Youth in the US
Gangway e. V. – Straßensozialarbeit in Berlin has been running exchanges between young people in Germany and the US since 2008. What is BronxBerlinConnection all about?
International youth exchanges are possible with many countries in the world. Why the US, why New York?
Virtually no other country is as closely connected to Ger- many as the US. Hip-Hop came to Germany with the G.I.s who were stationed here, and it has since developed into an independent movement with its own distinct style, themes, and language. As the birthplace of Hip-Hop, ho- wever, New York is unique. This is where it all began, and virtually no other city holds such a fascination for young people. Young Berliners and New Yorkers have a lot in common alongside Hip-Hop. They have all grown up in a big city and are hence streetwise. Both cities are full of young artists, so it’s difficult to stand out here. Many of the young participants are also of migrant background and have experienced racism.
Back in 2008 we were working with a group of 15 young adults, some of them fresh out of prison, and decided to organize a trip to New York. And we haven’t stopped sin- ce. The project’s platform is Hip-Hop culture, a movement that is still very popular on the streets of Berlin today. We bring together young people from New York and Berlin so that they can get to know each other and exchange ideas. They find out about different realities and get to see their own life from a new perspective. Hip-Hop is roo- ted in the urban communities of New York City, and this is where we spend our time: in the South Bronx, Harlem, Brooklyn. We learn about police brutality, racism, the connection between Hip-Hop and slavery, jazz and blues, and about activists like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. We learn about gun laws, the lack of social services, and the impact this has on the people who need them. We also take part in workshops in prison and appear at events at the Goethe-Institut and the German Consulate.
Who do you work with on the US-American side? Who do your participants interact with?
Our New York partner is the Hip-Hop ReEducation Project based in Brooklyn. Currently, we are also working with numerous organizations such as the Goethe-Institut NYC , the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, The Door in Manhattan, and Zulu Nation . These contacts are the result of the project leader’s personal connections plus years of networking.
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