Graduation guarantee
Graduates of the Rainbow DJ Lab are guaranteed an Open Decks slot at Rainbow Wednesdays when that series runs.
The guarantee
Every child who graduates from the Rainbow DJ Lab is guaranteed an Open Decks slot at Rainbow Wednesdays, the free summer DJ series.
The condition
Rainbow Wednesdays is proposed. It isn't approved yet. The guarantee applies when Rainbow Wednesdays runs. If the series doesn't run, there is no slot to give, and we'll tell families plainly.
The Rainbow DJ Lab itself is also proposed. The Chicago Park District hasn't approved or permitted it yet, and no class dates are set.
What the guarantee means
- A guaranteed spot. A graduate doesn't have to compete or audition for an Open Decks slot.
- Still optional. The slot is an offer, not an obligation. Your child (and you) can decline it with no penalty. See Opting out.
- Consent first. A signed performance consent form is needed before your child plays.
- The same safety rules. Event-day supervision, sound protection, the stage freeze protocol, and family transportation all apply.
What it does not mean
- It doesn't guarantee a date, time, set length or stage. Those are confirmed only once Rainbow Wednesdays is scheduled.
- It doesn't guarantee a place in later proposed shows. The Youth Showcase is an open call, and the Theme Clash semifinals and Finale are proposed stage shows.
- It isn't a slot at SelassieFest. Lab performers reach SelassieFest only by event audience vote; see the performance pathway.
Who graduates
Graduation is on mastery, not a date. Graduation, and the Open Decks slot that comes with it, depends only on published criteria:
- all 42 Passport skills stamped, and
- a final set ready to play.
A graduate plays the next Rainbow Showcase. Because children join any Tuesday and learn at their own pace, there is no attendance count: a missed class never costs a stamp.
- A coach records each criterion as met or not met, and the program coordinator confirms it.
- No one can waive a criterion or add one. Nobody's opinion of your child decides graduation.
- There are no grades and no tests.
- Performing at the Rainbow Showcase isn't required to graduate.
See the conflict of interest policy, section 9.