Support YWDEP and HAVE FUN!!

you are cordially invited to....

DRUMMING WITH FRIENDS!!!
A fundraiser for the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project's Fourth Annual Summer Enrichment Program!

Saturday May 10th- 6:00-8:00 p.m.
at Java Green Eco Cafe, 1020 19th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
(At the corner of 19th and I Sts NW, Farragut West metro station)

Featuring: drumming, performances, raffle prizes and delicious organic food provided by Java Green! Suggested donation: $25. We hope you can join us on these dates to support this wonderful programming!

PLEASE RSVP! info@youngwomendrum.org or 202-213-7810


The Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project strives to create a safe space for young women to build unity, and fearlessly express their authentic selves through drumming, poetry, spoken word, song, movement, and performance. YWDEP is a a ONE COMMON UNITY program.


LETTER TO OUR COMMUNITY:

We've had quite a year of losses and gains, enough to make my head spin!! We still mourn over the loss of our dear friend and mentor, Henry Moses, and now are also mourning the loss of 6 stolen drums, which left us on April 27 when they were stolen along with a vehicle, in broad daylight.
We still have faith in our community, however, who has stepped up to the plate time and time again to ensure our programs continue to grow strong!!

This year we have much to PRAISE! THREE of our graduated young women (who have been with YWDEP for 2-3 years) will be employed through the DC Dept of Employment Services' Summer Youth Program. They be working for YWDEP, leading our Mentorship Program and facilitating workshops with our young women to build unity in the group. These fantastic women are also all artists in their own right, and will be assisting our new girls with their poetry, drumming, dances and songs.

In addition, we will be bringing adult female volunteer mentors to our workshops. These women will HOLD THE SPACE for our girls, giving us at least a 4-1 ratio of girls to women. Through this we will build intergenerational community partnerships that will extend out to all of our work in communities in DC and the surrounding area.

We have also forged alliances with two fantastic organizations who are also working with young women - the Teen Life Clubs girls program at DC Children's Hospital, and the DC Boys and Girls Clubs' FBR branch girls project, which is held at THE ARC, a fantastic performing arts center in SE DC. We are in touch with both of these groups and have plans in effect to collaborate in the fall.

With all this said, We hope you will join us THIS SATURDAY for a fundraiser celebrating these wonderful milestones, and to offer your continued support of YWDEP!!!!

thank you,

Kristen Arant
Founder and Director, YWDEP
www.youngwomendrum.org