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Street dance, rhythm and drama were brought to the stages of Terrebonne Parish elementary schools last week with the intent to help students make better decisions and follow their dreams.
District Attorney Joe Waitz’s office brought Urgeworks, a nationally acclaimed performance arts group, to student audiences as part of his Project LEAD (Legal Enrichment and Decision-Making) Program.
The 45-minute show conveyed the positive history of hip-hop culture while delivering messages of individuality, self-confidence and self-esteem to young listeners across Terrebonne Parish.
Urgeworks’ name speaks for itself, as the group provides an “urgent message though a method that works.”
When Chris Gamez, founder of Urgeworks, joined a hip-hop performance group more than 20 years ago, he said many people assumed their artistry would not take them anywhere.
He said at that time, the hip-hop genre had not reached the popularity it has today.
“Back then people said that what we were doing was negative and that it was bad for us,” Gamez told students. “They said we would never be successful doing anything like that and they even went as far to say that it was gang related.”
Gamez said the key to his success, as well as the success of the group’s three other members, was the ability to tune out the negative feedback and listen to the positive influences in their lives.
Throughout the past 15 years, the group from Houston has achieved much success, having performed in 15 different countries and 30 plus cities in the United States.
After Urgeworks’ performance at Southdown Elementary, Waitz asked the students to respect their teachers, honor their parents and say no to drugs and alcohol.
“The number one way you can destroy your dreams is with drugs and alcohol,” Waitz said. “Stay away from those things.”
Waitz brought Project LEAD to Terrebonne Parish 15 years ago after seeing the program in action in Los Angeles. The program teaches youth about the consequences of criminal activity.
“I believe in being proactive,” Waitz said. “We’re trying to help them make good decisions and prevent them from coming into the criminal justice system.”
Waitz said students come from different aspects of the community, whether it is broken homes, uneducated parents or living with relatives.
“You don’t appreciate those obstacles until you come out here and speak with them,” he said.
Assistant District Attorney Dixie Brown works with fifth grade students at Southdown Elementary and throughout the parish to inform them about the judicial system.
She said Project LEAD teaches students “how to project their voices and learn how to speak up” through the use of skits, which contain messages on drugs, alcohol, driving responsibly and gang affiliations.
“It’s a challenge with any group of young people to relay that message, but they are receptive,” Brown said.
At the end of Project LEAD, students will put their skills to the test with a mock trial at the Houma Court House where they will serve as the lawyers, prosecutors and members of the jury.
As Gamez concluded the show at Southdown Elementary, students listened intently as he advised them to explore their potential.
“Find out who you are and what gifts you have,” Gamez said. “Then get out there and fulfill your purpose.”
Urgeworks frontman Chris Gamez gets students at Southdown Elementary involved in the group’s performance of the history of hip-hop. District Attorney Joe Waitz brought the Houston-based group to Terrebonne Parish schools last week as part of his Project LEAD program to deter criminal activity at an early age.
