Last summer, Imani joined Teens Express, a weekly afterschool arts performance program for teens in Prince George's County and Washington, D.C., with the hope of finding an artistic mentor.
"She keeps talking about how she wants to be in the business," said her mother, Darlene Kindred of Suitland.
Darlene Kindred had been looking for affordable acting or singing lessons for her daughter when she heard about Teens Express.
"I assumed I wasn't going to be able to afford it," she said.
However, Teens Express, a nonprofit, is free for youth, and staff members provide transportation for the teens, picking them up from school and driving them home after practice.
"I thanked God," Kindred said. "Because this is a dream."
On June 18, Teens Express performed an hour-long original musical, "The Message," with each of its eight scenes showcasing a different teenage pressure, such as choices about drugs or sex.
Mori El Randolph of Clinton established Teens Express nine years ago as an outlet for students to seek not only acting and singing lessons but also friendship and guidance.
The program, which requires about $200,000 a year to operate, has been relying on the sponsorship of local businesses and grants for funding this year, said Randolph, the program's executive director. Prior to this year, Teens Express was not an independent program. Instead, it collaborated with area schools and churches, mentoring their youth in exchange for funding.
However, this year Randolph recruited students from around the county and the District for the program and relied on grants to fund their work, she said.
In the upcoming years, Teens Express' goal is to be able to entirely fund its program through sales of performance tickets, DVDs and CDs, Randolph said.
"We just don't want to be in a position where we rely on grants," she said.
Unlike many after-school activities, Teens Express is year-round, with weekly practices held throughout the school year and additional practices and performances during the summer. In addition to acting and singing, students spend some time performing poetry and rapping.
The students began working on "The Message" in August, crafting lyrics and dialogue. By January, the play was complete and the teens were able to begin practicing, Randolph said.
The program is Christian-based, and activities and performances center around morality and a general belief in God, but without an affiliation to any particular religion, Randolph said.
Currently, 15 students throughout the county and a handful of teens from the District meet each Tuesday at Prince George's County Community College in Largo to practice for four or five hours.
Program director Kepa Freeman of Clinton said he has seen many behavioral and attitude changes in his students throughout the first year of the program.
Freeman said he has worked closely with 16-year-old Savoy Bradford of Forestville, who recently moved from Baltimore with his family.
Savoy was looking for a place to fit in, Freeman said, and was considering dropping out of school.
"Now he is hungry for knowledge," Freeman said. "I can see him maturing and becoming a man."
Randolph agreed, and said Savoy's work reflects increased optimism and pride.
Savoy said he has enjoyed how tightly knit the group has become, as well as friendships he has made and the life lessons he has learned, including the importance of money management and abstinence.
"It's really cool meeting different people and coming together as a group," Savoy said.
E-mail Megan McKeever at mmckeever@gazette.net.
