HHCF Awarded Safe Summer Initiative Grant by City of San Jose for FREE Summer Camp for Teens

City of San Jose Awards Hip-Hop Chess Federation Grant for Chess and Life Strategies Summer Camp

HHCF Opens FREE Summer Camp to Keep Kids Focused on School and Off the Streets     

May 20th, 2015 San Jose, CA - The Hip-Hop Chess Federation (HHCF) is happy to announce they will be hosting a FREE Chess and Life Strategies summer camp starting June 15th to August 15th 2015 at the Seven Trees Community Center in San Jose, CA. This powerful, innovative education program is brought to you in part by the city of San Jose awarding the HHCF the Safe Summer Initiative Grant (SSIG). The purpose of the SSIG is to give funds to organizations that strive to help teens in underserved areas. “It is a deep honor for the HHCF to be awarded the SSIG.” stated VP of Outreach Meek Gaborski. “Our commitment to inspire and enable young minds to higher heights, is rapidly getting more recognition. Everyone in HHCF is excited.”

The HHCF Chess and Life Strategies program teaches more than chess. In the HHCF chess positions on the board are matched with lessons that teach teens the power of patience, planning and independent thinking methods. “We make the game more culturally relevant to young people by showing them rappers, business leaders and politicians who play chess.” stated HHCF Founder, Adisa Banjoko. “This gets their  attention and allows them to see themselves in the game. Sadly in the summer,  many kids get into gangs, drugs and bad behavior because they don’t have anyone to work with them. HHCF is here for the kids of San Jose. We have a lot of gang activity out here. ”

Adisa Banjoko recently served as the education and history consultant to the World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) exhibit Living Like Kings  in St. Louis, Missouri. The Living Like Kings  grand opening broke all previous attendance records for WCHOF grand openings.  RZA from Wu-Tang Clan (HHCF’s Director of Ourtreach) and Adisa spent time in St. Louis last year after the police killing of Mike Brown. They spoke to more than 1000  at-risk teens, including incarcerated youth. Their lectures centered on the impact of chess and martial arts can have on their  discipline and decision making. In 2015, Adisa Banjoko gave powerful lectures at Lehigh, Oberlin College and University of Connecticut among others.

HHCF also released a mixtape promoting their ideals of chess and peace at www.soundcloud.com/hiphopchess .

For more on HHCF and their Chess and Life Strategies  programs visit www.hiphopchess.com

About HHCF: The Hip-Hop Chess Federation is the world's first nonprofit (501c3) to fuse music, chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. They host lectures, panels, and celebrity chess events to help at-risk, gang-impacted and gang intentional youth make better decisions in life. The HHCF has been featured on Good Morning America, Forbes, Chess Life, VIBE and Rolling Stone.  

 

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Hip-Hop Chess Federation Launches Summer Camp on Chess and Entrepreneurship

Hip-Hop Chess Federation Launches Summer Camp on Chess and Entrepreneurship

Non-profit bridges gaps between music, business and technology

San Jose, CA 6/9/2014- The Hip-Hop Chess Federation(HHCF) is proud to announce that it will be hosting its annual Summer Camps. This summer the camps will be held at Ocalla Middle School starting June 16 and will run for 8 weeks . Camp programs include classes Chess, Entrepreneurship Camp,  Hip-Hop Dance and Cheerleading.

It is well known the some of Silicon Valley and Hip-Hop have chess as a common theme in their life.

Thanks to the generosity of the City of San Jose Safe Summer Initiative Grant, the HHCF is able to drop the price of the camp from $295 a week to a low price of $99 a week. This grant will help some kids attend who might not have been able to otherwise. The HHCF works to ensure that learning the game of kings is not reserved for only the economic elite.  

“Our chess camps stay full because they are more than  just becoming a chess champion” stated HHCF Founder Adisa Banjoko. “Chess teaches kids how ideas followed with the right planning and action make you victorious. Our methods teach young people the connection between chess, life and education strategies. We are really excited about this years entrepreneurship camp where participants will develop skills to help them become the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. Throughout the camps we will bring in will bring in company founders and start-up Silicon Valley executives to host guest lectures on topics such as business strategies, chess and more”.

The camp for K-12th grade encourages local schools and community members to participate in this summer camps. The $99 fee provides each camper with materials for camp activities and for those registered by June 13, a free camp T-shirt.

A limited number of partial scholarships are available. Parents should contact Crystal Silva atcamps@hiphopchessfederation.org, if finances are a concern.

About Hip-Hop Chess Federation: The Hip-Hop Chess Federation is the first nonprofit 501(c)3 to fuse music, chess and martial arts to promote unity, strategy and nonviolence. They host celebrity chess events and panels of life strategies for at-risk, gang impacted and gang intentional youth. Artists like RZA from Wu-Tang Clan, chess master Josh Waitzkin, actor Emilio Rivera,  Immortal Technique, Asheru, Zion I, DJ Qbert, Dilated Peoples, Hieroglyphics and many others have participated in their events. Founder Adisa Banjoko has presented at Harvard University and World Chess Hall of Fame on how chess, martial arts and music promote peace in the streets. Visit their official website at www.hiphopchessfederation.org.