Our Program
WE DO IT FOR THE CULTURE™
Authentic connections with young people are important now more than ever! They have a lot to say, and as educators, we must provide vulnerable spaces and agency for them to show up in all of their greatness. The We Do It for the Culture™ educational curriculum helps to foster the authentic connections needed to support young people in feeling seen, heard and valued. Founded by Jamila Sams, a self-proclaimed “Hip-Hop Head” and educator with over 25 years of experience, We Do It for the Culture™ is an online, subscription-based social emotional learning curriculum rooted in the elements of hip-hop for grades 6-12.
Hip-hop in its rawest form is storytelling. Hip-hop brings together the narratives of people from all over the world who have been marginalized in communities where at times, they have felt unseen, unheard and unvalued. Schools serve as centralized places of learning in the community where those diverse narratives come alive. The culture created within schools determines if those diverse narratives are celebrated or ignored.
We Do It for the Culture™ is designed specifically for educators who believe that ALL students can learn, especially when they are affirmed in their identities and cultures. The curriculum encourages educators to challenge students to think, express themselves and seek opportunities to thrive, not just survive. As a culturally responsive product, the curriculum encourages educators to recognize the importance of their students’ diverse cultural narratives while leveraging their strengths to build on areas of growth.
LESSON FEATURES
The culturally-responsive lessons are created to support and explicitly teach strategies that uphold the 5 competencies of social-emotional learning for grades 6-12.
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Responsible Decision Making
We Do It for the Culture ™ is specifically designed for schools that understand the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy — teaching that acknowledges, responds to and celebrates fundamental cultures while offering equitable access to education for all students.
The majority of the lessons engage students with media-rich content from YouTube (clean versions) and other media platforms. It is in these spaces online where our young people are communicating, sharing ideas and being exposed to various content that, when used in an educational way, becomes engaging and relevant. We Do It for the Culture™ believes in meeting students where they are while creating opportunities to build on their existing knowledge.
We Do It for the Culture™ lessons can be adapted for online use with various third-party integration applications. Virtual tips are included within the lessons.
Sample third party applications:
- NearPod
- Jamboard
- Kahoot
- Newsela
- Padlet
CYPHER: Within the cypher (circle), the tone is set for the group. Rituals such as mindfulness or reflection activities help to engage students.
ICE BREAKER / HOOK: The hook is the initial activity that gets the students “hyped” for the lesson to come.
LESSON: Interactive lessons allow for student voice and interactions, both in-person and virtually.
DEBRIEF / EXTENSION: In order to assess whether the lesson resonated with students, debriefing questions and extension activities help to reinforce ideas and learnings.
WHAT WE'VE DONE
We Do It for the Culture™ has evolved over the past three years. As a paper-based curriculum featured in schools from Baltimore to New York, the curriculum has garnered positive results from principals, teachers and students! We Do It for the Culture’s™ transition to an online platform with new lessons, content and resources being shared regularly will allow for a national and global reach.
100
UNIQUE LESSONS AND GROWING
30
TRAININGS TO DATE
10
SCHOOL PARTNERS TO DATE
2000+
STUDENTS ENGAGED TO DATE
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Ms. Fashusi, Advisor
Van Siclen Middle School Brooklyn, NY
The We Do It for the Culture™ (WDIFTC) curriculum has made advisory class more engaging for my students! The culturally relevant topics, discussions, and activities have allowed me to form close relationships with my advisory students despite the fact that many of them are learning remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m excited for my students to explore other WDIFTC lessons during the remaining months of the school year.
Ms. Rosas, School Counselor
Castle Hill Middle School Bronx, NY
We Do It for the Culture™ is just an amazing tool to bring a school community together. We used the curriculum for our advisory last year and the lessons did not disappoint. Social-emotional learning is not just about activities; but the way these lessons are crafted — the activities and material really did boost SEL for us! Having Ms. Sams on board with us this year during the pandemic has been so helpful. Building positive relationships is crucial to any school community; We Do It for the Culture™ really helped us with that.