WHO ARE WE?
We were a group of young people living and working in Over-the-Rhine,
listening to the community’s concerns, finally deciding we had to do
something. From the beginning, we discussed everything from drugs and
violence to housing and employment – but police-community relations was
clearly the issue most on peoples’ minds. Walking the streets with
literature about citizens’ rights interacting with police and
monitoring that interaction, we had a unique opportunity to hear what
young people wanted. We heard time and again that youth needed a place
to go. We began work on Elementz: The Hip Hop Youth Arts Center in
September 2003 and opened our doors February 24th, 2005. Elementz
mission is to inspire and engage inner city youth through innovative
hip hop arts programs, leadership development, and community building.
ARE YOU A 503(c)(3) DESIGNATED ORGANIZATION?
Yes, we received this designation from the IRS in November 2003. Our tax exemption letter is available upon request. 990 Annual Report? To see a copy of our 990 Annual Report, go to www.guidestar.org
WHO IS ON YOUR BOARD?
Visit the about us page to see a complete listing of board and staff members.
HOW MANY PEOPLE COME TO ELEMENTZ?
We have a pretty consistent average of 40-50 young people aged 14-24
coming to our center every night we are open (Monday through Thursdays
from 3-10pm).
WHAT IS YOUR TARGET CONSTITUENCY?
We work with youth who gather "downtown" - the Over-the-Rhine/West End
area. Though this group is primarily low-income African Americans, many
young people in the Hip Hop scene from different parts of Cincinnati
and other backgrounds commute to Elementz because of their interest in
the programs we offer and the family like atmosphere. We of course
welcome this diversity.
HOW DO YOU GET INPUT FROM YOUTH?
Initially we surveyed over 1000 young people to decide what our work
should be based on, over 500 youth to picked the name of our center,
and recently we completed nearly 100 member surveys for our yearly
review. We also have a leadership committee that is composed of some of
Elementz most highly engaged youth and this committee gives our youth a
forum to voice their opinions and be involved in the decision making at
Elementz.
DID YOU MODEL YOUR PROJECT AFTER OTHERS?
From the very beginning we did considerable national research to see
what is working with youth in similar demographic populations.
Specifically, we have modeled Elementz after a place in Denver,
Colorado called The Spot, founded in 1991. The Spot's Executive
Director made a consulting visit to Cincinnati upon our invitation in
June of 2003, then two of our members went to Denver in September 2003
to attend a weekend workshop titled "Starting Your Own
Adolescent-Focused Youth Center." We also have learned a lot about
using music to engage and encourage youth through the non profit
program called S.T.A.R.S located in Columbus, Oh
(www.starscolumbus.org). Through ongoing contact with The Spot and
S.T.A.R.S we are confident that we can create a place that will provide
young people what they need into the next decade.
We are also now working with the All-Ages Movement
Project to develop a network of organizations and support to spread and
support innovative work like ours across the country.
WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?
Please contact us for our most recent budget.
DOES ELEMENTZ HAVE ANY OTHER PROJECTS?
Elementz is working on both hip hop arts programs and
leadership/community building programs to help give its members a wide
variety of opportunities to gain important life skills. Visit our
program page for more information about Elementz programs.
WHAT IS THE NEED YOU ARE WORKING TO ADDRESS?
Young people ages 14-24 need more youth-oriented places to go. They
need safe and empowering places with access to resources relevant to
their interests and talents. Hip Hop is the voice of young people
today. Hip Hop has been the biggest selling musical genre since 2000,
and the overall culture continues to permeate everything that youth do
– from their fashion to their speech. Elementz is a place where young
people and their ideas are respected. Youth have input and gain
ownership in the space. Young people need somewhere like Elementz.
HOW DID YOU DISCOVER THIS NEED?
We discovered this need because we are young people and we know what we
need. Just to be sure, we talked with our friends and our friends’
friends. We surveyed over a thousand youth, set up speaking engagements
at schools, and met with others working with youth in Over-the-Rhine
and the West End. We know there is a need for a Hip Hop based youth
center because we asked youth what they wanted and then truly listened.
DO YOU COLLABORATE WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS?
We have strong relationships with several local organizations. We have
worked with organizations such as the Carl Linder YMCA, the Upward
Bound Program, Media Bridges, Cincinnati Hip Hop Congress, CeaseFire,
Atypical, Teen Institute, the Ohio League of Conservation Voters as
well as local schools and Colleges. Moving forward Elementz hopes to
build closer relationships with other arts organizations and to work on
different collaborative projects in the future.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS AND OUTCOMES FOR 2006?
Please contact us for our most updated set of goals and outcomes.
WHAT IS YOUR LONG TERM VISION?
With hip hop culture as our base, we will develop programs,
partnerships, collaborations, and campaigns to enhance the lives of
youth we work with and for. We envision Elementz being open as a
full-time after school program, where artistic, educational, and
entrepreneurial opportunities are available. By consistently listening
and providing relevant resources, we will build strong trust and
relationships and identify what our constituency needs in order to
continue to learn and grow. We will always work to support and develop
a pipeline of leadership that is connected to the community - at all
levels of the organization. Financial support will come from a broad
spectrum of individuals, businesses, foundations and others. Our vision
is to build a sustainable organization with a close connection to inner
city youth.
HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK BEING FUNDED OVER TIME?
FFor long term and future funding, we plan to continue to keep
diversified sources of income. We expect foundation grants and
individual contributions to provide the bulk of our resources.
Currently, we have a donor base of over 150 individuals that we will
cultivate and grow through fundraisers and giving programs. In-kind
support will grow over time, and we will continue to plan special
events to promote Elementz and raise funds. We are committed to a local
funding base, and believe that a strong budget is made up of everything
from grants to endowments. We are confident that young people will show
their desire for Elementz to continue to exist and the Cincinnati
community will respond to our need. Furthermore, local and national
research tells us that we have a unique and desired project with
fantastic potential for growth on the long term. Over time, we are also
committed to earned income strategies that will likely include small
business development. Elementz Privacy Notice
Effective 9/1/2010
Privacy Notice Table Of Contents:
Our Commitment To Privacy
The Information We Collect
How We Use Information
Our Commitment To Data Security
Our Commitment To Children's Privacy
How To Access Or Correct Your Information
How To Contact Us
Our Commitment To Privacy
Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we
provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices
you can make about the way your information is collected and used.
The Information We Collect:
This notice applies to all information collected or submitted on
the Elementz website. On some pages, you
can make a donation or egister to receive email communications. The types of personal information collected at these pages are:
Name
Address
Email address
Phone number
Credit/Debit Card Information
The Way We Use Information:
We use the information you provide about yourself when placing an
order only to accomplish the task (collect donation or register for email). We
do not share this information with outside parties except to the extent
necessary to complete the request. We
use the information you provide about someone else when placing an order only
to ship the product and to confirm delivery. We do not share this information
with outside parties except to the extent
necessary to complete that order.
You can register with our website if you would like to receive our email
newsletters. Finally, we never use or share the personally identifiable
information provided to us online in ways
unrelated to the ones described above without also providing you an
opportunity to opt-out or otherwise prohibit
such unrelated uses.
Our Commitment To Data Security
To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure
the correct use of information, we have
put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to
safeguard and secure the information we
collect online.
How You Can Access Or Correct Your Information
You can access all your personally identifiable information that
we collect online and maintain by sending
an email to admin@elementz.org To protect your privacy and security, we will
also take reasonable steps to verify your identity making corrections.
How To Contact Us
Should you have other questions or concerns about these
privacy policies, please call us at 513-721-5800 or send us an email at admin@elementz.org
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