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Chapter Two - Trade School

Before we jumped into our next event, we first needed to take a step back and look at our
identity as an organization. This chapter will be dedicated to our Trade School program, but I
wanted to dedicate these first pages to some baby steps taken by The BoomBox Collective.

Part I- Growing Our Organization Alongside Our Programming

With our first event a success, we wanted to start to design our next program, but needed to
take some organizational steps. If we wanted to make our events and program more inclusive,
we needed to create a structure that would communicate our mission across new audiences.
We wanted to grow and in order to do so, we needed a more effective website.

For the music exchange, we created our original website using Weebly. Not having a cent to
spend on domain names or web design, we simply afforded what was free and easy. After a
couple of days of trial and error design, we created a simple web site that stated our mission
and allotted a space for participants to register for our next events. However, as we planned to
grow new programming, we wanted a more comprehensive website that not only told our story,
but showed our story to future viewers and participants. We wanted a digital home that could
incorporate mixed media (videos, photographs, music), events information, and registration. If

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new people could see the music exchange in action, then maybe they would be more inclined to
attend the next. This is not a new and novel idea- we needed to use our website as a place to
sell our program and showcase the potential value of our ideas. In doing so, we also hoped to
make our website more accessible and grounded in our own vision and experience. For that to
happen, our website would have to be more than just visually appealing, but also clean, clear,
and organized. We did not have that in our original creation and would need a boat load of
Youtube tutorials to develop the technical skills and design sense. However, with the demands
of our day jobs and the development of our next program, we simply did not have the time.
This was an important job that needed to be cheaply outsourced- not exactly a winning
combination.

After considering a handful of
students (more on student design
later) and other alternatives, I
reached out to an old friend who
currently works as a web developer
and free-lance designer. Although
she lives and works in the Bay Area,
she expressed a willingness and
interests in helping out with prior
community projects. Her time would
be limited and distanced, but her
work would also be professional. We
needed that expertise to get us over

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the hump. After exchanging emails back and forth for over a month and detailing the different
ideas, functions, and plans we had for our website, she finally sent us along both a working
template and direct domain. No longer would we have to tuck weebly into our URL and instead
could assume both the responsibility and legitimacy of boomboxcollective.com. Although it
sounds now dorky to admit, changing to boomboxcollective.com was a major step for us.

Our designer took our early write ups and loose mission statements and pulled out a visual
theme that would anchor our future website. In every event, we intend to bring people from the
community together. Additionally, we believe that each person comes with their own skills,
experience, and passions. We are not just bringing people or neighbors together, but we are
bringing artists, creators, music lovers, story tellers, activists together. The BoomBox Collective
wants to be more than a bridge that connects new people and groups, but our programming
also intends to serve as an experience or forum in which those people can learn from each
other, engage in meaningful dialogue, and swap new passions. Our new website would feature
that straight forward theme through the design of its home page.

Working overtime on this pro-bono project, our designer could only design our websites frame
and foundation. Although she agreed to stay on board as a consultant, I needed now to take
over the programming and design aspects of our website. Considering that less than a year
ago, I did not own a computer, I was not necessarily thrilled with the new title. However, with my
partner Henry already loaded with the responsibility of social media, I wanted to assume more
control over our new digital home. I would need to learn this new platform (Squarespace), its
features, limitations, and potential. This challenge sparked the BoomBox Lesson featured
above. However, I want to amend that Lesson here. As organizers, we can outsource design

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work and find new partners to support these organizational needs. However, we cannot be blind
to them or completely in the dark to design. I will never become a professional web or graphic
designer, but any up start endeavor requires an evolving competency. Find the right support,
but also develop your own skills: you will need them for every event or program that you want to
promote.

Although an obvious challenge, we slowly developed a new website and we were able to take
another step as organization, even if just internally. However, even with a shiny new website,
we needed to develop more programming and more importantly, attract new participants. Our
website would help, but it would not guarantee a new following. We learned that with Trade
School.

Part II. Designing Our Next Program Around Skill Sharing

During this design process, Henry and I also worked to prepare our next program. During the
music exchange, we witnessed the value of participants swapping their songs and stories. In the
consequent feedback, the significance of that interpersonal exchange echoed in the words of
our surveyed participants.

I love the community aspect, stranger coming together for a common interest and
sharing something personal

We wanted to not only capitalize on that finding, but to make those exchanges stronger,
more practical, beneficial, and lasting. Many left the music exchange inspired by a new song,
but we wanted to go further. What if those
participants left with new knowledge or a new
skill?

