Community Fundraiser Supports Young Women's Leadership Development

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2007
Contact: Kristen Arant, 202-213-7810
kristen@youngwomendrum.org

Community Showcase to Support Young Women's Leadership Development

The Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP) - a youth development organization that uses expressive arts and teambuilding to boost its participants' self esteem, self awareness and leadership skills - is hosting a Community Showcase on March 10, 2007 from 4-7 p.m. at Edmund Burke High School, to raise funds for its summer programming.

YWDEP, founded in 2005 on a small grant from the DC Arts Commission, is planning its third summer Enrichment Program (SEP), which employs DC artists and youth workers to teach interactive workshops in hand drumming, poetry, song-writing, movement, team building and more throughout the summer months, resulting in a yearly end of the summer performance
that has stunned audiences. (See YWDEP show reel at: http://www.youngwomendrum.org gallery.html).

Currently YWDEP is supported through its community membership program, and is fiscally sponsored by One Common Unity, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

YWDEP is organizing outreach programs that will span the entirity of DC in order to build its youth membership base for the SEP. YWDEP is also expanding its mentorship program, which was initiated in 2006 when its first group of participants expressed an interest in mentoring new girls entering the second annual SEP.

YWDEP's own Nancy Umanzor, 18, an original project participant, has graduated to staff and will be serving as the Mentorship Coordinator this summer.

"This year we have a lot more staff and volunteers who have experience working with groups of adolescents," She said.

"With their help we'll be able to push forward our Mentorship Program, which will be a huge success because we'll have a diverse group of girls learning how to become leaders and demonstrating to our new members what women can do in today's society."

The showcase, which includes $500 worth of raffle prizes from local businesses, will be hosted by
hip-hop artivist the Princess of Controversy, and features community arts and youth groups such as Sol y Soul and Interstages - an organization that provides artistic and academic opportunities for early adolescents in low-income neighborhoods. Entertainment also includes a Brazilian Quartet, local poets and singer-songwriters, WeDance Ensemble, and members of YWDEP and the Intergenerational Women's Drum Choir.

The event will be held on Saturday, March 10 from 4-7 p.m. at Edmund Burke High School's new auditorium - 4101 Connecticut Ave NW, Van Ness/UDC Metro, corner of Connecticut and Upton Sts. Limited garage parking and street parking are available. $10 suggested donation.

For more information: www.youngwomendrum.org