New York- Is this really not for profit? Am I truly making a difference? These are just a few of the questions I asked myself leaving work for the train station everyday last year. A former NYC Civic Corp member, I was a fresh college graduate eager to “change” the world, along with thousands of college grads around the country with the same mindset. But between the “politics” of working for a program such as Americorps or the stress of “fundraising” for a relatively small nonprofit, the means did not seem to equate to the ends.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, volunteerism among Millennials and College Students between 2008-2010 was at a rate of 26.8% compared to a rate of 21.3% among baby boomers and older adults. So if the next generation of Americans are willingly sacrificing themselves for a more prosperous, equal future for this country, why is the older generation of nonprofit leaders hesitant to conform to a more up to date way of running their organizations?

I heard the complaints from the out of town Civic Corp members during every monthly training session. “How can anyone live off of $500 every two weeks in New York without having to resort to food stamps or Medicaid?” asked a good number of my peers during our sessions. The college grant many Americorps alumni are awarded are not even valid at some universities, leaving the monetary award a mere souvenir. For the exception of a few, many of these young recent college grads were simply dedicated to making communities in New York better, neighborhoods they had no connection to or grew up in. Even if it meant having to survive penny to penny and rely on government assistance, many Civic Corp members were in it for the people, the populations they were serving.

Despite the enthusiasm and passion from the members, the Civic Corp placed heavy emphasis on data tracking (for grant purposes) almost making it feel like I was working for a corporate type entity at one point. It was like, good you’re helping people, but how will this benefit our chances of receiving funding? At the end of the day, my work with the Civic Corps and the other organization I worked with seemed to focus on grants and funding rather than the mission of the organization. During the planning for our annual fundraiser, I and my colleagues were hinted to target the wealthier schools we worked with for fundraising purposes. Rather than try to motivate the at risk, less advantaged schools to fundraise, we simply had to resort to the sure option.

By mid-year, our group of 150 diminished to possibly 75, if at that. Many of my colleagues gave up trying to “save” the world and chose Wall Street or Washington. The pressures of bills piling up and rent seemed to cause the huge turnover. Others simply loathed the organization they worked for citing poor organization and refusal to acknowledge the opinions and hard work of their employees for their reasons quitting.

I enjoyed my job because unlike other sites my peers worked for; I got to interact with the youth I assisted directly. Even though I felt like a telemarketer at times, the time away from the schools at my cubicle were for the benefit of the kids is how I felt. My Director seemed to be interested in discussing what he liked to call “the big ideas” in addition to the direct service we did. We would talk every Friday about the more broad problems schools face and how we as a small organization can solve them.

But as the pressures of keeping the lights on at our organization mounted, things altered. Fundraising became priority number one and some of us felt we had to compromise our work at times. Granted, if the organization can’t pay its bills, it’s as useful as a rock to its clients. But in the process of staying afloat, I always felt we should not compromise who we were as an organization.

The huge fundraiser did not meet our expectations and we went back to direct service work that Monday following the event. However, due to lack of regard for some co-workers as well as the compromise of the organization’s values, animosity among staff remained.

I’ll never forget one moment throughout that year however: during one of the sessions, one of my peers asked “can we maintain a part time job to help make ends meet?” The Service Fellow’s response was “You should be here because you want to be, not for the money, get it?” For a program that strived to help people, I never understood how they can be standoffish to their own employees. Why should we be punished to volunteer, to help? Everyone plays a crucial role in each other’s life if you think about it. How would the accountant make it on time to work if nobody wanted to be a train conductor? How would the Executive Director get to his office if his driver didn’t make it to work that day? No role should be marginalized because frankly every job is equally important in order to keep the equilibrium in our society.

A pay raise may not be realistic, but words of encouragement and basic respect should be given, especially to those who are dedicated to improving the lives of others. However the case, many of my co-workers and good friends continue to work for nonprofits seeing the bigger picture. Many of them are under the age of 30, which leaves me optimistic about the next generation of Americans.

Besides, it’s time our brightest and most talented left Wall Street to truly work for Main Street.

By Joshua Khan

Photos courtesy of Freedom Dance Party

New York- If it weren’t for the long lines, you probably would have a hard time finding Freedom Friday on a Friday night. But despite its humble decor, in a dark basement, the Freedom Dance Party has definitely grown from its modest beginnings.

Currently, Freedom is hosted every Friday night in the basement of the LPR (Le Poisson Rouge) in the heart of Greenwich Village, Freedom represents everything you would think of while reminiscing about the 80 or 90’s NYC club scene. Once you get into the building, you pay a meager $10 at the front (good considering what many upscale and not so fun clubs charge these days) and walk down a dim flight of stairs with a bright red light as your only source of light.

After descending down the stairs and opening a pitch black door, what you see is an enormous basement gutted out with a disco ball in the middle of the dance floor. To your left is the stage where resident DJ’s Herbert Holler and Cosi spin everything and anything from Stevie Wonder to West African pop music which sounds like an infusion of Soca and Zouk. Interesting enough, there is a projector which shows old episodes of Soul Train on repeat throughout the party. If you’re lucky enough or if you attend during the Michael Jackson tributes during the summer (should I add, an event that draws thousands), you get to see artists put together themed paintings in the course of the party.

Sipping on a “Train wreck” in between sets, I had a chance to talk to Herbert about his career as well as Freedom during one of his gigs at the Millesime lounge located on the first floor of the Ritz Carlton on Madison Avenue.  “We started in 2003 and the original location was Starfoods” says Herbert while reminiscing about Freedom’s small start. According to Herbert, Starfoods was a funky casual but cute restaurant lounge in the Lower East Side, which was off the NYC radar- at least until they got there. Afterward they moved to a bigger venue at the Canal Room and then to their current location at LPR.

