the vote was thrown

After UYWI07, we put a poll on our blog to find out what type of music may not have adequate representation at our event. Part of the impetus for the poll was that for the past several years we have heard from dozens of youth workers that their youth are listening to less hip-hop and identify with other styles of music. Many of them have asked us to consider adding rock, reggae, and other musical elements when planning and not to focus so much on hip-hop or gospel. So we’d hoped to gauge how much interest there was in bringing in artists or branching out to workshop topics dealing with other genres. After somewhat even results the first week, hip-hop and worship began jumping up early in the second week and it made me wonder whether the results were true, or if people had mis-understood the point. After 2 weeks and some suspicion, I pulled the poll and have since replaced it with a new one. It was not meant to be a contest or a gauge of which type of music you all like more, just a question of how to branch out.

What saddens me most is that I now know the specific poll’s results were purposely jacked by a group with a bone to pick with UYWI. Although our goal was for the urban youth worker voice to be heard, I’m sorry if you voted and your voice was overshadowed by this. If you have comments about the music we did have or an opinion about a group or style we should have at UYWI08, please leave those comments below. Thanks.

4 Comments

  1. Dj Promote on June 6, 2007 at 1:39 pm

    I loved the dj… (OH THAT WAS ME)… MORE DJ”S man… having the rock was a good add and last years salsa band in the tent at night was dope..

    Lecrae at the BlocK pArtY was SICK…

    I thought the music artists in the main session should go during the session instead of at the end.. it throws it off and people leave to go to do other stuff.. incorporate it somehow… not sure how but just more intertwined

    THE LAST NIGHT WAS TIGHT!!! So much diversity wow…

  2. Nicole on June 6, 2007 at 3:49 pm

    I love the conference worship team. I do, think the music in the tent and other non-session times has gotten way too heavily hip-hop (as have the workshops). I miss the salsa–that was always fun. I personally would love to see some neo-soul or r&b christian music get showcased. I think throwing in a local choir or two might be fun as well.

    I would also love opportunities to worship more. Perhaps you guys could add a “worship extreme” session. I know there is the fireside worship but it would be cool to just have a major worship jam session at some point maybe even in the other auditorium (on the old campus). I thought the last session was a good idea, but not for a general session. I would have been cool for the block party or an outdoor deal, but it was kind of awkward as the culminating last session.

  3. Steph on June 7, 2007 at 5:09 am

    Not sure what happened with the poll but I think when you have a public forum such as this, you cant really ‘control’ the direction of public opinion. Just because YOUR direction of what you wanted to happen with the poll may not happen does not mean that people weren’t speaking. Isnt it an abuse of power on your part as the moderator to pull the poll just because you didn’t like or agree to what was being said?

    If as the moderator you think a particular group had a problem then going to that group to confirm this would be the right thing to do, instead of using your powers as moderator to post it here publicly. What I’m saddened by is the approach to this and the damper it throws on the conference, its like a child who takes his ball home in the middle of the kickball game because he gets an out.

  4. Ben on June 8, 2007 at 9:48 am

    Steph,
    Apparently you took this post with the wrong spirit (or you felt I wrote it with a ill spirit). I didn’t pull it because “I didn’t like or agree to what was being said.” I pulled it because it was realistically time for a new poll and as polls go, it’s not going to be a completely accurate measure of opinion. I genuinely wanted to get a realistic representation of who wants to hear more of what and I think Promote and Nichole above responded with more of what we as an organization are wanting to hear. We are always trying to push the events forward and change what we do to hit more people where they’re at. I do appreciate your opinion, though and thank you for commenting. Also, I think you need to know a situation before you refer to me personally as a tempermental child. That seems a bit out of line for how I wrote it, but I’ll take your critique and work to be better.

    Nichole,
    We LOVE having choirs come. We talked about doing that again this year and I guess that’s something we’ll have to shoot for again. They are always so well received.

    Thanks for your feedback on worship. I know some of our workshops that are worship related are some of the best ones attended. I agree with you that the fireside worship should not be the only worship outlet during late night. I think just as we did the hip-hop worship experience, we could probably put something like your worship extreme idea together (it’s ultimately up to the conference committee).

    And I’m glad to hear your feedback on the last general session. It was an experimental thing which seemed to work for the theme, but way outside the box for what we normally do. I think it also could be another event which like some of these other sessions could be a breakout experience or block party item.

    DJ Promote,
    Thanks for commenting. Thanks for DJing. Thanks for staying positive about the event and your experience and giving us your input. It’s great to hear voices of those who saw the conference from stage. It’s such a different perspective and unfortunately we rarely get to hear it.

    Thanks for the comments. Keep them coming.

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