YES Academy
The Youth Excellence on Stage (YES) Academy Proram serves as American Voices’ flagship cultural engagement program as a means to further accessibility and understanding of American performing arts and culture.
YES Academy – Erbil 2017
Youth Excellence on Stage
The YES Academy program was launched in 2007 to connect and inspire youth in areas of the world that lack opportunities for cultural exchange and dialogue with the United States. The YES Academy program provides high-quality professional training and performances in some of America’s great cultural genres, including Broadway, Jazz, Hip Hop & Breakdance and Classical Orchestra to work to inspire and motivate youth artistically and train future teachers and leaders.
Through the YES Academy program, we are able to offer creative outlets of empowerment to the lives of so many vulnerable youth from countries in transition. At its core, the YES Academy model is based on multicultural artistic collaboration. The YES Academy embraces people-to-people engagement as it brings American teachers and volunteers who are proficient in American genres of music, dance and theater to conduct performance and professional training in countries throughout the Middle East and Asia.
Moreover, YES Academies have provided teacher training and institutional capacity building for both partners and participants. The effects of this cross-cultural engagement are mutual—the YES Academy model has proven to be life-changing for both participants and faculty alike.
Beyond providing artistic skills, training and opportunities for youth in the Middle East and Asia, YES Academies also affects perceptions of American culture and American citizenry by creating a space in which cultures are shared.
YES Academy Collaborations
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Jessica Lynn - Yes Academy Indonesia - Seperti Matahari
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Tuzikwende [YES Kenya - Chardo]
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BANGLA BANGER (Clean) by:CLAN BANGLA feat: DJ INVISIBLE
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Stand In My Way - YES Nigeria - [Richard Robot Steighner's Crew]
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2022 Crew Anthem by Cipher Connect (YES Academy Indonesia)
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EARTHSHAKER - YES Academy Nigeria Rappers & Choir FEAT. Tony Memmel
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Nisikie Sasa - YES Uganda Virtual 2021
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Kyendi Kyendi - YES Academy Uganda and Tony Memmel
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Icikiwir [YES Indonesia - Chardo]
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YES Nigeria Soro Soke Full Video
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You Made It Yes (Kenya Alumni)
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HOPE
Nations
Young Artists
Founded and growing
Recent YES Academies
YES Academy Instructors
Alfredo Austin
YES Academies: Nigeria, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Saudi Arabia, Moldova, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Virtual
View Full BioChristopher Diaz
YES Academies: Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Madagascar, Uganda, Moldova, Saudi Arabia, Singapore
View Full BioFarbeon
View Full BioJoel Rivera
View Full BioRichie ‘Robot’ Steighner
YES Academies: Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia, Singapore, Kenya, India
View Full Bio