The document outlines the mission and vision of L.A.S.E.R.S 4 Life, an organization aimed at empowering underrepresented youth. The key points are: 1) L.A.S.E.R.S 4 Life seeks to help underrepresented youth become advocates for themselves through building community and empowering future civic leaders. 2) The proposed program includes an afterschool class that uses hip hop music and social issues topics to promote education, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging. 3) The long term vision is to foster human development and transform communities by giving youth opportunities to engage in their political system and create positive change.

1. L.A.S.E.R.S 4 Life
Love Always Shines, Every-time Remember 2 Smile- LF
Jasmine Timmons

2. Lasersare the opposite of losers. Lasersare shining
beams of light that burn through the darkness of
ignorance. Lasersshed light on injustice and
inequality. Losers stand by and let things happen.
Lasersact and shape their own destinies.
Lasersfind meaning and direction in the mysteries
all around them. Lasersstand for love and
compassion. Lasersstand for peace. Lasersstand
for progression. Lasersare revolutionary.
Lasers Are The Future.
We're Not Losers...We Are L.A.S.E.R.S.!!!
Love Always Shines Every-time Remember 2 Smile!

3. L.A.S.E.R.S Manifesto Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZtAQQh-yYA

4. L.A.S.E.R.S Manifesto:
To every man woman and child
1. We Want An End To The 5. We Will Not Compromise Who We
Glamorization Of Negativity In The Are To Be Accepted By The Crowd.
Media.
2. We Want An End To Status Symbols 6. We Want The Invisible Walls That
Dictating Our Worth As Individuals. Separate By Wealth, Race & Class To Be
Torn Down.
3. We Want A Meaningful And Universal 7. We Want To Think Our Own
Education System. Thoughts.
4. We Want Substance In The Place Of 8. We Will Be Responsible For Our
Popularity. Environment.

5. 9. We Want Clarity & Truth From 12. We Want An End To The
Our Elected Officials Or They Processed Culture Of
Should Move Aside. Exploitation, Over-Consumption &
Waste.
10. We Want Love Not Lies.
13. We Want
Knowledge, Understanding &
11. We Want An End To All Wars. Peace.
Foreign & Domestic (Violence).
14. WE WILL NOT LOSE BECAUSE
WE ARE NOT LOSERS, WE ARE
LASERS!!!

6. Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco
An American rapper from Chicago.
Artist, producer and CEO
of 1st and 15th Entertainment.
Lupe's fans created an online petition demanding a release
date for "Lasers," which now has more than 30,000
signatures.
In an interview with MTV News in July, Lupe said he thought
the label felt the pressure brought on by his listeners. “For
them to see 16,000 people say, ‘This is what we want and
what we want now’…They love to see fans that actually
care.”

7. L.A.S.E.R.S 4 Life: Background
Being an African American female born and raised in
Madison, Wisconsin, I spent over half my life preparing
for college with the PEOPLE Program. I was raised in a
duel family, middle class house hold. I managed to
acquire optimal jobs and make connections within the
university and the community with ease.
Yet I felt no belonging to Madison or
the UW Campus.
If it was this hard for someone like me to feel a
sense of belonging, I couldn’t imagine what it must
be like for other minorities that were less
supported and had less guidance in the community
.

8. L.A.S.E.R.S 4 Life: Journey
My first 4 years in college seemed to be
overrated, I didn’t really see what useful
knowledge I was getting to prepare me for the
real world, once I left academia. I struggled to
find myself and as a result I retreated from being
active in many “for the cause” orgs on campus.
Until…
My 5th year at UW-Madison, which began as a
reluctant journey, but soon turned into a year of
discovery, enlightenment and inspiration.

9. L.A.S.E.R.S Mission
Help under-represented youth
become advocates for themselves
while, building community
&empower future civic leaders.

10. L.A.S.E.R.S Goals
1.Participate infree after school/ summer program at the Teen center
2. Promote education, both high school graduation and college
enrollment
3. Engage in activities that allow youth to be advocates for themselves
4. Use influential music as a medium to evoke positive change
5. Aid youth in building self esteem to strengthen self worth
6. Instill pride and a sense of belonging to neighborhood, culture and
community

11. L.A.S.E.R.S Vision
The idea is simple and grassroots, but the impact it will have on youth
and the community is tremendous. We empower individual lives
and transform communities. We are LASERS 4 Life!
My Vision is to foster human and community development with an
infusion of hip- hop music. Through educating and mentorship
youth are given the opportunity to belong to a small community of
their peers, learn the history of hip-hop, the culture from which it
originated and dissect social issues that affect their lives.
After this experience, these youth will have the confidence in
themselves to engage our political system and create positive
change.

