Social Enterprise News: Transformative Culture Project and Epicenter Community Join Forces
Merger enhances access for youth and adult artists to arts education and entrepreneurial experiences
BOSTON, Oct. 4, 2017 — Today’s merger of social enterprises Transformative Culture Project and Epicenter Community strengthens both organizations’ capacity to provide award-winning arts and economic development programming for youth and adult community members.The newly combined organization, Transformative Culture Project, focuses on the economic potential of the creative economy by supporting socially and culturally transformative work.
“Joining forces allows us to create an economic pipeline for youth in the public school system to adult artists and innovators,” said Dr. Cara Berg Powers, EdD, executive director, Transformative Culture Project. “We share a common goal to transform lives and communities through the power of arts and culture.”
The impact of Transformative Culture Project on the people and communities it supports is substantial. In 2018, it will create 30 youth jobs, provide classes to 14 schools across the Commonwealth to reach 500 youth, employ 10 teaching artists, and provide workspace for 10 artists and two creative businesses.
One way they’ll achieve this impact is through the entrepreneur incubator, Accelerate Boston, which has brought over 20 businesses to market, including the first black Mass Challenge winner, BeautyLynk. Accelerate Boston has engaged 100 businesses – 90 percent with founders under 40, 77 percent creators of color, and 63 percent women.
“Both Assemble and #AccelerateBOS were designed for the creatives in Boston,” said Malia Lazu, strategic director, Transformative Culture Project and former executive director of Epicenter Community. “Joining forces allows us to build a cultural economic pipeline from classrooms to the creative economy.”
Transformative Culture Project’s programs and services include:
- #AccelerateBOS – A business accelerator for the creative class of Boston that provides a curriculum based on a traditional MBA syllabus, has an advisory board made from Boston’s most innovative entrepreneurs, and recruits young businesses to apply to the program. This six month program ends in a business plan competition. Through this we also provide artists with professional development workshops, shared work space, and fiscal sponsorship and fundraising support.
- #AssembleBOS – A series of programs that embodies the values of catalyzing real conversation with diverse groups through culture. We help connect close to 30,000 people every year through in person events. Our signature event is Juneteenth at the MFA, attracting close to 6,000 people this annual event highlights artists of color from Boston.
- Beyond Creative – A full service, award-winning creative media agency with trained youth producers who receive a paycheck for their work, intensive training and support with a focus on resilience, social emotional learning, and 21st century skills, mentorship and apprenticeships, and a safe and supportive learning environment.
- Creative Classrooms – A series of workshops and courses in media and cultural arts in and out of school, with a focus on re-engaging students in becoming lifelong learners and fulfilling their academic goals.
About Transformative Culture Project
The mission of Transformative Culture Project (formerly Press Pass TV) is to activate the economic potential of the creative economy by supporting socially and culturally transformative work. Using a social justice lens, it does this through youth jobs training, employment and professional development, the employment of local artists to teach its transformative culture curriculum in schools, and the incubation and support of innovative arts-based organizations. Visit https://www.tcproject.org/ for more information.
Contact
| Reggie Williams | |
| Development Director | |
| Transformative Culture Project | |
| +1 617 288 4917 | |
| reggie@tcproject.org |