The “Guitar Man” Stops By Juvie

City Youth Now kick started the New Year with a visit from musician and author of “Don’t Shoot! I’m the Guitar Man”, Buzzy Martin. The boys of Unit 3 and Unit 6 were the lucky Units who got the chance to listen to Buzzy’s presentation. He provided a great opportunity for these boys to let loose and act like kids. It was hilarious to see what happens to a room full of adolescent boys the instant Buzzy began strumming his guitar. Quickly, each boy sheds his tough exterior and they morph back into the children they are; dancing, singing, letting loose with no concern about how silly they look. This was just a warm-up to the important message Buzzy Martin had for these young men: follow your dreams, and don’t take no for an answer no matter how many times people tell you those dreams are not possible.

Buzzy’s own life is a testament to this message. He moved to California from Michigan to play music, then he spent time teaching music to incarcerated youth, which subsequently led him to a three-year stint teaching a music class to inmates at San Quentin State Prison. He then compiled his notes from his three years teaching at the “Q” and wrote a book about his experience. His dream was to get his book published— he was going to do everything in his power to do so, which ultimately led to Buzzy investing his own money and self-publishing the book. His presentation focused less on the time he spent teaching music at the “Q”, and more on his path to following his dream of publishing his book (which is set to become a major motion picture). Buzzy captivated his audience and instilled in these young men the message that anything is possible if you dream, set goals, and work hard.

Walking into a presentation in juvenile hall you can never predict how the group of boys will react. Buzzy’s first presentation was with Unit 3; nobody in the class had read his book, and few knew who he was. All gave him their full attention, as Buzzy opened up playing “My Girl”. Although timid at first, by the chorus counselors and inmates joined together singing and dancing along to the music. Buzzy encouraged each to follow their dreams, and prove to society the potential they have. One boy declared, “I am better than this, I’m worth it, I mean something”, and several boys asked for copies of the book after class.

The second presentation was with the young men of Unit 6 who were equally as giddy when the music started. At one moment during the presentation a shy hand went up and the young man asked if he could play Buzzy’s guitar. As he began to play he captured the attention of the entire room, the once rowdy boys fell silent to listen to the beautiful music this young man was playing. He didn’t own a guitar, so it’s a wonder where he learned to play so well, Buzzy’s advice “keep playing man, music might just save your life”.

City Youth Now is so happy to have had the chance to invite Buzzy Martin to juvenile hall. Music brings people together no matter what neighborhood you’re from, how much money you have, or the color of your skin. Music has a power to turn us all into carefree adolescents, and it was an amazing sight to see. Buzzy is a living example of what one can gain by following their dreams. His message to these boys is an insightful one: the road to prison is a dead end street, each and every one of these young men has potential but is it up to them to pursue their dreams.

Support for College-Bound Youth

Attending college has become a near necessity in today’s society. If not just for the education, the socialization process; a time entering young adulthood where young people learn to become adults

In the twenty-first century, a computer is no longer optional when it comes to academic success—it is mandatory. Typically, only 38% of the youth we serve will continue their education beyond high school or completion of their GED. City Youth Now realizes that access to technology is a major player in encouraging academic success.

With the hiking tuition fees and the outrageous costs of textbooks, many students do not have the luxury of owning a laptop computer. As a recent college gradates I can contest to the hours outside of the classroom spent writing papers and conduction research papers, on my laptop. Many professors’ workloads are well over 4 hours a week outside of the classroom; add that to the three other classes your taking, and college quickly turns into a full time job. For many students of lower-income situations they are working full time jobs on top of attending school—they don’t have the extra time to spend in a campus computer lab. In efforts to provide these hard working youths with privileges many young adults in this country have, more and more organizations are donating driven college bound youth with laptop computers to help ensure they excel through college.

More organizations throughout the country are realizing the importance of encouraging academic success and aiding these young adults in striving to be the best students they can be. A Connecticut organization put on a summit meeting to raise awareness and celebrate at-risk youth who are excelling in college. Laptops and scholarships were given away to students attending college. This organization holds the same ideas as CYN that all youth deserve a chance to succeed, and the important role a personalized computer can play in ones success. This organization in Connecticut, and many others across the country, including CYN are focused to inspire and help at-risk youths attend college. No obstacle should stand in the way of higher education. It is exciting to see more and more programs working towards ensuring youth succeed throughout college!

For more information on our program please visit www.cityyouthnow.org.

Happy New Year!

We at City Youth Now would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! We are very excited to get back to business and start working with San Francisco youth in the year to come. Something we are most excited about getting back to this year is our Author Visits, we have quite a line up to start off the new year. We are thrilled to invite author and musician Buzzy Martin; author, teacher, and activist, Nikki Jones; and “change agent” and advocate, Sterling Scott, to speak to classes in juvenile hall.

Buzzy Martin, author of Don’t Shoot! I’m the Guitar Man, will come speak to the hall the third week in January. Martin is an eclectic man who taught music class to prisoners in San Quentin for three years, wrote a book about it, and now speaks to juvenile halls across the country. Martin’s account of teaching music to these prisoners resonates with youth at risk of becoming adult offenders themselves. He portrays an un-glorified account of prison life in hopes of steering youth away from finding himself involved in the adult system. Martin began production on the major motion picture of this book in January.

City Youth Now is also honored to invite author Nikki Jones. We are very excited to have a woman visit the girls unit and speak to them about matters unique to female offenders. Jones is well-educated and intelligent teacher and author of several books. He work focuses on violence perpetrated by girls, and focuses on how violence shapes the lives of young African-American women. With her use of ethnography she paints the reader a picture of how African-American girls negotiate schools and neighborhoods governed by a form of street justice that governs violence in distressed urban areas.

Sterling Scott, from the Insight Prison Project, is our final honored guest. Scott made headlines in the early 1980’s when he gunned down an MUNI bus driver who owed him money on a drug deal. Scott wound up spending the next 23-½ years behind bars serving a 15-year to life sentence for his crime. While serving his sentence Scott made the decision to change his life around. He was granted parole and emerged from prison as a program developer, a facilitator, and human activist. As a member of the Insight Prison Project, he works with youth to break the cycle of incarceration. CYN is thrilled to invite him to speak!

City Youth Now is very excited to welcome these magnificent speakers, and we are excited to bring such influential people to juvenile hall.