Our Programs
BTAB (Beacon Teen Advisory Board)
Passionate about issues affecting youth? Interested in leadership training, organizing events or doing community service and getting paid? Join us!
CONTACT: Melenia Jackson
BSU (Black Student Union)
Chill, listen to music and discuss issues that Black youth face.
CONTACT: Melenia Jackson
Case Management
Are you a student in need of extra one on one support? Case Management allows you the opportunity to receive support from an adult ally in everything from school, personal, family and other problems. Services are confidential.
CONTACT: Violeta Pantaleón
Condom Distribution
Learn about safer sex, preventing STD's and teen pregnancy. Come get free condoms at the Beacon.
CONTACT: Melenia Jackson & Violeta Pantaleón
DJ Class
Learn to spin, various forms of scratching and mixing records as well as how to set-up the equipment. The class is taught by DJ Phaa (Jesse Narin) and DJ Nate (Nathan Rothstein) - G.W.H.S.'s very own resident DJs. You've probably seen them spin during school events. The class has a mellow, chill and fun environment. It is also a good place to make friends with other musicians, singers, rappers and poets as students from Spoken Word, Open Mic Friday and the Music Recording & Production programs kick it here and use the space to sharpen their skills. DJ Class is a component of the Music Program.
CONTACT: Ricardo Bonilla
GSA/GoYAC
Queer? Questioning? Straight Ally? Get Out and join the Go Program. Wanna learn more about the queer community and make some friends? Then join the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). or become a leader in your Youth Advisory Counsil and plan awareness-raising events! Having issues at school or home? Sit and chat with your peers in a supportive and safe space for queer youth or get one on one support.
CONTACT: Shawn Brown
Guitar Class
Learn to play the guitar! Don't have one? It doesn't matter! We have one for you! Just come to class, learn and have fun. Kevin Chan, our master-mind student instructor is excellent! He makes time for one on one instruction. Learn at your own pace and kick it with other musicians. Guitar Class is a component of the Music Program.
CONTACT: Ricardo Bonilla
Latino Club
¡Bienvenidos! A place for youth to learn about and celebrate Latino culture. Fun field trips, workshops and more.
CONTACT: Violeta Pantaleón
Media Arts
Hardware and software meet artistic creativity! Explore digital sound editing and music production, graphic and web design in adition to digital video production. Join "Web Core" every summer and then serve as trainers to other Beacon students during the fall and spring while getting paid for it. Free education and paid training services! Media Arts is taught by a past program participant and the Arts & Tech Coordinator. Join creative and curious minds!
CONTACT: Ricardo Bonilla
M4TROU
Born from dissatisfaction with the current state of Hip Hop and its dominance, M4TROU burst from youth's desire to bring equality to and representation of other musical styles. Headed by Paul Celis, we play all styles of music in the esplanade during lunch every Monday and Wednesday. M4TROU is a component of the Music Program.
CONTACT: Ricardo Bonilla
JustBEATS
The Beacon's newest program, JustBEATS, was developed naturally by student interest in and passion for music. It is fully student-lead and serves as a place for students to record (rap and sing) and produce songs. Poets, rappers, singers and DJs compose this purely youth created and lead program. Students use Protools, Soundtrack Pro and Reason on Apple Intel Core 2 Duo iMacs. Students in this program are very talented, have previous training and/or receive training during program. Don't miss their performances on and off school grounds. Almost the entire group is also part of Spoken Word and DJ Class. Drop by to any of these programs to meet them and be part of their efforts. JustBEATS is a component of the Music Program.
CONTACT: Ricardo Bonilla
Open Mic Friday
Open Mic Friday is a student lead program held every Friday in the Teen Center and at Café Euro - where our students showcase their talents. The leadership group consists of Spoken Word and Music Program students. Because of the involvement of its first members in other Beacon programs, Open Mic influenced Spoken Word and DJ Class. Furthermore, it lead to the creation of yet another new program - Music Editing & Composition - where participants of Spoken Word, Open Mic and DJ Class came together to record and produce their own music. Open Mic Friday started with DJ Phaa and DJ Nate spinning records in the Teen Center after school every Friday. From there, the Mic was introduced and students began to MC, freestyle and battle each other while the DJ's spun. Open Mic Friday was an idea introduced by Philippe Kohanovski back in early Spring 2006. Open Mic Friday is a component of the Music Program.
CONTACT: Ricardo Bonilla
Real World
Spoken Word
As a youth at George Washington High and a Richmond Village Beacon Center participant, Mical Asefaw wrote and performed poetry as a form of activism against social injustices and to help her combat the peer pressures she faced on a daily basis. She saw the lack of encouragement from adults at school for youth expression on campus, and made it her goal to come back to Washington High and create a program that would empower youth to speak out about their struggles through the art of spoken word. In 2002, she developed her spoken word program as a program coordinator at the Western Addition Beacon Center, housed at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The program was originally called Ya Heard (named after a poem she wrote at the age of 16) and served to empower Middle School girls during lunch and all youth between the ages of 14 to 18 after school. Mical conducted and developed Ya Heard for two years before moving on to the Richmond Village Beacon at George Washington H.S. in 2005 and creating a more advanced version of Ya Heard, called Spoken Word.
Currently the Spoken Word program consists of youth poets between the ages of 14 to 18 who've come into their voices, while shaping their own identities and inspiring other youth to pick up the Mic and express their struggles through spoken word. The Spoken Word program has spawned a leadership program, consisting of youth who will continue to make vital decisions over the direction of the program; fulfilling, full circle, the goal she set out as a youth to empower other young people at George Washington H.S.
CONTACT: Ricardo Bonilla
Teen Center
Once upon a time, not too long ago, there existed a Teen Center that ran for about 3 years before it closed its doors in 2005. Back in those days, students had the option to watch movies, play pool, foosball, table and outdoor games as well as use the computers and just chill with friends.
In late 2006 and early 2007, the old Teen Center began to resuscitate from the efforts of the Tutoring Program. Wanting to provide an environment that did not remind students of a classroom, Philippe Kohanovski (Tutor) and Ricardo Bonilla (Edu & Tech Coordinator) moved after school tutoring to IT7.
CONTACT: Angie
Tutoring
Get tutoring in all subjects by college students. Come learn, discuss your academic concerns, enjoy some snacks, have a good time and make new friends in a safe and positive environment.
CONTACT: Angie
YouthCares
A program for High School youth who want to work with immigrant seniors in the community and get paid. Youth attend weekly trainings on job skills, communication and leadership skills as well as provide companionship to seniors, run a food bank and teach ESL and computer classes and get paid. YouthCares is a project of IISF.
CONTACT: Virada
Youth Employment
Are you broke and looking for a job, but you don't know where to start? Come to the Beacon and learn how to create your resume, how to conduct yourself on an interview and about the latest employment opportunities.
CONTACT: Mary
