Usher’s foundation soars to new heights

by Candyce Torres, Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico & Talk Radio News Staff

At the Education and Labor Committee hearing yesterday Members of Congress expressed why they believed that the panel was one of the best in all of their careers.

Among the witnesses was top music artist Usher Raymond IV, Chairman of the New Look Foundation. “The platform for what I’ve done for so many years gave me this opportunity to be here more than anything simply to be of a service to under served communities and give them the opportunity to know that there is opportunity there for them to track them throughout their careers…This is purpose over platform,” he said. Their signature program, Camp New Look, was created to expose youth to the business side of sports and entertainment. The program guides them to higher education and provides internships and shadow opportunities.

James Harris, a 19-year-old, who before becoming involved with the foundation said he grew up in a neighborhood where he took a lot of negative things as just being the norm. “I think the important thing is to incorporate service in to the school curriculum and reach them, educate them and get that appeal to the motion, get them into it, because once you connect the kids that want to work with the opportunity to work you will get an outstanding performance,” he said. Harris, who is attending Johnson Community College in North Carolina stated that young adults need to start getting motivated at a young. “You got to start in the school because in junior high school and high school, it may not seem like it because of the age bracket but that is a critical point in a kids life and really the experiences that they have then will determine who will be in
adulthood.” he concluded.

President Barack Obama’s Joint Congressional speech was a hot topic of conversation in the hearing and Chariman George Miller (D-CA)
expressed why he was gratified to hear the President make national service a key part of his agenda. “He called for Congress to take urgent, bipartisan action to launch a new era of American service for current and future generations-making it clear that improving service must be one of the next actions we take to help lift our economy out of this crisis. I look forward to working with all members of this committee to deliver him this legislation as quickly as possible.” Miller concluded.