Paraplegic Rap Group Tackles Teen Violence One "Peer Mediation" Performance at a Time
New York, NY (PRWEB) November 20, 2013 -- 4 Wheel City will assists students and teachers at four Bronx and East Harlem high schools in their efforts to make it “cool” to choose peer mediation and "talking it out" as an alternative to violence. Working with student mediation teams trained in each school by (MTSD) 4 Wheel offers assembly performances of a new peer mediation theme song entitled, “My Peer Mediation” they created to encourage students to try peer mediation, as well as their old favorite “Welcome 2 Reality.” All this for entertainment with a message and promotion with students at the following high schools:
@Frederick Douglas Academy III on November 15,
@ Validus Prep Academy on November 18,
@ Esperanza High School on November 20.
Note: (additional dates to be added)
“We feel honored to have the opportunity to perform and use our music as a tool to encourage young people to do the right thing. Being a trained Peer-Mediator and injured by violence myself when I was in High School, I have first hand experience of mediation’s positive benefits, and I'm very passionate about inspiring the youth of today to embrace it as well,” says rap artist Namel “Tap Waterz” Norris.
This will be 4 Wheel City’s second time using rap music as a tool to motivate youth to make responsible decisions. The first was in 2010 when they teamed up with legendary rapper Snoop Dogg to release the "Welcome 2 Reality G-Mix," a "message laden" song to keep at risk youth off the streets and in the classroom. “Given the culture we grow up with – the music, the street life around us, all the way up the line to preemptive strikes and drone attacks coming from the White House - it’s a big step for today’s teens to try mediation instead of fighting out their conflicts.
We really appreciate the boost 4 Wheel City gives young people to give mediation a chance. Their raps tell us “don’t hate, mediate.” - Lyn Pyle, Director, Mass Transit Safety with Dignity
For a complete list of all dates for the month of November, see schedule below. To hear and/or download “My Peer Mediation,” log on to 4 Wheel City’s music page on Reverbnation via the following link: http://www.reverbnation.com/4wheelcitymusic.
For interviews with 4 Wheel City rappers, students, teachers, and/or the mediation trainers of Safety with Dignity, call (646) 204-1453.
About 4 Wheel City
4 Wheel City is a disability activist motivational speaking hip hop rap group started by Rap Artist Namel “Tap Waterz” Norris and Producer “Rick Fire” Velasquez, two talented musicians in wheelchairs due to senseless gun violence.
Traveling all over the world with their music, and praised by CNN, FOX News, XXL Magazine, and The Source – 4 Wheel City uses hip hop music to create more opportunities for people with disabilities, raise money for spinal cord research, and encourage at risk youth... that’s us.
They even teamed up with Snoop Dogg to create a rap song to help young people make responsible decisions.
ABOUT (MTSD)
Mass Transit Safety with Dignity (MTSD) trains high school and middle school students to assist their peers in resolving conflicts before they become violent. Mass Transit’s interactive, experiential workshops make training to be a mediator a fun and transformative experience. Then knowing the skepticism and resistance one can encounter out there, Mass Transit assists staff and student mediators in their efforts to popularize “talking it out” and establish an effective peer-mediation program.
namel ricardo, 4 wheel city, http://www.4wheelcity.com, +1 (646) 204-1453, [email protected]
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