Aftercare
MBA also works with detained youth during the critical post-release period, once they’ve left detention and are transitioning back into the community. Recently, MBA has been partnering with the Oakland Green Youth Arts & Media Center – a joint collaboration between Art in Action, Colored Ink, Grind for the Green, and the Community Rejuvenation Project – on our aftercare efforts. The Center, which was incubated with the help of Van Jones and Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins at Green for All, is one of the first arts and multimedia centers dedicated to both ecological awareness and artistic and professional development for at-risk youth in the nation.
In addition to our partnership with OGYAMC, we also do one-on-one and small group mentoring work with youth transitioning back into the community. Currently, MBA Instructor, musician and producer Iamani I. Ameni is combining mindfulness and emotional intelligence training with hip-hop and beat-based music production in his Oakland studio.