In researching unique community
organizations for this project, I came across
Trade School in New York City (see the
Understandings section for more
background). Immediately attracted by the
simplicity of the idea, we also began to see
that as the next movement.. Their project
centered around reciprocal exchange-
exchange of ideas, skills, experience, and
more specifically, the exchange of knowledge
for goods. At Trade School, no money was
ever exchanged, but instead, each class
enrolled based on the principle- barter for instruction. The teacher, a creative and skilled
member of the community, instead created a wish-list of items that potential students could
bring in exchange for the class or workshop. That was a physical and practical exchange that

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subverted the limitations on modern school systems and allowed for a more inclusive
community program.

We wanted to bring this idea to San Diego and believed that a similar program would flourish,
especially when connected to the High Tech High network of teachers and students. In keeping
with the lesson learned during our music exchange, we first reached out to Trade School
organizers in New York and sought out their permission, wisdom, and guidance. From their
original model, Trade Schools have been started all over the world from London to San
Francisco to Ho Chi Minh to Quito- over 55 new Trade Schools in just the last four years.

When we contacted the Trade School group from NYC, they not only offered their support, but
provided us a free online software to organize our classes, allow for student registration, and
provide more information for the public. Essentially, the Trade School organizers provided us a
website to launch from- ironic considering that we spent the previous month designing our own
organizational website. Regardless, we obviously appreciated both the organizational and
technical support. Aside from the website and code, their software also entailed necessary
language and lessons learns that we would use to launch our own Trade School in San Diego.
We had both the blessing and the starter kit- now we needed to find a home.

That unfortunately proved difficult. For the Music Exchange, booking a venue happened
organically. We established a personal connection first with the Digital Gym and then asked to
use the space. For Trade School, we wanted to use a different space in a different
neighborhood. However, we did not have that same introduction. So, we started cold calling and
emailing various spots throughout the city. We reached out to community spaces, art galleries,
store fronts. However, many spaces were unwilling to host our program without dollars
attached, something we simply did not have the budget to afford. One space charged $2,000 for
the day. A local community center, practically bordered up aside from the irregular AA meeting,
wanted to charge us $50 an hour, even though they admitted to asbestos contamination. After a
month, we had neither a venue or a date, always connected.

However, in our pursuit for the next space, we did not stop to consider the resources at our own
disposal. We both taught in beautiful schools that both inspired and engaged every visitor that
walked through its front doors. These schools also came fully equipped with tables, chairs,
whiteboards, A/V- the workshop necessities. Also, our schools went relatively untouched on the
weekends, completely empty without students and teachers. Although we wanted to find and
highlight new, creative spaces in the community, we ultimately settled on High Tech High Media
Arts in Point Loma, believing it to be most efficient option.

With a venue booked and permission granted, we started to think more about our program.
The original Trade School ran for one month out of the year and every night translated into a
different and new workshop. 30 workshops for 30 nights. Although attracted to that idea, we
recognized that we had neither the support, teachers, time, or energy to put on a program of
that size. However, we liked the idea of something compact, like a month to a year. We kicked
around possibly a week, but that would be harder to do during the week in a school space.

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Ultimately, we agreed on a weekend program, six different workshops that spanned over two
days. We would start at 10 am on Saturday, each workshop would be around ninety minutes
long, and we would allow for a thirty minutes transition period for the next workshop. The design
seemed simple enough (wrong!) and now all we needed were teachers.

We believed that our place in innovative schools would provide easy access to both willing and
creative teachers who wanted to share a specific passion and skill with the community. We
blasted a Request for Teachers out to our network and sought out individuals who we thought
could offer interesting and practical workshops. However, we found that many teachers either
did not have the time or energy to take on another commitment. Many teachers articulated initial
interest, but never committed to offering a workshop. At four weeks out, we considered to have
about twelve teachers in mind for our six slots- that number would drastically dwindle as we got
closer to the event and asked for more commitment.

We started with the creative and dependable folks in our network first. This would be a pilot
program so we wanted to primarily focus on the actual program. How do we transition from each
class? How would our two new websites hold up? How would our space affect attendance and
each workshop? If we were able to find both the same positivity and potential in this program as
we experienced with the music exchange, then we could expand the offerings, bring in more
local experts and leaders, and possibly make the program longer.

