When Dreams Emerge - Tuesday December 7th from 6-8pm at Busboys and Poets

Join us for When Dreams Emerge: A Dreaming Out Loud Celebration and Fundraiser on Tuesday December 7th from 6-8pm at Busboys and Poets (14th and V). The occasion will applaud our successes over the past year and serve as a commitment to continue our efforts in creating the inclusive and vibrant community we all envision. Busboys and Poets – the District’s hub for social justice, arts and progressive conversation – will serve as hosts for this fundraiser and documentary screening. Our host will be Justine Love from WPGC 95.5 with a performance by Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon and keynote speaker Dr. Greg Carr, Chair of Howard University’s African-American Studies Department.

You will see the impact we were able to have on the District’s youth in the debut of our short documentary called Project Dream Green: A Youth Environmental Revolution. This film tells the story of Project Dream Green, a youth-centered environmental learning and work experience designed by Dreaming Out Loud and Groundwork Anacostia River DC.

During the summer of 2010 these organizations hosted 72 youth participants ages 14-21 who worked throughout Ward 7 in Washington, DC to improve their community, the environment and themselves. The film moves swiftly through some of the District’s most striking scenic gifts including the Botanic Gardens and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens giving the audience a glimpse of some of the treasures we must preserve.

The Executive Directors — Chris Bradshaw and Dennis Chestnut — serve as the guiding voices of the documentary as they describe the mission of the two partner organizations, the dynamics of the partnership and their vision for the future of Project Dream Green.

The theme of the night, “When Dreams Emerge,” stems from our motto, “When Dreams Emerge, Communities Arise!” This philosophy is firmly rooted in the recognition that when one realizes their dream, success is no longer limited to that individual; rather it serves as the impetus for the progression of the entire community.

Your participation will make a difference in so many lives! Over the past two years the organization has grown from just a dream to an organization leading the way in impacting young peoples’ lives and developing the youth changemakers that will help to transform the District.

If you can’t make it, you can still contribute: Donate Now!

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Candidate for Ward 1 City Council

Fellow Affinity Lab member Brian Weaver was recently featured on the Washington City Paper’s website with the debut of his new political commercial. The video features Weaver moving through some of Ward 1′s most notable locales, including restaurants, bars and a other landmarks. The film was directed by Olivia Abtahi, director of Dreaming Out Loud’s “When Dreams Emerge, Communities Arise!” commercial and a forthcoming documentary on the experience of our summer program Project Dream Green.

Weaver has a strong record of community-engagement and youth-advocacy through organizations such as Hoops Sagrado. Sum of Change – a blog dedicated to socially, politically and culturally conscious media – has included the Ward 1 contestant among its coverage of this year’s DC election season.

With the hotly contested Democratic Primaries slated for September 14th, this is a critical stretch-run for all of the candidates. Jeff Smith, Executive Director of DC Voice and incumbent Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham will vie for the seat which Graham has occupied since 1998.

With the increased attention brought by the ad debut on the Citypaper’s site -District’s premier source for all things fresh and new – the Weaver Campaign hopes the momentum can help springboard them to victory.