When I dreamed up The Firehouse Dream, I admit, I thought it was only for the youth of Maywood. Last year, our mentors challenged me to dream bigger, and to partner with Jesus. They had sensed that maybe this concept was so much bigger than Maywood.
If I’m honest, I rejected their words….or more so…put them on hold. You see we had just overcome our contractor not completing the work we agreed to, being out of thousands of dollars that we had self funded. I was devastated….and I didn’t have the emotional capacity to begin to imagine that this concept could be that much bigger.
Well, now a year later, and a little more removed from those feelings, their words have played over and over again in my mind…..”THE FIREHOUSE DREAM is so much bigger than Maywood.” What did that mean? How could it all work…a flood of questions followed.
I love how God speak though.
Over the last several months, I’ve been meeting with photographers, who have shared with me either that they were teaching a photography class at a school in their community, or wanted to…but a major area of concern was that they didn’t have access to DSLR’s to teach the students well. After my 3rd conversation with someone….is when I began to process with the Lord, and wonder if this is what He meant that THIS was bigger than Maywood. The goal has always been to partner with other talented creatives to teach workshops, but within the context of it being here in Maywood. Instead, I’ve been wondering…what it could look like to partner and provide the tools needed for creatives to lead workshops in their own communities. In the communities they are invested in. So that it’s local community members creating change and opportunity from within…
I will say I don’t have it all figured out. But I pitched the idea to a fellow photographer, who is also my SIL. And she was blown away by the idea, and that we could partner in that capacity.
So just last week, we launched our pilot.
I know with expansion comes challenges. So we will evaluate and process through how to make it work, should we decide to move past the pilot phase, as well as, figuring out all the other details like how I would best support the team, create curriculum, and more.
All this to say, I’ve already had communities and organizations reach out asking if I’d lead a workshop/course in Pilsen, Garfield Park, Austin, and more. I recognize I’m one person, and can’t do it all. but instead if I can partner with other photographers who live in the community and encourage them to give back, then how amazing would that be?….and I can only imagine the greater impact we would be able to have.
So friend, we’ve expanded….and I’m excited to see what’s going to happen next!
Cheers to growth, and new opportunities.
Jasmine
Co-founder/Executive Director