12. L.A.S.E.R.S Structure
• Recruit Students to come to a class biweekly after
school
• Each week there will be a social issues topic discussed
• Students begin class talking about what they learned
• Activity related to the topic is played
• Students share their opinions openly in a discussion
– Reflection workshop
– Self esteem workshop
– Community building workshop
• Wrap up banquet with UW-Madison ICD class

13. L.A.S.E.R.S 4 Life: Curriculum
• The curriculum will be based off of a class created by
students at UW-Madison called Intercultural Dialogue
(ICD) along with Lupe Fiascos “LASERSManifesto”.
• This curriculum will be infused with an emphasis on
hip-hop and incorporate workshops to help students
process the information they are learning.
• Any additional content outside of the original ICD will
be developed by qualified students, staff, faculty,
universities, community organizations, hip hop
affiliates and any other qualified willing effort.

14. Proposed Syllabus
Week 1 Week 9
Introduction, Expectations & Safe Space Race and Language
Week 2 Week 10
History of black people Race and Education
Week 3 Week 11
Hip-hop overview/ focus on progressives Race and Gender
Week 4 Week 12
Race, Public Representation, and Music Race andHetronormativity
Week 5 Week 13
Race and Whiteness Race and World Views
Week 6 Week 14
Race and Class Making it personal/ Reflection
Week 7 Week 15
Race and Health Community Organizing
Week 8 Week 16
Race and Law Banquet/ Wrap up

15. Future of L.A.S.E.R.S
It is my dream one day…
• Students are provided with mentors
• Collaborate with SEED (similar to ICD)
• Students get ethnic studies college credit
• LASERS model implemented in high schools/ summer
programs and community centers
• LASERS model goes beyond Dane county

16. Indirect Contributors
The next few slides are contributors that
influenced the dream of LASERS 4 Life!
Either by inspiring me with some work they have
done, enlightening me with intrinsic
knowledge, providing me with the
fundamental skills or just by simple
encouragement and support… to you all
THANK YOU

17. PEOPLE is a pre-college pipeline for students of
color and low-income students, most of whom
are the first in their families to potentially attend
college. Their journey prepares them to apply, be
successfully admitted and enroll at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. PEOPLE accepts highly
motivated students into a rigorous program to
build study skills, explore and strengthen
academic and career interests, and gain a positive
experience on a world-class campus.
I have been in this program preparing to come
to UW-Madison since 6th grade, I would be
nothing without them!

18. The goal of ICD to gather students from different
backgrounds and offer a fun environment and learning
ICD: Intercultural Dialogue
community where they can learn about people on an
individual level and prepare them to read and discuss
more difficult issues such as racial dynamics, relations,
class, family, social life, and politics.
I took ICD the first semester of my 5th year…
Without a doubt, the most useful class
throughout my college career.

19. The MultiCultural Student Coalition (MCSC) is an alliance
of students committed to social justice and the
principles of unity, integrity, responsibility and respect.
MCSC values community and undertakes coalition-
building, promoting excellence in scholarship and
service among MCSC student staff as well as all
students. MCSC's institutionalized working structure
provides an environment for students and the campus
community to work together, learn about and from
each other, and take an active role in enriching the UW
Madison community.

20. USSA's, GrassRoots Organizing Weekend (GROW) is a
comprehensive three-day training for student
organizers. The GROW teaches students how to be
more strategic in their fight for justice on campus and
in the community. The training is a series of
presentations, exercises, and discussions that teach a
set of skills and concepts, which will increase the
effectiveness of your student organizing. The GROW
trainers are seasoned student organizers from around
the country who teach by using their own personal
organizing experiences. Usually 20-40 participants
attend each GROW.

21. Rosa Clemente
Rosa Alicia Clemente is a
United States community
Organizer, independent
journalist and hip hop
activist. She was also the vice
presidential running mate of
2008 Green Party Presidential
candidate Cynthia McKinney
in the 2008 U.S. Presidential
election.

22. Scott Walker?
Wisconsin is ground zero in a national struggle
over labor unions power, and union members
from all over the country have converged on
the state to protest the proposal.
More than 50,000 demonstrators poured into
the state capital of Madison over the
weekend to protest against the plan.

23. Martinez White- PEOPLE Scholar
http://mwhitesworld.wordpress.com/

24. SOUL is a school to build a movement. SOUL is working to lay the
groundwork for a strong social justice movement by supporting
the development of a new generation of organizers rooted in a
systemic change analysis -especially people of color, young
women, queer and transgender youth and low-income people.
We believe that – in order for organizers to build an effective
movement for fundamental social change – they need support to
develop the nuts-and-bolts organizing skills they need to
mobilize their communities and to deepen their political analysis
and their visions for fundamental social change. SOUL helps to
build the capacity of organizers and leaders of grassroots
organizations to win systemic change.

25. Rosa @ the Our crazy dog
capitol Hero
My moms & pops & I
without them I am nothing
My precious God
daughter Savannah
You already know
The boo and I.
Ashlin was born in
Detroit with HIV.
She gives me
strength!

26. AIDS Walk in Milwaukee
PEP Students
Should this have
At the children's museum been for the Green
with my God daughter party?

27. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmp6zIr5y4U