Editor’s Note: When Kuppajoe, a popular all-ages music venue that has operated in Central Fresno for 18 years, announced that it was closing, we knew there was a story to tell. Kuppajoe’s reach included casual fans who attended shows that they were interested in, dedicated volunteers who spent every Friday night helping out, and the artists, who played the stage at Kuppajoe.
It was this sense of community that most interested us. Colby Tibbet, who played with many bands at Kuppajoe, tells us his story and interviews some of the key people who helped Kuppajoe to become a safe space for young people and artists until it closed in February.
Audio story and production by Colby Tibbet
Music by Elmo Marconi, Brother Luke and the Comrades and A Pageant’s End
Photos by Kyle Lowe
In 2006, over 25 youth began participating in weekly after-school writing workshops where they congregated in the hallway of a two-story building in West Fresno and learned the essentials of creating media and telling their stories. The group evolved over the next five years and is now proudly recognized as The kNOw Youth Media.
Through our program, we create opportunities for our youth participants, who in turn create long-term positive change in their communities. Our approach weaves youth development and youth media innovation to produce our biannual youth publication, multimedia projects, and community forums.
The kNOw began as a project of New America Media, which was the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate of 2000 ethnic news organizations. In 2018 The kNOw became a project of Youth Leadership Institute.