However, for our first step with Trade School, we wanted to start small. With that in mind, we
looked mainly within our existing networks for teachers. Supporters of our efforts. Friends of the
BoomBox Collective.
Colleagues at High Tech
High. We asked each
teacher to fill out a class
description that we would
use on our website to frame
each workshop and recruit
potential students. We sent
out the guidelines to twelve
potential teachers and after
two weeks, we received
only six submitted
descriptions.

With that said, the
descriptions as a group
were varied and diverse. A
class on book-binding. An
introduction to improv comedy. A workshop on marketing yourself as a creative. Each workshop
represented a different niche or interest without overlapping on another workshops potential

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market. That diversity was important (and admittedly unplanned) and we were grateful to have
six teachers willing to offer a class.

More important than skills, we wanted each workshop to consider and implement our own
program goals. We did not really know what to expect in such a short time, but we wanted each
participant to gain not only exposure to a new skill, but the opportunity to connect with others in
community that could encourage and help develop that skills. Whether that was in the form of
offered resources or friendship, we could not control. However, we asked each teacher to offer
some form of social interaction in their workshop and to incorporate time where participants
could actually talk and possibly learn from each other.

With workshops set, we needed to market them to potential participants. With our first program
proving successful, we admittedly stuck to what worked in the past- word of mouth and our
limited network. We blasted our information throughout our schools and partner organization, as
well as posted the events of online forums and calendars. We also thought that our teachers
would be huge supports for marketing, that they would promote their own workshop and that
would in turn help showcase other classes.

Our attendance goals were small and practical. We thought that if we had close to fifty people
sign up to our first event, then we could surely find five or six participants for each class. We did
not expect standing room only, but we set a goal at five students per class. We would also be
more active in promoting the event to students, reaching out to not just our students, but to
other classes and teachers to recruit for the event. HTH is such a large network that we would
certainly find a few students interested in a DJ or Motorcycle class?

We were wrong. But lets talk about highlights first.

Part III. Trade School San Diego- March 8 and 9, 2014

Saturday, March 8 had arrived. We arrived early at the school to set up for two full days
of workshops and classes. In total, we had over twenty five folks registered for our 6 workshops.
Although persistently optimistic that more would show up, we resigned to the reality that we
were not going to hit our attendance goals. However, we would push on with our program and
consider those structural/technical changes we would need to make for the next Trade School.

Following up with a lesson learned from the music exchange, we wanted to keep folks
busy right when they walk through the door, before the workshop. For the music exchange, we
created the Mixtape Cover Art and wanted to provide another interactive piece for participants to
contribute to. In keeping with our effort to creatively humanize the internet, we decided to
parody the popular site Pinterest. Our BoomBox Pinterest, however, used physical pins to
mark participants favorite spots all around the city. On a 40x60 foam board, we glued a giant
map of San Diego, from La Jolla down to Chula Vista. We then propped up the board and
provided a collection of pins, strings, note cards, and markers on a joining table. Throughout the
weekend, participants filled out a description of their favorite spot in the city and pinned it on the

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map. By Sunday night, we not only had a collection of new and interesting spots to check out,
but a reflection of the diverse local gems that the San Diego community offers. From beaches to
bakeries, the board served as a reminder to the many strengths of our city.

The weekend provided many
different experiences, lessons, and
highlights. For the sake of your time
and my sanity, I want to focus on three
highlights and then move onto our
findings.

1) Family DJs- Our resident DJ and
BoomBox spiritual guide, Jason Foat,
offered his services and presented the
first workshop on Saturday. Although
ironic that a workshop on Party
Rockin 101 started on a Saturday
morning, I was excited for this unique
workshop. However, even after
promoting this throughout the middle
and high school, only three people
registered for this workshop, including
myself. Despite our low attendance,
Jason was positive and stoked to
share his passion for Hip Hop. As he
started setting up his turn-tables and speakers, we anxiously waited for our first TS students.

A 7th grade student walked in with her father. When I saw the name on the original registration,
I did not recognize it immediately (I call her by a nickname). I was surprised and thrilled to have
her there, especially with father in tow. She told Jason that she wanted to learn how to DJ and
her Dad mentioned that he was always interested in Hip Hop music. With all three students in
attendance, Jason started his workshop breaking down the art of DJing and the different levels
of audience that a DJ must play for. The first half of the class felt pretty traditional. We all sat
while Jason talked. Although I enjoyed the thoroughness of his explanation, we were getting a
bit antsy. You can only talk about music for so long before you want to hear it played...loud.
After forty five minutes, we finally moved over to the turntables. Jason explained some of the
basic functions, buttons, and knobs while showcasing a few different DJ moves. From there, we
each took a turn playing the turntables.

