In 2000, a childhood friend of Barnabas Shakur was accused and found guilty of a crime. He was given a life sentence in a maximum-security prison. Only 19 at the time of his arrest, he belonged to a notorious gang called the Bloods. Upon his friend's conviction, Barnabas was devastated and decided to create change. In 2001, he founded Bed Stuy's Project Re-Generation, Inc. (PR-G) with a vision to eliminate teenage after-school idleness in Bedford-Stuyvesant and similar communities through educational programs. For more info visit. www.pr-g.org

PR-G's Rites of Passage (ROP) program is a program for high school teenagers in brooklyn, NY. It combines exciting incentives, social activities and behaviors with educational activities. Participants in the ROP program are willing to commit at least ten hours per week towards the four values below. The ROP curriculum consists of Four Values: Personal Development, Martial Arts, Community Service Projects, and Job Readiness. For more info or to join visit: http://www.pr-g.org/what_we_do/rites_of_passage/index.html

PR-G partners with the NY Knicks and Urban Word NYC, to find and train NY's hottest teen poets and essay writers. These talented young people compete for over $250,000 in grants, scholarships and prizes annualy. To register for 2009/2010 email communitystarts@pr-g.org.