Our First Open House!

Photo Credit: Mya Rose

Last month TFD hosted our very first Open House Fundraiser! We wanted to give our donors a chance to view the space and meet the youth they have made such an impact on. Our group of 4 mentee alumni employees planned this entire event over the Summer with our Treasurer, Karina. They worked hard to plan the layout, decor, food, invites, and more, all while applying their creative skills learned at TFD!

The event went smoothly and it was a blast! From dinner and conversation, to mentees expressing how TFD has impacted them, and presenting the work they have created. New connections were made and old ones strengthened. Opportunities like this are something we strive to provide. After this incredible experience, we are so excited to be hosting our second Open House Fundraiser at the end of Sept. Want to join us? You can RSVP Here!

It is a pleasure getting to build impactful relationships with those who have helped TFD become what is it and we are grateful for each and every one of you who supports this DREAM!

If you would like to partner with TFD, you can do so by visiting the give page on our website.

Thank you!

Photo Credit: Mya Rose, Amie, Mariah

Intro To Marketing

Photo Credit: Mariah

Marketing is a big part of how brands and businesses take off. For the first day of week 6, Lu’Cretia, our Creative Project Manager and mentor to lead this workshop. Lu’Cretia went over all the basics of marketing. She engaged in a conversation with our mentees about what marketing is & what goes into it. She also taught them how to create ads for various businesses, all while staying on track with branding styles, colors, and fonts. It was fascinating to see our mentees work together as a team to create their ads for TFD.

Photo Credit: Mariah

A Field Trip to Gente Fina

Photo Credit: Mariah

This last weekend, our mentees went on a field trip to Gente Fina, where they got the opportunity to ask the co-founders, Manny & Abraham, different questions about the creative field. They learned so many new things about creating a brand and what it takes to start. Niches, vendors, manufacturers, money, ideas, and networking were all mentioned throughout this dialogue. We cannot wait to partner with them again soon!

After we got back to the firehouse, Sandra, our Mentorship Coordinator, assisted our mentees in digitizing their work into Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator is a very long process to learn but in the end it is all worth it. It is an amazing skillset to have and we love having Sandra to be able to pass on her knowledge to our mentees about this amazing software.

Photo Credit: Mariah

Learning The Basics | Photography 101

Photo Credit: Mariah Julianna

Week 2 of mentorship has started and we dove right into photography. We talked about the 3 ways to control light through ISO, aperture and shutter. We also talked about, as photographers, how to approach our photoshoots by asking ourselves 3 questions:

1. What is the story I’m trying to tell?

2. Where is my best light?

3. How can I tell that story creatively?

Everyone got accustomed to learning their settings rather quickly. We are excited to dive in deeper over the next 2 weeks. We will be share more as we go on, so be sure to come back soon!

Photo Credit: Mariah Julianna

Building Cities | Alt Chicago

Photo Credit: @amieisfan

On Saturday February 12th, our mentees reimagined their communities with Jon from Alt Chicago. The mentees were given three different prompts and building blocks to reimagine and rebuild a new society. They were split in two groups of 5 where they had amazing dialogue about recreating our communities, justice system, and health care system. Each group focused on ways to recreate a better world by providing resources and dismantling the current systems that are in place. When reimagining communities, mentees provided them with equitable and sustainable resources to end food deserts, bring awareness and multiple buildings dedicated to mental health services, and the arts.

Towards the end of our day with Alt Chicago, our mentees sat and shared a meal and constructive dialogue on the issues within BIPOC communities and how Alt Chicago’s mission is to serve as a liaison between communities and opportunities, an ambassador for the neighborhoods they serve and a connector between partners, bringing intentionality to every step in the process.

Our time at Alt Chicago was a a great way to see how our youth can serve as liaison between communities and opportunities. We can’t wait to partner with them again!

Photo Credit: @amieisfan