Although shy, the 7th grader student stepped up first. She put on her headphones and cued up
a song by her favorite artist, Lauryn Hill. Listening to one song through the speaker and the next
song through a pair of headphones, she tried to match the two beats to smoothly transition from
the first song to the second. Although she never quite synced the two songs, she tried and that
effort introduced her to this new skill. The following Monday at school, our student ran up to me

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during break, Mr. Owens! I DJed yesterday at my Uncles house. He has a mixer and we
plugged to Ipods in to mix songs. I applauded her follow up act and told her I look forward to
her first show.

If my student was exposed and
excited by a new skill, her Dad
appreciated more the opportunity
to meet new people and do
something different. Echoing many
of the words heard after the music
exchange, Dad told us that, It was
nice to see people that seemed
passionate about what they do.
Positivity is contagious. He may
not buy turntables in the future, but
he expressed his gratitude for the
opportunity, advocating for more hands-on learning in the workshops and advising us on where
to market our next events. Looking back, I consider it a major success that both daughter and
father found value in the workshop for completely different reasons. The student may have
dragged her Dad along, but in the end, they spent their Saturday in Point Loma doing something
new and different. The student may never touch another turntable and Dad may never come to
another event, but I am confident and grateful that they both had fun.

2) Engine Breakdown- Eleven students registered for the Motorcycle Maintenance workshop
on Sunday and twelve students showed up. This workshop proved to be our most successful, in
terms of numbers and attendance. As we waited for students to show up, I heard the roar of
engines grow louder as a small group showed up together. They were all friends who heard
about the event through word of mouth. They could not believe that a workshop like this would
be free and open to the public. This disbelief came due to the quality of our workshop teachers.
A colleague of Henrys over at High
Tech High Media Arts organized this
workshop and enlisted the
help/support of an experienced and
well renowned Honda mechanic in
the area. We were lucky to have
someone celebrated on the internet
as Mr. Honda to offer his obvious
wisdom and co-lead a workshop.

The workshop was both simple and
brilliant in design. After twenty
minutes of everyone sharing their
experience with bikes, our teachers rolled out an old Honda engine. They needed to take it
apart and wanted to use that time to do just that. Considering that most of us had never worked

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on a motorcycle, let alone take apart an entire engine, everyone was excited to get their hands
dirty and start the process. With the twelve students huddled around our two teachers, we
stripped the engine down piece by piece, as Mr. Honda lectured and broke down each part. The
two teachers used the dismantling process as a way to not only explain how an engine
functions, but to also provide useful tips on how to work on bikes and trouble areas to watch out
for. The scope of knowledge articulated greatly surpassed both mine and a few others ability to
really comprehend and keep up. However, their expertise inspired me. I kept going back to a
word used by DJ Dad the day before- contagious. Although more observer than participant for
this particular workshop, I could genuinely feel the excitement, positivity and confidence of the
leaders.

In a survey administered after the workshop, our students echoed those same thoughts. Out of
the seven that filled out to the survey, every single one agreed that the workshop provided both
the resources and confidence to further develop their skills in motorcycle maintenance. One
student specifically wrote, This workshop made working on bikes feel approachable and not so
daunting. Perhaps a fixer-upper is in my future and another wrote, I love motorcycles and
am wanting to travel, so I need to learn more about maintenance before I can travel. This was a
great way to get started. Every student considered it not just valuable (as in the music
exchange), but they also learned something through the experience. When we designed our
program, we hoped for a total experience like this- a group of strangers loosely connected by
shared interest meeting each other and being exposed to a new skill.

At the end of the workshop, the lead organizer of the workshop joked around that he would
eventually have to put the engine back together. His eyes lit up as he then asked if anyone
would be interested in helping him do just that at his garage in a couple of weeks. I almost cried
then and there.

3) Bind a Book- Although the least formal workshop, the last workshop proved to be the most
social. The teacher, a local artists and activist with a serious skill for book-binding, was
especially excited for her workshop Book Bind 101 and the opportunity to create with new
people. Her workshop did not include lengthy or detailed lectures. Instead, she simply rolled out
the necessary materials and started making books with the participants. Using all paper,
needles, and string, every student ended up making three different book forms by the end of the
workshop.