Herbert, who originally was a writer, became interested in the music scene while a student at New York University. “I had a huge collection of cd’s and albums and a lot of my friends would be amazed, so I simply started DJ’ing house parties while in college” said Herbert when talking about what drew him into a career in music. Some of his extensive collection included Queen, Diana Ross, Salsoul Orchestra, Billy Joel, and his first tape purchase was Run DMC’s “Raising Hell”.

After a few years on the scene and his first residency at the Ludlow Bar, Herbert’s career quickly ascended as he began opening for big names such as George Clinton and the Beatnuts as well as spin for stations such as WBLS New York. But it wasn’t until he teamed up with DJ Cosi and Marc Smooth for Freedom Friday that his dj’ing career really took off as the partnership proved a solid foundation.

“I guess Freedom’s success has to do with the fact that people love the music as well as the vibe, the vibe is inclusive and free of the typical commercial vibe that many clubs give off” stated Herbert sipping on his amaretto.  “People are there to have a genuinely good time and the fact that they trust me to provide that for them is very self-satisfying and is one of the main reasons why I chose to be a DJ in the first place” added Herbert while getting ready for his set.

Freedom caught on quickly like a forest fire and they soon found large crowds attending every Friday. Nearly 10 years later and a few locations, Freedom Friday has become a staple in the NYC club scene. The Freedom Dance Party has hosted celebrity guests such as DJ Red Alert, Tony Touch, Just Blaze, Mister Cee, Greg Nice of legendary hip hop group Nice and Smooth, and Slick Rick just to name a few . The movement has even moved to other boroughs and neighborhoods as they have hosted events in well-known venues such as BB Kings, Red Rooster, and Brooklyn Bowl. In addition to its movement across the city, Freedom has spread to other cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Miami, and Washington D.C.

But even with its high demand in other cities and big crowds, there are still some who feel Freedom has its work cut out for them. “I’ve been coming to Freedom for years now and it’s changed because of the type of crowd it now draws” said longtime patron and NYC DJ Alexander Roman. “I leave feeling good, but I want them to take me to the next level, especially as a DJ and someone who truly appreciates music” said a sweaty Roman while leaving LPR one late Friday night.

“People like Alex who’ve been with us since the start merely have to see a bottle being brought to a table and then they pass judgment, or feel we’ve changed. Truth is, we’ve always had bottle service, since the beginning, but bottle service has absolutely zero bearing on what we play and when and doesn’t drive the direction of the party” said Herbert when asked what he thought of Roman’s comments. The dance floor holds 700-800 while the VIP section holds barely 100, and that after nine years of parties, the nucleus of Freedom’s parties is still the dance floor stated Herbert.

“You wanna pop a bottle? I’m not going to stop you. And why would I? It’s your prerogative, plus the venue hosting our event makes more money and is happy, and without happy venues, there are no parties” said Herbert. As far as playing deeper and deeper stuff, we actually do and have nights we get to really go in, but unless you’re there religiously, you may miss out on that” added Herbert. Herbert also felt that some people may be tired of the “classics” and that they may be opting to dig deeper and go on a deep musical journey, which was “awesome” according to Herbert.

As a young New Yorker, Freedom’s raw energy is what drew me there. A lot of people my age (24) tend to opt out for popping bottles while sitting at a luxurious table with their shirts buttoned up. When I first started going to Freedom roughly three years ago, every time I went, I truly felt liberated. When it comes to the clubbing experience in NYC, it’s hard to overlook the music the spot plays. I’ve been to more “trendier” spots, rooftop lounges, and left feeling disappointed.

The musical enlightenment that Freedom used to leave me with, is what I feel when I go to parties such as “Funk Box” and “Body & Soul” - which are parties that play soulful house music and clubs where more emphasis is put on having a great time instead of birthdays, bottle services, and what you’re wearing. One huge reason places like these are in a league of their own is because the music is the star of the party- the DJ takes the dancers on a journey with their music.

That’s what Freedom did really well in the beginning for me, it took it’s following on a deep soulful journey every Friday. When Freedom’s popularity grew, its ability to play music outside the box shrunk. The same folks with the suit and ties began taking up Freedom’s dance floor with bottle service and a younger crowd that idolizes popping bottles started flocking to freedom. On the plus side, Freedom brought the younger generation to its parties to enjoy music other than Drake or Nicki Minaj, something classic parties like “Body & Soul” would struggle to do.

But it’s Freedom’s NYC rooted movement along with its historical Village location (artistic and social home of the city) that still draws me to their weekly parties. It’s brought people of different age groups together to enjoy real soulful music in such a prime NYC location, just blocks from where legendary clubs such as the Paradise Garage and CBGB’s once stood. What the Freedom movement has accomplished is nothing short of amazing, what does it need to further do for it to go down in history with the Garage or Studio 54?

“I feel that the crowd has become more “trendy” and it’s become hard for both Cosi and Herbert to experiment with their music” Roman said while waiting on a long line for a Mamoun Falafel sandwich which is another late night NYC staple in its own right. While Roman and many others may share his opinion, the extra VIP spaces added (which cut into the dance space) and increased use of bottle service are just a few examples that validates how Roman feels.

Nine years deep in and Freedom Friday still draws a large following. But how will the Freedom movement keep its parties fresh for its oldest followers while bringing old music to life for its newer followers? Like many great underground movements in one of the most scrutinized cities in the world, Freedom will have to juggle its newfound success with its humble beginnings if it is going to take it to the next level.

For More Information on Freedom Friday, visit http://freedomdanceparty.com/