Celebrating BEATS & YAP’s 2021-22 season!

Summer is coming… But not before we celebrate everything that happened in GRCB programming during the 2021-22 school year! 

BEATS, after-school program

This school year GRCB hosted BEATS, our after-school program, at Gardner Pilot Academy in Allston for grades 3-5. During weekly sessions, students learned how to create music on iPads, form bands, write songs, record vocals, and then direct, film, and edit music videos. Both semesters of BEATS were smashing successes!

We had record-high attendance, with some students attending both fall and spring sessions. Family members and GRCB friends gathered to watch the virtual Music Video Premier Parties, applauding the work of the students and dedication of the program volunteers (band coaches, workshop leaders, and audio engineer) who supported them. 

Check out the BEATS music videos from this spring by clicking here or head over to our bandcamp to listen to and download the original songs. 

YAP (Youth Activism Project)

This year, GRCB’s YAP participants focused their research on what makes LGBTQ+ youth feel safe. They surveyed and analyzed data from over 75 youths about safety in their lives (with whom, how, where).

As part of presenting their findings, they facilitated a panel of professional experts live on YouTube discussing how to better support LGBTQ+ youth. The culmination of the project was a youth-designed website with their findings as well as helpful tools and resources. 

Additionally, in June, YAP participants are presenting a workshop at Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD) Youth Leadership Forum. They will be sharing the tools they learned this year to use research to fuel activism. 

We celebrate the work that YAP participants completed this year, which took resourcefulness, teamwork, and dedication.

Check out this year’s website by clicking here. Watch their data presentation and panel discussion by clicking here.