turnout roughly between 30-50 youth depending on what after school activities were taking place across the street at Newburg Middle School.  We begin the program shortly before the 5'oclock hour with myself introducing the participants from "Roots &Wings" and giving a brief synopsis on how we plan to conduct workshops. Participants from "Roots & Wings" included: Jerron, Hannah, Lance, Robin, Kiara and Cynthia.  Shortly after my introduction, the workshop begin with Lance producing poetry that intrigued the minds of the young men and women who were in attendance. Lance has the ability to capture the audience with his aggressive delivery and breathtaking metaphors. Following Lance's performance, Robin G ignited the crowd with her authentic piece "Unwrapped", although the majority of the crowd were young men, the young ladies in the crowd felt a sense of empowerment. This piece hits home for women who doubt their role as being a young powerful female in today's society. To keep the flow energized, Kiara provided smooth sounds and engaged the audience with words and sounds. I compare her to a modern day BADU!. She's "Awesome".  Right after Kiara wowed the crowd with her amazing sounds, Hannah brought it home with her inspirational piece for women as well. Between Robin and Hannah, women can only feel on top of the world once they leave a "Roots & Wings" event. Hannah brings energy, concreteness, authenticity, and plain REALNESS! to the stage. She is definitely a force in the "poetry" world along with so many other talents. To conclude the presentation, Cynthia introduced herself and provided a description of what she adds to the group as a phenomenal Black Ballerina dancer, and poet. I enjoyed the youth's participation; Lance also mixed it up with his games. The games add value to the mini performances because it allows the youth to display their talents and add receive rewards for participation. If I’m not mistaken we had approx. 10 children who filled out interest forms and we will soon contact the families with more information about workshops. I'm looking forward to creating an impact! "ROOTS & WINGS" 2016 #ROOTSWINGSART

​- Jerron "DJ NERDBOI" Jones