Only four participants attended the workshop, but that small number allowed for a more casual
and intimate dynamic. As our teacher explained each step of the binding process, the rest of the
students talked, joked, and offered their own support and guidance to each other. Despite its
low attendance, this workshop fluidly achieved all three of our goals. Not only were participants
actively engaged with a new skill, they were connecting to each other through that skill. As they
cut and folded construction paper into small books, they complimented each others good work.
They offered a hand or suggested when another struggled with what to do next. They even
cracked some innocent jokes on those unable to thread a needle. We scheduled to end the
workshop at 6 that evening, allotting it the same two hours as the other workshops. However,

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the participants stayed an extra hour as we cleaned up, focused on their mini-projects in hand
and enjoying the company.

The Hands On focus of this workshop helped to better facilitate that interpersonal connection
and allowed for more open conversation. With their eyes and hands already busy, our
participants fell into a more natural rhythm of conversation. In our survey conducted after the
workshop, one participant acknowledged this ease, writing that being small and interactive, [the
workshop] enable people to become more acquainted in a shorter time. Bars and parties foster
shallow conversations with
new people, but classes like
these encourage deeper
interaction.

We honestly could not have
said it better ourselves. We
can not always create
dialogue for the sake of
dialogue. Instead, we must
filter that expectation through
creative activities that provide
a common ground for our
participants to share and learn from. Bookbinding 101 provided the best example of that effort
and, outside of attendance numbers, served as what I consider our most successful workshop.
Although the other workshops were positive in their own way, this specific workshop clearly hit
on all three of our program goals. The students learned a new skill and left the workshop with
the confidence to develop their early skills as future book binders. More importantly, through
that process, they also met new people and interacted in a unique space. One participant
summed it up nicely by writing:

I was able to create something, multiple somethings, I could walk away with, as well as
a new skill I could share with friends and use in the future. While social interaction other
events felt awkward or forced, the interaction during Trade School felt more natural,
flowing, organic.

BoomBox Video Review: Check out the different workshops at Trade School

Part IV Our Findings: Big Themes from Trade School

With a snapshot of how these workshops looked, lets next consider the major findings from the
entire event and the necessary conclusions that will drive our next steps:

Findings #1- Participants Want to Engage with News Skills Along with New People


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After each workshop, we invited participants to fill out an optional survey to help us improve the
Trade School program for the future. Not everyone took the time to fill out the survey, but in the
end, we received thirteen detailed surveys varying in feedback and reactions to the event.

A common theme that ran through a number of the surveys was both an appreciation and a
desire for more hands on learning. Out of the thirteen surveys, a total of nine surveys mentioned
some variation of the phrase hands on learning.

Some valued the opportunity to get their hands dirty during their workshop:

I was not sure what to expect but went with an open mind. The best part was the hands on
learning.

Putting my hands on the engine and helping to take it apart was fun and educational.

After the Motorcycle Maintenance workshop, I interviewed a participant and asked him what
was the most valuable aspect of his experience. After first acknowledging that it was absolutely
free, he then expanded on hands on learning.

BoomBox Interview: Hands on learning at Trade School

However, others wished there were more opportunities to engage with the necessary materials
and use their hands. When asked about what we could improve about the program, we heard:

More hands on experience. Sitting in a class is too traditional

Having more participants take turns to take apart pieces or unscrew things would have gotten
people involved instead of mostly standing and watching

More hands on. Building an engine would probably be fun and educational

Even in the same workshops, participants varied on if their experience was hands on.
Regardless, a majority of those surveyed articulated the need for hands on learning in this
setting. This feedback aligned with my own observations. Our participants did not want to be
lectured for two hours, they wanted an experience. They wanted to actively engage with not just
new people or a local expert, but with the skill itself. Whether that be binding a book, playing an
improv game, or unscrewing a part to an engine, adults too want to play with the material. Here
at HTH, we make a big deal about providing our students with the time and resources to
experiment with new mediums. Well, we need to take that same approach with adult learning as
well.

