Childhood & Community Education

Positive Youth Development through Music (IAMusic)

Through INMED’s IAMusic program, at-risk youth have the opportunity to learn fundamental guitar and music skills with the guidance of a positive adult role model. The name of the program, IAMusic, reflects the fundamental concept of “I AM” that is sadly missing for many children in the project communities.

Growing up in impoverished, violent surroundings, these children see no opportunities, no hope, and suffer from low self-esteem as a result. The IAMusic program reaches out to at-risk, often “forgotten” youth to give them a sense of purpose and accomplishment through music instruction and the encouragement of a positive adult role model.

The IAMusicprogram is helping participating youth develop the critical perception that “I AM”: I AM somebody, I AM important—in addition to everything that involvement in music represents: I AM creative, I AM capable of learning a skill, I AM dedicated to my goals, I AM talented. Over time, the youths’ newfound sense of “I AM” evolves into “I CAN”: I CAN be successful in school, I CAN stay away from gangs and drugs, I CAN make positive changes in my life, I CAN achieve my dreams.

The program includes beginners’ guitar instruction—with acoustic and electric guitars donated by the Gibson Guitar Company and the Gibson Foundation—by qualified music instructors who have experience in, and an affinity for, working with at-risk youth.

The program also incorporates key elements that support positive youth development, such as healthy, positive messages about life and social behavior; promotion of educational achievement; and opportunities for participation in civic and community activities.

At the same time, the IAMusic program complements and supports several of INMED’s other programs, including gang intervention and mentoring for children of prisoners in Los Angeles; violence and obesity prevention in Jamaica; basic education and HIV/AIDS prevention in Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago; and maternal and child health in Peru.

The IAMusic program currently reaches at-risk youth in Kingston and Trenchtown, Jamaica; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Lima, Peru; Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Compton, California.