Class of Hope and Change is a space for ideas, music, culture, community, and good vibes. Our foundation is built on the conversations we have with everyday young people, who have shared their dreams, struggles, ideas, and stories in a beautiful movement of love, trust, and truth.
We’re about engaging the social, cultural, economic, and political experiences of everyday young adults in our country. We believe the ideas of Hope and Change are about our future – specifically our young people – and are open to anyone who is trying to make the world a better place to live.
Using conversation, we dig for the gems of wisdom that lie beneath the surface of what we typically see and share on social media. We follow in the tradition of Studs Terkel, The Combat Jack Show, James Lipton, Humans of New York, Studs Terkel, Brian Lamb, Tavis Smiley, and StoryCorps. Our interviews are not about gratuitous shock or drama. We try to get out of the way, so that the words and ideas of our guests can shine.
This is a socially interactive experience of oral history. This project documents this moment in our country through the eyes of those who have come of age during the last ten years. Our documentary features people who entered their high school years around 2007 (and are now around 21), to those who were around 21 years old in 2007 (and are now around 30).
Despite all the technological advances of the past ten years, and all the time young people spend engaging with social media, we believe that there are too many voices that continue to go unheard. We hope this platform will help to change that.
We believe people can disagree without being disagreeable. We will not run from tough conversations, but we will not allow high passions to excuse low civility. We know that life in the real world is not always pretty, but we think truth can be communicated in love…and we aspire to do just that.
WHO AM I?
Deji (“Day-G”) Komolafe, the creative director of OverPond Media, and the host of the podcast documentary Class of Hope and Change, which accompanies this book. I am a former high school educator who has spent over 15 years engaged in the work of developing young people.