In preparing our volunteers teachers, we did not want to overstep our bounds or mandate that
they organize their workshop a certain way. They were volunteering their time and energy to
offer a free workshop and we wanted to trust their teaching style. Aside from logistics, we only

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asked that they committed some time to
social interaction. Trying to align the
Trade School with our larger
organizational goals, we emphasized to
every teacher in our recruitment letter
that, some folks are coming to Trade
School to not just learn about a
particular skill, but to also meet people
who share similar interests and
passions. Although still important, by
solely emphasizing on social
interaction, we missed a key ingredient
and ultimately failed to properly prepare
or guide our teachers. Looking back, we
should of been more explicit on the
value of hands on learning.

This rings true both for this specific program and any other program that the BoomBox
Collective organizes. If we want folks to take time out of their busy schedule to participate in a
creative workshop, dinner, or book exchange, we need to design a program that allows for
playful experimentation. As the success of our book binding workshop showed, our participants
not only learned more when their hands were active, but they also engaged in a more
comfortable and inclusive dialogue. Not every workshop centered around that same level of
activity and we need to do a better supporting our volunteer teachers to build their workshops
from that shared foundation.

Findings #2- Low Numbers Negatively Affected the Experience

Remember that old brain teaser- if a tree falls in the woods but no one is around to hear it, does
it make a sound? Well, the same logic goes for community organizing. If we create a positive,
unique community event but only a few attend- does it still make a difference?

Yes and no.

Although we certainly engaged a small group of people and received positive feedback, we also
fell short our attendance goals. Echoing the same feedback we heard after the music exchange,
those that attended considered our event a valuable experience. In that same survey, we asked
our participants if their experience met our program goals:

Your workshop provided you the opportunity to meet new people and have new/positive
conversations.

Your workshop exposed you to a new and different skill.


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Your workshop provided either the resources, connections, or confidence to further
develop the focus skilled (ie you now want to take that improv class or buy some
turntables)

Out of the thirteen participants surveyed, twelve agreed with each statement above (and the
lone participant who did not gain exposure to a new and different skill still admitted to having
fun). Again, like with the music exchange, we received primarily positive feedback from our
participants. Some enjoyed the social aspect of the workshop, writing that, I found it extremely
valuable as a tool for connecting with other people interested in the same things that I am.
Others recognized the value of a free workshop offered by experienced experts and that their
workshop provided more in-depth insight and a new way to look at that skill. We are proud of
this continued success and encouraged that many of our initial design goals were experienced
by those who came.

The problem is that not many people came. We were disappointed by our attendance and found
that our event suffered from these low numbers. Many of those surveyed acknowledged these
low numbers and more people became the most frequent piece of cool feedback. Six of the
thirteen surveyed directly mentioned the need for more people, thus sticking a sharp fork in our
own observations from the event. I would insert a potent quote from a participant that articulates
this finding. However, when asked what could of made this experience better, most of those
surveyed simply wrote, More People!

We agree. There were not enough people to encourage diverse social interaction or to provide a
momentum of resources that could carry the experience beyond the weekend. We initially
wanted at least five participants for every workshop and only the Motorcycle Maintenance met
that attendance goal. The other five workshops still enrolled at least two participants, but the
empty seats were apparent to most in attendance.

In the end, we realized this to be a failure in marketing. We made two assumptions about
promotion that we now regret (crossed out to symbolize the mistake).

A) TS Teachers will find students. We over-relied on our volunteer teachers to find and enroll
potential students. In preparing our teachers, we tried to make explicitly clear that they would
need to help promote and organize. Due to their experience within their specific field, we felt like
they would know the best people and groups to reach out to. Although a logical tactic, it should
not serve as a means of promotion.

For one thing, all of our teachers are extremely busy people already volunteering their time and
energy to provide a free workshop on a beautiful weekend day. They simply did not have the
time or motivation to go that extra step to actively promote for the event beyond their immediate
social circle. Congruently, many of our teachers were, rightfully, expecting us to organize the
event. That does not just include providing the actual seats, but also filling them. As organizers,
we needed to recognize our role as primary promoters and take a more aggressive role in the

15
marketing of this event. Although our teachers could and would support in that effort, they,
again, could not serve as our primary strategy for student recruitment.

B) Word of mouth will organically spread. As an upstart organization, we believe in and over
rely on the power of word of mouth. If you build it, they will slowly come. With no real money
to pour into promotion or even printing, we depend heavily on our social and professional
networks to relay our message with the hope that we would attract a few participants. Those few
would hopefully come and then advocate for our next event. As long as more people came to
the next event than the last, we were moving in the right direction.

