Beyond the Book
Beyond the Book
Music and Spoken Word: The message and visibility of Dream of a Nation will be augmented through the creation of online playlists with more than 55 popular and emerging musicians. Four online albums will be created and outreach is underway to further engage musical artists in being a part of the project.
Additionally, staff are working with poetry and spoken-word organizations to incorporate poetry throughout the book and to encourage participation in the web community in development.
Video Short: In an effort to broaden the reach of Dream of a Nation, a video-short of key concepts of the book and project will correspond with publication. The video short will feature spoken word and musical artist collaborators and partner organizations and will be a precursor to a documentary film version of the Dream of a Nation.
In-school Integration: The project will develop curricular materials with online resources such as context-establishing videos and lesson modules which engage students to learn about their issue of choice and to work collaboratively to develop solutions to the civic problems identified.
Citizen and Youth Engagement: In an effort to engage citizens and young people in civic issues that affect their future, the program will sponsor Dream of a Nation contests in schools and community organizations. Winning candidates who have submitted an essay, poem, photo installation, or media project will receive recognition and modest funding (pending resources) to support expanded work on their issue.
Bigger Plans: The book component is the first phase of Dream of a Nation. Grants and 50 percent of author and Amazon.com music royalties will be utilized to complete a documentary film version of the book, curricular materials, a national contest, and will support international expansion efforts and potentially future editions.
