The 10 Biggest Concerns of Hip-Hop-Integrated Education and Mental Health and Wellness Promotion

• In Event: 29.064 - Hip-Hop-Influenced Mental Health and Wellness Interventions: Experiences From the Field

Abstract

Substantial progress has been made for Hip Hop’s integration into education, in content (both ideology and material), pedagogy, and outcome measurement. Advancements have also been made in recognition that educating youth has become necessarily interdisciplinary outside of the traditional school day, with critical links to mental health, and to afterschool and summer programming. While this promise and these opportunities are increasingly documented in research and case studies, several important concerns remain that scholars and practitioners alike must keep in mind.

Based on the results of multiple years of work in hip-hop education and mental health, this paper will cover ten pertinent questions that must be considered when doing this type of work.
1. When are risky themes of substance use, misogyny, and violence considered excessive?
2. Will the culture be misappropriated and coopted within the educational system?
3. Will Hip Hop artists be overemphasized as role models?
4. Will Hip Hop be overgeneralized as representative of youth or Black culture?
5. Will activities be stigmatized and problematized; a distraction or path to discipline?
6. Is challenging the status quo and reform fundamental to Hip Hop integrated strategies?
7. If reform is targeted, what are the prioritized strategies?
8. What are the optimal credentials and structures for Hip Hop integrated education?
9. What are the prioritized outcome measures?
10. What is the most promising evidence for the effectiveness of Hip Hop based strategies?

We must remain cognizant of to ensure that emergent Hip Hop integrated strategies are well positioned to build upon the progress and impact of early successes. To sustain the momentum of early successes, scholars and practitioners must be strategic, transparent, and rigorous in approach while maintaining the value-base of Hip Hop culture. Several strategic initiatives in pedagogy and scholarship provide a window to how this is possible. Ensuring that these efforts are transparent and rigorous will help solidify the path forward so that Hip Hop can be the transformative force in education that helps youth to excel.

Author

• Raphael Travis, Texas State University-San Marcos