After the success of our music exchange in January, we were confident that we were on the
right track. However, we now recognize that we overemphasized our reach. The majority of
those who participated heard about the event through these loose connections- either our
friends, colleagues, or friends of friends told them. However, our message was not strong
enough to really attract new participants. Sure, many heard our pitch, but our words did not
meaningful connect with enough possible participants. We blasted emails addresses, dressed
up our new website, and posted our workshops through Facebook, but those messages would
only skim the surface. In order to attract more participants, we would need to, at first at least, to
make more meaningful connections with potential participants before our event and include
more mouths to spread the word.

DJ @Large, a volunteer workshop, immediately recognized this misstep in an interview
conducted after the workshop and as a DJ, empathized with this need.

BoomBox Interview: DJ@Large on finding the right people and collaboration

To attract more participants, we needed to involve more hands and minds in the development of
the program. Staying within @Larges metaphor, we tried to throw a party all by ourselves. No
one came in the end and we needed to do a better job involving more people from the start.

This advice proved especially true for our students and other youth.

Finding #3- No Students

I was most disappointed by our low student turn out. After the warm presence of our youth
during the music exchange, we made a conscious effort to promote to our students. We
recognized the value of having youth and adults interact with each other and wanted to use
Trade School as another avenue to examine that dynamic.

With that in mind, we consciously pitched our students on the workshops. Free and creative
workshops! We talked about it in our separate classes, made special announcements in other
classrooms, and also tried to recruit fellow teachers in promoting our workshops in their own
classes. We were not looking for students to help or volunteer, but instead to participate. We did
not want to use them as cheap labor, but instead put them on the same level as adults. Learn a

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new skill side by side with adults in the neighborhood. In one seventh grade classroom, I
promoted the event to all fifty six students as the website and registration information illuminated
behind me. Afterwards, a student shot up his hand to ask a question- Are kids allowed to come
to these events? The concept of a mixed classroom of both adults and youth seemed foreign to
him. We made it clear to every student that we wanted to break down these walls and invited
them to participate to each and every workshop.

In the end, only two participated. I mentioned my student DJ with her father above and the other
youth participant was recruited by his teacher to help support the Motorcycle workshop. After his
workshop, I interviewed him about his experience and how to engage more youth in these types
of community workshops. He articulated that many students would be interested in similar
workshops that taught creative skills and interests typically not covered in public schools.

However, he did not think that we made a big enough to push to recruit students at his specific
school site. We needed to be more aggressive if we wanted students to give up their Saturdays,
especially to come to their own school building. The word learning would not appeal to them
as it would to some of our adult participants. Instead, we would need to promote more the skill
and the opportunity to actively engage with a new medium- whether that be DJing or Book
Binding. After suggesting more
traditional means of promotion-
fliers, email blast, public
announcements, our student
summed it all by stating, Students
would come if they knew about it- if
there was fliers, emails. I wouldnt
of come if I didnt know about it.
Although we made this effort
especially in our own classrooms,
this student reminded me that we
needed to do more to promote.
One announcement would not
promise any student participants,
neither would a general email blast
or a flier hanging over the water foundation. However, those messages collectively would at
least make the students aware of this separate projects and possibly more comfortable
attending. Without a more directed marketing strategy, I am afraid many students reacted more
like that 7th grader mentioned before. Unsure and confused.

We also failed to recognize that we had students at the music exchange because we enlisted
their help and services for the event. From facilitating conversations to taking pictures, we asked
a collection of students of different ages to help. Ironically, less students participated at Trade
School than when we asked them to work the music exchange. Again, TS teacher DJ @Large
recognized this difference and articulated that we needed to get more students involved in the

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planning and organizing of these events. In an interview conducted after his workshop, he
concluded that:

the first [BoomBox Collective event] had a lot more youth volunteering to help and that
was a good aspect. It just helps bring a lot of energy to it and gives a sense of diverse
perspectives. That is one of the ways to empower people is to give them a role and then
they have a stake in it and have incentive to put their energy into it and spread the event.
Everything grows from there.

Our program could not simply be for youth, but it had to be better designed and organized with
our students. Although that sounds obvious now, we learned the lesson the hard way after
Trade School. We wanted students to participate, but we never truly empowered them to do so.
As a result, they never quite connected to the purpose behind Trade School and as a result, did
not attend. For our next event, we did not just need to craft a sharper and more direct marketing
campaign, but we needed to more actively recruit both students and adults to share the
responsibility of organizing the event.