Hip Hop Used as an Educational Tool in Public School

Los Angeles, California – August 27, 2007 –A unique educational Hip Hop program is being offered at a public charter school in South Los Angeles. The Global Awareness through Hip Hop class, now in its second year, is taught by the course’s creator, Sebastien Elkouby, and is one of the only full time educational Hip Hop programs in the country being offered as an elective course to 7th and 8th grade students.

Elkouby, founder of the Urban Youth Empowerment Foundation, an organization which uses Hip Hop culture as a tool for youth empowerment, created this program to address the educational crisis that affects more than 50% of inner-city middle and high school students. As similar statistics are observed in many cities across the nation, it became clear that a new method was needed to reach students with poor grades at risk for dropping out.

Elkouby says, “For a variety of reasons, these students feel completely disconnected from the traditional educational process and, ultimately, they give up. This program helps students develop critical thinking skills by using Hip Hop to analyze pop culture media and social movements, while simultaneously teaching students language arts, history, social studies, cultural diversity, geography, and health.” He adds, “Using Hip Hop as a medium to reach students makes sense considering they have such a strong connection to its culture. Last year’s success of the program confirms it works.”

The Global Awareness Through Hip Hop course is offered for the entire school year beginning August 27, 2007 through June 22, 2008.