The Collaboration
Artist Vincent Wright joined Energetic Enterprise Youth Community Studio and its founder, Paul Daquan Massey, to work alongside at-risk youth in the Uniondale, Hempstead, Roosevelt, Baldwin, Freeport, and Westbury School Districts in Nassau County, New York. Vincent led a music program that taught youth songwriting, singing, music engineering, DJ skills, podcasting, and photo and video editing in order to create a dialogue about gang and violence prevention, non-violent conflict resolution, substance abuse, and health concerns. The music program provided local youth a safe place to go and stay off the streets. Hands-on activities like learning how to make a podcast taught youth the skills of preparing to interview subjects in advance of a recording, and the overall work behind content creation.
The Organization
Energetic Enterprise Youth Community Studio was founded in 2000 to provide a safe haven for young people to translate their creative abilities into art, and expose young people to related employment opportunities, recognizing the value of offering young people an opportunity to showcase their positive attributes through music and music production during non-school hours.