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In partnership with DJs and promoters across the U.S., Give a Beat’s International Youth Day events are raising awareness and funds for music and mentoring programs, to give young people a voice! Together we can help break the vicious grip of incarceration in America, participating cities include Chicago, Detroit, Durham, Humboldt, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Diego, San Francisco, and Tucson.

Spread Positive Change

August 12th is the UN declared International Youth Day, which “aims to remind the public of the importance of youth as a stage in life and is celebrated all over the world.” On this date each year, the UN recognizes efforts of the world’s youth in enhancing global society and also promotes ways to engage youth to get more involved in making positive contributions to their communities. Give a Beat, in partnership with promotional partners, is hoping to raise awareness about how youth are being negatively affected by the mass incarceration crisis and raise funds toward our programs that offer positive alternatives to the school-to-prison pipeline.

In addition to raising funds for Give a Beat’s innovative programs, a major educational initiative will be implemented so that attendees can learn about the myriad ways in which the mass incarceration epidemic is negatively affecting youth, and how to get involved and push for positive change. This is an ongoing nationwide effort by Give a Beat to raise awareness and educate dance music fans and the public at large about the plight of youth in marginalized American communities.

Besides the actual events, a greater number of artists and DJs will participate in I Give a Beat About Youth, a social media awareness campaign, whereby they will create and share videos that educate the world about the mounting setbacks faced by youth who grow up in communities impacted by mass incarceration. Visit Give a Beat’s IYD 2017 page in the near future to view and share these engaging videos.

The Issues:

The deleterious effects of mass incarceration are particularly difficult for American youth in marginalized communities. Currently, 2.7 million children (minors under 18) in the United States have an incarcerated parent. In addition, the United States is the world leader in incarcerating youth, spending $6 billion per year on juvenile corrections. On any given day, there are over 70,000 juveniles in custody in the U.S. Furthermore, the U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world that puts minors into solitary confinement, tries them as adults, imposes life sentences without parole, and sends juveniles to adult prisons at a stunning average cost of $80K a year, more than a Harvard education. And perhaps most disturbing, 1 in 3 African American youth will be in prison during their lifetime.

“There are so many people locked up in the U.S. right now: women, teens – most who have already been victimized and are now separated from family. Our for-profit prison system has been able to grow unabatedly for 45 years. It’s a machine, making it very difficult to intervene and correct, but there is still a lot we can do. For one, we can just be there for people who’ve been through it by receiving them when they get out. This alone can make a world of difference.” says Lauren Segal.