What started as an idea and some organic activities in 1993 became a function of community outreach. Realizing the negative impact that that hypersexualized, violent & drug induced forms hip held undermining impact in urban communities, we realized that hip hop music & culture could be utilized to interject positive perspectives into the minds of the peoples who were open to this specific cultural expression and suggestion.
We started out submitting our ideas to and collaborating to existing organizations, agencies, churches and other community stakeholders. in fact we informally advocate many of these programs and systems, We work to get urban people to buy into the idea of the embracing their inherent stock in social equity to the extent that they use existing services and support providers... Many people have been failed, so they feel disconnected from the support that is there for them!
(...All the to say We still collaborate with other community stakeholders and are presently seeking to find resources that can meet the varying challenges and needs of this populace... We seek work with the providers and to establish relationships with them...)
The traditional leadership dynamics conventional ways of community outreach are not sufficient enough to advocate and help inner-city people. However the culture that was created from hip-hop and its people speak the language of generation x, millennials, generation y and the emerging generation alpha.
We even asking that these groups add hip hop culture to their campaigns and methods... The people, artists and advocates were either treated with disdain, or simply as a novelty...
Many of us at S.O.S (Save Our Sons Network/Save Our Sons Inc) We embrace the 'Culture, because it IS our culture!
SAVE OUR SONS INC.
Some old footage that encompassing some of what we did, what we do, and who we are...
We also understood that using these and other cultural perspectives synthesized by the performing arts could be used in organic peer-mentorship perspectives would be more successful to foster change... This would contrast with system and ideologies that focused primarily on or other traditional instruction and mentorship forms.
We began to annually have urban/ street outreach campaigns were urban and contemporary music would be the backdrop and catalysts to engaging conversations around strengthening the family structures through male involvement and youth participation. People in urban environments we're encouraged to be a part of positive change in their communities.
The basic concepts of individual improvement, which led to family improvement which ultimately leads to community improvement weren't braced through the celebration of music and conversation.
In 2004 These “street tours” we were encouraged to larger scale celebrations, and we began to have festivals the first was called S.O.S Fest 2004 held downtown New Haven Connecticut. We continue to move through the urban communities of Connecticut, periodically having these festivals at the end of the summer months…
After this we were called into local malls for performances, we had several small, medium, and large-scale festivals, and street tours throughout the state of Connecticut. Besides these our supporters have also gone one on to be producers and guest speakers and performers at other shows and events. Many of our followers and supporters have gone on the be rap artists, music producers, video producers and public advocates in local, regional, and national platforms.
Our Street campaigns, and our festivals have been launching pads that have catalyzed positive change and other movements. From 2024 on We inspire to have these annually, and to create a mechanism to continue to follow up with the people that were influenced and impacted by the positive message of behavior modification through peer mentorship and cultural participation.
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