Youth Rising Up, a club which provides educational and cultural programs for students at the high school through community and volunteerism, will be putting on a presentation on February 26 at 7 PM featuring various Shorewood students and staff.
The show is based off of the BET Awards, a ceremony which honors Black entertainers in music, film and dance. Similarly to its predecessor, the presentation will include live performances, including musical features and fashion shows, for many of the awards categories.
“We have genres [including] R&B, […] Hip-Hop, Jazz, we have Rock, and an Afro-Latina category,” said senior and co-president Zauri Tarver. “It’s not just music, though. We have one award for the best film director, and then one for the best show director.”
Aside from pop culture, this assembly provides students the opportunity to learn history from a new perspective; one that is often forgotten from the ordinary curriculum.
“The Black History Month Program has always been a chance for our students to highlight different aspects of their culture as well as a chance for them to teach others about our history in America in ways they don’t typically see in the classroom,” said Nelson Brown, who has been the advisor of Youth Rising Up for the past 13 years and is the IT Support Specialist at Shorewood.
Students have been preparing for the presentation since September, where the club began brainstorming ideas. Along with the advisors, they formulated a script and started presentation to life during weekly rehearsals.
“We’ve been rehearsing for the past month and will continue to until the day of the show,” said Brown.
Brown works with his co-advisor, Tanisha Schowalter, to aid club members in organizing the show for the student body. Each year, the club works to create a presentation with a new focus.
“We make it a point to try something new each year,” said Schowalter. “This year will not disappoint.”
Additionally, Youth Rising Up encourages all students and the district to participate in the presentation, whether they have been performing their whole life or are stepping onto the stage for the first time.
“We love seeing our students come out of their comfort zones to try something new,” said Brown. “Each year there is always someone from the group who surprises us with a talent we never knew they had.”
Aside from their annual presentation, the club fosters an environment of growth for its members. Often, students leave changed by their experiences with Youth Rising Up.
“This role has given me the opportunity to watch students grow into confident advocates for what they believe in,” Schowalter said. “Many students begin as freshmen unsure of what to expect, but eager to get involved. By the time they reach their junior and senior years, they have developed into strong decision-makers. I have learned a great deal from sharing space and experiences with them. Our time together is always engaging, meaningful, and often filled with humor, and they are certainly missed after graduation.”
Ultimately, the goal for the club is to not only have an impact on Shorewood, but to enable members to extend their passions into their day to day lives.
“[We want to] allow a space for students to find their voices on campus as well as out in the community,” Schowalter said. “We [would] also like to encourage our students to go outside of their comfort zones to network with others as well as providing volunteer opportunities that connect with their personal beliefs and communities.”
Tickets will be available for purchase on the district website starting Monday, February 16, and in person the night of the show.