The Hip Hop Youth Research and Activism (HHYRA) community celebrates youth who are connected to Hip Hop, committed to social change, and unapologetically expressive in their art forms. We aim to decrease the use of stereotyping and unconscious biases, increase unity by creating opportunities for intergenerational collaboration, and show how Hip Hop has influenced people to speak out and create change.
The HHYRA Conference brings together youth from diverse communities for a day of workshops, dialogues, and interactions that revolve around the ideas of Hip Hop and social justice. The conference takes place at Rutgers University and features workshops and presentations led by students, community members whose workshop proposals are selected by the review committee.
HHYRA mentors support the organizers of the conference as well as conference presenters as they develop skills in organizing, leading, teaching, and community-building. These mentors represent a range of experiences and backgrounds, including community activists, teaching artists, educators, professors and graduate students.