Yokota teen center wins $10,000 in competition

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Desiree Economides
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  The Yokota Teen Center is receiving a $10,000 facelift after a group of teens submitted a music video in the Boys and Girls Clubs of America Pirates of the Caribbean music video contest.

Money received from the competition will be used to modernize the Panther Cave's recording studio.

"I'm really proud of what the teens accomplished," said Mikeece Gadsden, Airman and Family Services Flight management assistant. "From writing their own songs and performing them, to putting together this music video, the teens have really done it all themselves."

For the music video, the teens took performance footage from the "Academy", a teen performing group at the Teen Center, and edited it together with a song they wrote and performed. The submission was then entered via youTube and competed against other BGCA's from around the world.

"It took me a few days to edit together the video for the competition," said Cierra Fitzgerald, a 2011 Yokota High School graduate and member of the Teen Center. "I like to make music videos and this opportunity was a great experience."

Currently, the studio doesn't have the capabilities to record live instruments, but with the award money the studio will be upgraded with new hardware and software.

"I was hoping we'd win," said Fitzgerald. "When I found out we did, I was pretty happy and excited to get new supplies and equipment for the studio."

Winning the competition will hopefully do more for the teens than just update their studio.
"I really hope this contest will inspire other teens to follow their dreams and take on opportunities that arise," said Gadsden.