Run this town

YMR Kicks off its New Fall Season with EnterACTION: YMR's Community Open House!

By Emily Moldy

After spending this summer doing a lot of reflecting, restructuring and redefining what Youth Movement Records stands for as an organization, YMR was excited and ready to kick off its new 2010 season last week, with an all-welcoming, open house, community event called EnterACTION. Last Wednesday, on September 15th, YMR staff, participants new and old, and community members all gathered here at OSA where YMR is housed, to meet, eat, and get the inside scoop on what YMR is all about and how cool it really is...

Modeled like an Open House, this event included tours through the facilities given by some true YMR all-star charmer-tour guides, a chance to check out mini- presentations of our music and media-arts workshops, live performances from YMR artists Styna Swagg and Princeton, an opportunity to meet YMR staff and instructors and network with other community members, a raffle... and of course, FOOD!

From performances from YMR artists, to the Music Production workshop, check out pictures from the event below!

^Jamal showing off his DJ skills & keeping everyone on a good one with his spinning!

• Read more

Desperate times call for creative minds!

--By Emily Moldy

If you don't know them for their dope music or community activism here in Oakland, you should recognize them from blogs about the U.S. Social Forum (on YMR's website which you should be checking out daily!) They are: AJ Thrower (YMR) and Tania Pulido (RYSE)... and they are two of many Bay Area youth who attended this year's U.S. Social Forum, where they spent time with thousands of other artists, activists, and like-minded folks who are SERIOUSLY ready to change the world..

It's true that now, more than ever, young folks have a powerful voice in movement towards changing our worlds. Here at YMR we talk a lot about movement (like "youth movement" "social movement", etc).. but what exactly is this movement? Where is it going? What does it look like?

This past Monday, YMR hosted a meeting in the lab for anyone to come and listen to what AJ, Tania, and YMR's Video Coordinator, Dan Reilly had to say about their journey to the East Coast to represent YMR at the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit, MI. They brought back with them a contagious energy talking about being creative to make changes in their communities, neighborhoods, and throughout the country. Bono of U2 once said, "This is a time for bold measures. This is the country, and you are the generation.” Imagine if we actually came together with our art (whatever form of art that may be) to use as both our medicine for healing and weapon for resistance, and imagine if we got to brainstorming... we really could run this town.

• Read more