Help Build The Battleground House & Studio
Donation protected
Fundraising Goal: raise funds towards establishing an arts and education center in a majority Black neighborhood called Sulphur Springs in Tampa, Florida that has high poverty, high crime and low literacy rates. The goal consists of purchasing a lot located in a prime location in the neighborhood, close to foot traffic and near the K through 8 public school. Once this lot is purchased, we will then proceed towards constructing the center which will be called The Battleground House & Studio.
The Battleground House & Studio would serve the following purposes:
- Provide arts programming involving poetry, creative writing, rap, music production, martial arts, visual arts, and dance facilitated by both in-house and guest teaching artists
- Provide after-school tutoring in all main school subjects
- Provide a community space for cultivating peace and awareness
Who We Are: The Battleground is a grassroots community effort dedicated to improving literacy and reducing violence among youth in Sulphur Springs, Tampa. The goal is to empower youth through engagement in poetry, rap and martial arts.
Established in September 2018, we provided free year-round weekly martial arts and poetry/rap sessions at the Sulphur Springs Public Library until the pandemic lockdown halted library meeting room usage in March 2020. During the weekly martial arts sessions, participants learned self-defense moves alongside virtues such as self-mastery and commitment. The weekly poetry/rap sessions included creative writing, reading comprehension, and conceptual analysis.
In addition, we held a monthly Poetry Pizza Party in order to further promote The Battleground and to help build a positive association with writing, reading and artistic expression in a relevant and engaging way. Our programming also serves as a community building activity by being a positive outlet for sharing personal narratives and perspectives.
The martial arts sessions are facilitated by Garret Brumfield, who is a Wing Chun Kung Fu Instructor and former public school teacher for 17 years with Hillsborough County Public Schools. Mr.Brumfield holds a BA in Engineering from Tuskegee University and a second BA in Mathematics from the University of Tampa. The poetry and rap sessions are facilitated by The Battleground’s founder, Yuki Jackson, who is a poet and a Writing Instructor at Ringling College of Art and Design. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Tampa and a BA in Criminology from the University of South Florida.
The Battleground is an effort to create value from the culture of physical and lyrical battling that already exists among Sulphur Springs, Tampa youth. Martial arts and poetry/rap instruction through The Battleground provides youth with an opportunity to transform their external battling tendencies into winning the battle within. Research shows that there are proven benefits of implementing poetry/rap and martial arts programs among youth, particularly at-risk youth. The Battleground provides opportunities in developing literacy, creativity, self-mastery, positive self-expression, problem-solving skills, leadership and self-esteem.
We are grateful for the opportunity to hold The Battleground programming in partnership with Tampa Wing Chun Kung Fu, Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, and many other community groups and individuals.
The Battleground collaborated with the Sulphur Springs Neighborhood of Promise from July to November 2019 to hold the first annual Sulphur Springs Lit Block Party to promote literacy and the arts. Our goal was 200 families and over 500 people attended the event.
In total, approximately 220 youth have participated in The Battleground. We have conducted 64 regular sessions (pre-pandemic), 14 poetry pizza parties (pre-pandemic) and 46 group field trips/mobile sessions for a total of 124 activities.
Having our own arts and education center will enable us to achieve our goals and expand our reach.
Thank you so much for your support!
Organizer
Yuki Jackson
Organizer
Tampa, FL
