Imagine a high school where art, music and culture are natural components of education rather than stand alone subjects. Where community is unified through celebration of arts and artistic expression. A school where parents and students openly communicate with teachers because every voice is valued. Imagine teenage sons and daughters coming home from school filled with pride and self-confidence, showcasing their day’s accomplishments and looking forward to the next day. Imagine their excitement when working in an internship lead by an artist or businessperson they admire. Imagine talking about life after graduation as a conversation with limitless possibilities. Imagine a high school where all students have a Personalized Learning Plan so that the uniqueness of their learning styles is guided into projects designed for their growth and success. Imagine a school where Kinesthetic learning allows students to move freely in body, mind, and spirit. A school that meets students where they currently stand and helps lead them toward discovering their fullest potential to become creative and competent in meeting the demands of adult life.
The High School for Recording Arts Portland (HSRAP) will be that school.

That is the mission statement for the High School of recording arts, Porltand. This past Saturday, April third,  Their Development Team hosted an open hours and community celebration at the Salmon Street Studios. Tonight on Circle A Radio, we’ll bring you audio from the celebration, an interview with Erica Jayasuriya, Project Director HSRAPas well as more information about the formation of the high school for recording arts, Portland. 

Tonight we hear about the House of Sound and it’s vibrant history as a community and cultural space from community members, and former employees and customers: Clifford Walker, Mel Renfro, Ken Dickson, David Dawson, Yugen Rashad, Cleo Smith, Billy Holt, Woodrow Wilson, Jr., Keedah Giannetti, and Wone.

Special thanks to those who helped make this show possible, including Yugen Rashad, Vanessa Renwick, and Charles Bedford.

Tonight you’ll hear from some of the Portlanders who participated in the movement building trip to San Francisco  to protest for Affordable Housing and Civil Rights, as well as some of the people they met along the way.  We’ll also update you on the current situation in the Rose City.
This show is a collaboration between Right 2 Survive (R2S), an organization led by homeless and formerly homeless human rights advocates and Circle A Radio.

 

For the last three years a ban on squatting has been in preparation in Dutch politics. A new act that is to ban squatting in the Netherlands passed through parliament on October 15th, 2009. Despite strong critique from the High Court, the union of city councils and even the Amsterdam police force, the christian/rightwing majority in The Hague is pushing this law through.

Having suffered from an immense housing shortage ever since the sixties, squatting has a long history in the Netherlands and has always been a legal means for thousands of people to acquire a roof over their heads.

Tonight on Circle A Radio we speak with Sanne, a squatter in Amsterdam about the current and historical conditions for squatting, the role critical awareness and neighborhood involvement plays in the lives of squatters, and how the upcoming ban will change their world.