Organized by SchoolTalk, Inc.
Equip DC's Creative Future: Donate Today!
Your donation today will help SchoolTalk outfit our new youth media and art studio with quality equipment to help high school students with disabilities and their peers connect to creative careers and provide them with the skills to live self-directed lives.
We Need Your Support!
Students with disabilities often feel disconnected from school and are at high risk of not making successful transitions to adulthood. D.C.’s most vulnerable students were more likely to have experienced significant trauma and will need extra attention and creative solutions to re-engage them. Arts education has been proven to enrich student learning experiences, improve academic outcomes, develop empathy and compassion, and strengthen analysis and problem-solving skills. Art is naturally inclusive and offers opportunities for individuals with a range of abilities to access and engage equitably. Unfortunately, most D.C. schools offer limited arts education programming, significantly limiting students’ access to vital opportunities for connection and personal growth.
Students have shared that one of the main barriers to pursuing creative careers is having access to the quality (and often expensive) equipment needed to build relevant skills. We are striving to change that by expanding our work to provide a physical studio space where youth can collaborate with a dynamic team of award-winning, professional artists to receive coaching in using state-of-the-art equipment and software.
At the youth media and art studio, set to launch in August 2023, D.C. students with disabilities and their peers will be invited to create original art pieces, advocate for change, and collaborate with award-winning artists, including:
- Asheru: First hip hop artist to receive the prestigious Peabody Award, creator of the theme song for the Boondocks, U.S. Cultural Ambassador (State Department)
- Konshens the MC: Recipient of the Grammy Academy Community Award, U.S. Cultural Ambassador (State Department), and UNCCD Land Ambassador
- SchoolTalk: Named one of The Kennedy Center’s Next 50, a select group of 50 organizations and leaders leading the way toward a more inclusive, inspired, and compassionate world.
We need your help to provide them with the best equipment possible. Specifically, we are looking to raise $15,000 for state-of-the-art equipment and software for the studio. Please see below for a list of items your donation could help us purchase:
- $50-$500 - Supports the purchase of annual subscriptions to video, photo, music production, and graphic design software for students to use.
- $500-$1000 - Supports the purchase of DJ and sound equipment and photography and videography backdrops.
- $6000 - Supports the purchase of an audio booth.
What we do!
Since 2008, SchoolTalk has provided programming that supports D.C. high school students with disabilities in doing creative work in partnership with professional artists. Our goal is to improve student outcomes through programming that helps students to feel like they belong, are self-determined, and are hopeful about their futures.
Until recently, our work has been largely limited to in-school programming, where we transport our equipment from school to school and provide workshops during school hours. This work has had an incredible impact on helping students with disabilities live independent lives. Our students have gone on to facilitate workshops for their peers, MC and DJ at events, produce original hip-hop pieces and videos, provide professional photography services, and even launch their own businesses! Many of our students will even return post-graduation to mentor and coach other students.
We've reached over 1500 students, many of whom participate year after year. SchoolTalk was named one of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts "Next 50" leading cultural organizations for providing inclusive spaces for youth with disabilities to access the arts.
To get a sense of what youth have created through our programming, check out these videos :
Why Creative Careers?
SchoolTalk’s studio will be a hub of creative career programming that supports the successful transition of D.C. high school students with disabilities by providing a safe space for them to express themselves, understand how their stories and experiences can help others, and gain marketable skills that can open doors to a range of creative careers in photography, videography, music production, visual art, graphic design, and fashion design.
Washington, DC is ranked #1 in the country for the highest concentration of jobs in the arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations and is the top-paying state (annual mean wage) for jobs in this industry, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Who is SchoolTalk?
SchoolTalk is a District of Columbia-based nonprofit that supports the education community in collaboratively tackling critical and complex challenges and creating practical solutions for assisting youth with and without disabilities to achieve success. SchoolTalk works to create positive school-based learning environments and impact students’ lives through our two programmatic initiatives: InclusiveDC and RestorativeDC. Our theory of change illustrates how these programs are used to impact students, schools, and systems. This approach enables immediate support of students through direct service, improved school communities that build trust and belonging, and revamped ecosystem strategies to create long-lasting shifts that improve outcomes for all students.
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