About
W.O.R.D. is part of the worldwide hip hop phenomenon – a group dedicated to positive social change by working both inside and outside of the mainstream. Our main focus lies in helping learners achieve their respective goals while engaging their families, communities and the larger educational system. W.O.R.D. enhances literacy skills while creating a safe space for self-expression. It is a space where the natural talents of youth break out and shine!
W.O.R.D. creates a safe and nurturing environment for its participants so that they may strengthen their critical thinking skills and increase their self-awareness. Our methods were developed drawing from extensive research on the growing number of successful youth-led programs around the world. W.O.R.D.’s two successful pilot programs at Tyndale St. Georges Community Centre and James Lyng School in Montreal between January 2007 and May 2008 have provided us with a rich store of experience that has, also, contributed to our program’s strong foundation. Because these youth don’t, typically, thrive in traditional classroom environments, W.O.R.D. is a welcomed alternative. By using hip hop music and culture as curriculum, we provide a rewarding and valuable alternative to normative educational praxes.
W.O.R.D., ultimately, is about complementing traditional curricular approaches to literacy, enabling youth empowerment and criticality by using hip hop music and culture as a means of engagement. And, we provide each participant with a variety of resources so that they may write, record and produce their own original hip hop song using assorted media. Last but not least, our interactive lessons that stimulate dialogue and reflection prompt our participants to think critically about negative media messages and the ways in which they may or may not inform and/or reflect their lives.