All Ages Movement Project

All Ages Movement Project (AMP) is a network of 200 community-based organizations across the U.S. that connect young people through independent music and art. AMP is committed to making sure young people can access and participate in music scenes in their communities. AMP’s web site includes The AMP directory that links to more than 200 all-ages punk, hip-hop and indie venues as well as youth-run recording studios and art galleries, searchable by city, genre, and other terms. For the report by AMP co-founder Shannon Stewart, “The All-Ages Music Movement: How It Impacts Culture, Civic Engagement, and Leadership,” click here.

AMP believes that music communities have within them the potential to create change. Unlike other communities, music communities are exceptional at reaching young people, because they are essentially created by young people. AMP organizations work hand-in-hand with these music communities, opening doors for young people to get involved and build skills for the future. We use culture (music and art) as a vehicle for community change and use community organizing as a vehicle for cultural change.

Also on AMP’s web site is a Resource Wiki that helps all-ages music organizations collaborate, pool resources, and share what's working. In addition, AMP published in 2010 In Every Town: An All-Ages Music Manualfesto, a book that is part history and part how-to, based on years of collaborative research and nine case studies of organizations in different parts of the country. In Every Town (available on AMP's web site) addresses the immediate and chronic issues that impact young people’s ability to come together in healthy and engaging cultural space and encourages them to take bold steps forward in art and activism.