Using hip-hop and boxing to communicate with youths

Quentin Blue Horse has a message for the teenagers of the Washoe Indian Tribe.

Don't be like he was.

At the age of 14 he had already served time in a youth facility. He was involved with gangs and alcohol and spent his teenage and early-adult years in and out of prison. Despite numerous attempts by counselors, teachers and adults to reach him, Blue Horse said he just didn't care.

"It took someone I respected for me to listen," he said. "He's been in prison for 20 years, but it took someone like that for me to finally get it."

Blue Horse said that he sees the same patterns now that he saw when he started getting into trouble.

"What I'm looking at is a lot of the same things as when I was a kid, the partying and the drinking," he said. "I realized that it's just a waste of your life."

Now Blue Horse hopes to help keep youth from making the same mistakes he did. His first step, he said, is to provide them with better alternatives.

So he organized "The Hip-Hop Extravaganza," a day of boxing and hip-hop at the Dresslerville Gym on Saturday.

"This lets us help from both sides. It shows the kids in boxing that they are doing something good," he said. "The other part is that we hope the hip-hop attracts kids who might be out drinking and getting into trouble."

The event will feature 14 boxing matches and six hip-hop acts, including Savage Technique, DJ Red, Rollin' Fox and AZ Chief.

"Quentin contacted me, heard my music on MySpace and knew I had songs that reached out to Native Americans," said Sean Potter, who performs as AZ Chief. "It's important to do things like this because there aren't many options for role models kids can relate to growing up on a reservation."

Blue Horse said the acts were specifically selected for the children they can reach.

"That's why I chose hip-hop, because it's what the younger kids listen to, especially the kids I'm looking to impact."

The event is being put on by the Native TANF Program and is free to all members of the Washoe Tribe, and $10 for non-tribal community members.

If you go

What: Hip-Hop Extravaganza and boxing event

When: Saturday. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. with fights starting at 1 p.m. Concert begins at 7 p.m.

Where: Dresslerville Gym, 1585 Watasheamu Road in Gardnerville

Cost: $10 for non-tribal community members and free to Washoe Tribe members