Reaching The Potential of Hip Hop By Marisa N Benson Cultural Arts Consulting ©2010

Strategic Planning From the Policy Level to the Grassroots Level Five year plan with goals and objectives Collaborative Participation with balanced and diverse representation

Laying the Foundation Creating the infrastructure Finding the resources (financial, manpower, facility, etc.) Executing a marketing plan

Building Community Increasing Outreach to new audiences via:  Media  Festivals  Partnerships Increasing Accessibility

Diversifying Hip Hop Expanding the notion of:  Disciplines (think about hip hop beyond the music to include hip hop education, hip hop theatre and visual art elements, etc.)  Products (beyond the music, clothes, investing in community infrastructure, etc.)  Achieving a gender balance

Creating and Cultivating Partnerships Create creative synergies with like minded organizations Also, build bridges with organizations that have a different mission to increase the capacity and impact of the hip hop in the community

Role of Hip Hop in Cultural Preservation Hip hop can preserve the language, and also teach young people the language Hip hop can preserve traditional stories and remix them in a new context keeping intact the original message

Advocacy and Documentation Create a hip hop consortium Work towards a unified voice to achieve a platform on social issues that are relevant to hip hop and the community Use media to document the process and the movement of hip hop in your community

Amazing Hip Hop Initiatives Hip Hop Community Arts Initiative Hip Hop Theater Festival Hip Hop artists as Cultural Envoys Hip Hop artists as Cultural Visitors Online Platforms

Taking Hip Hop Global Cultural Exchange programs Music Touring Programs Distance learning programs Online collaborations Connecting to new audiences and communities of the Diaspora

What Hip Hop Can Be! Catalyst for community engagement Platform to address social issues Kick-starter for a creative economy Method of Cultural Preservation