Turning Point Youth Collective

Like Grandmaster Flash, Turning Point Youth Collective has a message to share at upcoming New Smyrna Beach music festival “Close to the Edge.”

The organization was founded in 2006 and provides resources and space for youth-run activities. Currently, Daytona Beach Hardcore (DBHC), a local music booking collective, runs a monthly all-ages concert series at the TPYC space. Their current space is donated in partnership by the Conklin Center at the Lion’s Club located at 345 White Street near Daytona State College. The building’s property is also the site of another local non profit, Fair Share, a past beneficiary of a Turning Point benefit concert. Fair Share is a sustainable urban agricultural project and tends a community garden at the site, meeting every Wednesday evening 5pm and Saturday morning 9am.

In the past Turning Point Youth Collective has run a free community music and art festival, a voter drive, hosted vegan potlucks, and partnered with local non-profit film society, Cinematique, to show a limited outdoor screening of French musicians Daft Punk’s “Electroma” and Swedish musicians The Knife’s “Silent Shout.” The organization’s programs fill a need in the community by providing open and safe, all-ages space for youth to assemble and share culture. They are currently seeking assistance with IRS 1023 filing for tax-exempt status.

In the future they seek to acquire their own space, collectively owned through the non-profit, to be fully equipped as a youth cultural arts center, used for all-ages concerts, practice space for musicians and bands, hosting guest speakers, art shows, films, workshops, meetings for other local grassroots organizations, etc. In the meantime, Turning Point is focused on building local partnerships and strengthening their volunteer base.

Their newest partnership will be with the organizers of the upcoming festival “Close to the Edge,” a three day live music and art event on the edge of Edgewater, FL. The festival runs December 17-19, located on the 90 acres of pristine pasture that is the Edgewater Ranch and headlined by Diplo. Turning Point Youth Collective will be running a “Bikes Not Bombs” bike repair workshop throughout the day on Saturday December 18th, welcoming anyone to donate bicycles or parts, and help spruce up some old bikes! All the completed bikes collected will then be donated to The Attic youth group for donation give-a-way in the community.

Facebook Event:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174376502587359

Please Visit:

Close to the Edge at www.closetotheedge2010.com
Bikes Not Bombs at www.bikesnotbombs.org

Youth in Action

Music as a tool for raising awareness of local and global issues

Daytona Beach, FL February 20th, 2010 — Turning Point Youth Collective is hosting a benefit concert for the Fair Share Gardens.  The event will take place on Saturday, April 3rd, 2010 from 4pm-11pm, featuring Meantime, Foundation, Years From Now, One to Blame, Losing Vision, Axis, and Thin Line.  The location is the site of Fair Share’s demonstration garden at the Lion’s Club 345 White Street.

Turning Point Youth Collective, was founded in 2006 as an “all-ages” focused community group.  They sought to legitimize the role of youth culture in our community and promote it as a rich source of youth-empowerment and civic engagement.  Currently, they provide the area with resources and space forproducing all ages music, art, and culturally related products and events.

“Fair Share” is an Urban Garden Project of Salt of the Earth, Inc. a 501(c)-3 nonprofit organization. Volunteers can raise food for low-income households in need and help install vegetable gardens in backyards, schools, churches, and other community groups. They also provide people with the opportunity to participate in a community garden if they would like their own space for growing fresh food for themselves! Additionally, since the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, Fair Share has committed to investing 20% of all funds raised this year toward initiatives in Haiti.  Their 20% contribution will be directed through the Haiti Response Coalition  with a focus on supporting sustainable agriculture projects on the ground.

The punk ethic of DIY (do-it-yourself) was an influential idea in the development of Turning Point Youth Collective.  The organization is youth-run, with leadership and projects directed by the youth volunteers themselves. It is this idea of DIY empowerment that connects Turning Point to the Fair Share Gardens.  Growing food, sustainably, in an an urban, low-income community, is an empowering tool to fight poverty.  Both groups strive to put the power in the hands of the people while engendering positive change in the community.

-Kristina Muvceski

Learn more about the news in this release at the following websites:

Turning Point Youth Collective, Inc. www.tpyc.org

Fair Share www.wedigfairshare.org

Haiti Response Coalition  www.haitiresponsecoalition.org