
HOPE
SCHOLARS INITIATIVE
Services
Big Homie Mentor Program
- Session # (in-person/virtual)
- Personal Development & Life Skills Coaching
- Connection to basic needs resources with their community
- Peer-to-Peer Mentorship
- Self-Advocacy skills
- Career Mapping
- Vocational Skill & Education Planning
- Goal Setting & Action Planning
Outcomes:
- Once individuals learn how to advocate for themselves and access basic needs support they can focus on establishing their self-sufficiency.
- Personal Development coaching results in improved confidence and self-esteem which motivate individuals toward continued action for economic sustainability and personal wellness.
Academic & Career guidance results in
- Renewed interest in and planning for education and/or career goals
- Enrollment in school or vocational skills program to prepare for employment
- Enrollment in job training
- Obtaining employment
Keynote Speaker & Event Host
Intended For: Middle School + High School, Non-Profit Orgs, Alt Educational Programs.
- Deliver the message of personal testimony that will inspire and motivate your target
audience - concentration on.
- Nearly 20 years of host experience from intimate to arena-size events. Collaborate with your organization to plan and script your itinerary to ensure all necessary mentions and sponsors are adhered to.
Educational Consultation
- Increase cultural competence and create space for faculty/staff/admin/students to
engage in guided discussions.
- Advisory role to develop best practices and strategies to diverse and inclusive programming and increase healthy organizational culture.
- Assess cultural climate to identify areas of growth related to cultural competency, access, and inclusion for growing populations.
- Establish touchpoints to eliminate performative practices and foster an authentic experience for all student groups
- Community Mapping and resource sharing to strengthen network support in the Greater New England area.
Professional Development / Workshops
Intended For: School Faculty, Staff, Administration who want to train their mindset
towards positive change within their organization.
Deeper Than Rap: Hip Hop Culture’s Impact in the Classroom [duration: 120 min]
- This workshop will analyze hip-hop’s counter-cultural elements and artifacts to reframe, repurpose, and validate students’ academic experiences. Practitioners will challenge cultural norms that exist in academic institutions, promote emotional wellness, and develop cultural humility. In addition, this workshop will utilize a trauma-informed approach to understanding and countering problematic racially coded behaviors that devalue, re-traumatize, and “otherize” student identities by providing concrete tools and strategies for teaching about hip-hop’s reach and impact in the culturally responsive classroom.
Themes: Racial Trauma, Implicit Bias, White Supremacist Culture, Intersectionality, Youth Voice, Microagressions
How Jay Z Stays Relevant [duration: 120 minutes]
- This workshop explores the strategies, mindset, and collaborative techniques that Hip Hop icon Jay Z employs to engage his audience to maintain nearly 30-year relevancy in the music industry. We will draw connections and inspiration to establish viable and relevant practices that tenured faculty and admin can use to minimize cultural gaps and increase engagement for today’s students.
Themes: Learning Community, Implicit Bias, Hip Hop Sensibility, Asset Based Community Development, Growth Mindset, Innovation
Artist Development Workshops [duration: 75 minutes]
(One on One Sessions Available upon request)
Emerging Hip Hop Artists who want to attain industry knowledge to transform their passion into a legitimate career.
Actual sessions will be tailored to meet the needs of client objectives:
- Learn essential skills to build your artist brand
- Define your target audience
- Learn how to effectively market and promote your music and product to your audience
- Create a project rollout campaign for your album release
- Discover ways to fund your career
- Create your own independent tour
- Establish a business plan and legitimize their profession (i.e. trademark, LLC, and more)
- Learn how to establish music publishing and copyrights for your music and content
Hip Hop Scholars Workshop [duration: 75 minutes]
Intended For: High School, Post Secondary, Community
- 12-week program that highlights social and emotional concepts through analysis of contemporary Hip Hop albums, lyrics, and content. Students connect their personal experiences to community-identified concepts
Themes Included But Not Limited To: Double Consciousness, Implicit Bias, School to Prison Pipeline, Revitalization, Gentrification, Code Switching, Emotional Intelligence
Performance
- Energize the school community w/ an inspired private performance for your school or organization (live band and/or DJ)
- Q & A session
"Our students could relate to his personal story of adversity. However, his positivity was contagious. We noted a dramatic upward shift in our student's perception of self-empowerment over the course of the program. They expressed a desire to succeed in a world filled with challenges. Could we ask for a better outcome at this time?"
– Dr. Kathy Vepsia, Ed. D
Charette High School Executive Director
"Not many people can connect with students in myriad ways and Harrison has that ability. Additionally, his deep-rooted knowledge and experience in Hip Hop along with his community awareness make him easily relatable."
– Matthew Buchannan
Hope High School Principal
"Jon Hope has the background, curriculum, and aptitude to deliver quality programming with a confident altruistic approach exuding the emotional intelligence of both mentor and teacher."
– Denise Brophy
Library Branch Manager, Providence Public Library

