Still Following Dreams

Follow Your Dreams Inc. was established in 2001. As Founder of FYD, the mission was to empower youth by providing cultural exposure, recreation and arts. Harwood is a community located in North Central Baltimore City. We started in a rusty old yard, that took two years to renovate. Five years later we have evolved into a youth-led facility that includes a video production station, recording studio, computer lab,and year round activities for youth in media arts. Some of our accomplishments include The video after-school programming and 7 years of FYD'S Youth Awareness Summer Camp. The Follow your Dreams Youth Center is the first neighborhood facility and serves as a safe haven for our youth. Today these young gifted minds are embarking on a youth enterprise, opening the 1st youth run recording studio to the public in 2007. Out of a problem solving tactic, addressing the issue of selling drugs to pay for studio time, 14year old Michael Hicks and 15yr old Warren Hill wrote a successful grant To YAR that funded the studio. We have been building ever since the center opened in 2004. Today I teach the business aspect of hip hop to ages 13-21. Many Of today's youth desire to be rappers or singers. Harsh reality is that everyone will not become big artist. If you create music because you love it then you should be able to do so. Producing art is art. Youth deserve to have the tools (knowledge)and let them decide. There are artist who create music and are not concerned with mainstream notoriety. I don't hear what I wish to hear therefore I shall create it. This is why self production is important. We access & explore the career opportunities in hip hop culture: film/video/music. Youth are gaining leadership skills, confidence, entrepreneurial training, and building self esteem along the way. Many of our youth are entering college,forming labels,managing artist, and furthering the study of music business as a result of this experience. In FYD Records our studio is where youth train each other in engineering and operating the equipment. We are currently expanding to our program to Kenya. We feel that youth from city to city deserve to pursue their Dreams. Education is critical, we are losing our youth. They require our attention, a guide of sorts. If you would like to get involved, or learn more about us check us out at www.followyourdreamsinc.org or myspace/followyourdreamrecords. Youth are the future no matter how we slice it. FYD Records is alternative to the streets and proven successful. The studio is simply a tool to give young people a voice where they can advocate for social change. Be on the Look out for FYD Records Projects Coming Soon."Any Injustice in the world is a threat to justice everywhere in the world" MLK Jr. .blacktext10 {