TESTIMONY
D.C. Youth Development Strategy, Implementation Plan
Presented to Special Committee on the Prevention of Youth Violent Crime
Chairman Vincent C. Gray


Presented by:
Abdur-Rahim Muhammad
Founder and President
Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute

November 17, 2006

Good Morning Chairman Gray,

My name is Abdur-Rahim Muhammad. I am a fourth generation Washingtonian and the Founder and President of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute, a 501(C) (3) nonprofit located on U Street, NW and focusing on the youth of our city. I would like to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak this morning regarding the District's Youth Development Strategy Implementation Plan.

First a few words about our organization:

Our organization has been described in the press as "The Hidden Gem on U Street".
When businesses and homeowners were still hesitant to come to U Street and the surrounding areas, we came and invested our time, energy, and personal funds. From humble beginnings ten years ago we are now recognized worldwide as one of the leading Martial Arts organizations in the United States. We have taken 20 young people from the area to compete and train in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Mainland China, where they have represented our city and country in an outstanding fashion. Each team competing for us internationally has been equally comprised of men and women.

We have also produced Town Hall meetings at the Lincoln Theater, free to the public, on issues such as "Health and Wellness" and "Ending Youth Violence and Murder in Washington, DC". We also produce an annual awards event named the "Here I Stand" award in honor of Paul Robeson and honoring individuals such as Harry Belafonte and Dick Gregory. These events also serve as a means to train our young students in setting goals, planning, and executing tasks, which results in highly successful and meaningful events. We teach our students what we refer to as the "science of achievement" or, simply put, how to get things done.

"Training at our Institute is preparation for living a meaningful life."

We have accomplished all this without any funding from the DC Government and very little from private sources. However, rising rents and taxes fueled by development along U Street have caused us to look for additional funding sources without compromising our art and mission. Community-based non-profits that have been working for years--doing the work that the DC Government is now finding increasingly important as evidenced by this Plan--should not be forced out of operation by development-driven market forces. Organizations such as ours should be treated as partners in the important work of improving life for everyone in this city. We are one of the very few organizations (if not the only) remaining on U Street where young people can come and learn a skill or performance art.

Going forward, I would like to encourage the DC Government to look closely at organizations like ours who could, with some support as a partner, add another skilled preventive component to the plan.

The DC Government should also encourage more cooperation from the private sector to assure a continued source of adequate funding for all the efforts outlined in the DC Youth Development Strategy Implementation Plan. The problems that drive youth violence, truancy, chemical dependence, and joblessness, to mention a few--are conditions that cannot be solved by government alone. Business must take a bold stand. The problems are too severe for us to accept anything less.

We also recommend that a member from the Department of Health be added to the Youth Development Plan Executive Working Group to look at the nutritional needs of young people participating in after-school programs. Diabetes is a dreadful killer that is affecting more of our youth at earlier ages. We believe that any effort to stave off this horrible disease by educating our young people about proper nutrition and exercise is well worth the time and money spent.

Further, an extremely important aspect of having social skills is to first feel good about ourselves. Being fit and not feeling the stigma of being overweight and obese positively affects a young person's self-esteem and confidence.

We sincerely hope that when drafting future Youth Development Strategies a strong component of any plan will be to work with programs like ours that emphasize prevention and have demonstrated a commitment to improving the quality of life for young people and all residents of the District of Columbia.

Thank you very much.