Back To School Event

Photo Credit: Mya Rose and Saffron

Some of our past mentees from this past summer got to participate in a back to school event! We are so excited that we get to partner with past mentees and give them more opportunities, as well as practicing the skills they learned about photography to use. These photos above were taken by Mya @mya_rose7 and Saffron @saffronhurt on Instagram. We cannot wait to partner with more alumni and give them ever more opportunities! Follow us on instagram @thefirehousedream to see live behind the scenes from our current Fall Mentorship, as well as updates on how and when we’re partnering with past mentees in there future!

Reuse Depot & Veggie Rx

Our Mentees had the opportunity to photograph two amazing local non profit organizations.

The first one is Real Foods Collective x Veggie Rx, a nonprofit organization who focuses on food justice in the Maywood/Proviso district. Our mentees got to put all that they learned about photography to the test by photographing a farmers market and the on site garden for this amazing nonprofit.

The second is a unique nonprofit known as Reuse Depot, who sells reusable building materials to prevent them from going into landfills, as well as hiring those with past hardships giving them a second chance with employment opportunities Our mentees got to meet and hang out with the two cats who live inside the facility, as well as photograph the beautiful items for sale.

For live behind the scenes or more information on what are mentees are up to during the time of our mentorship, follow @thefirehousedream on instagram and check out our stories!

These Photos were taken by one of our Fall Mentees, Amie @amieisfan, inside Reuse Depot!

Photographed outside during the farmers market and the onsite garden, by Ian @snapshotsanalog

Something I learned...

On the last day of summer mentorship, we asked each mention to share something they enjoyed learning. We love their replies and wanted to share them with you! Be sure to check the photo to watch the video.

Photo by summer mentee: Cristal Andrade

Four Projects

We’re so excited to share the four projects that our Summer Mentees were able to accomplish during our 6 week mentorship program.

1. The Quinn Center

Our Summer Mentees were able to photograph children at The Quinn Centers annual summer camp this year, they put to use all of the skills they learned throughout the 6 week Mentorship.

2. Maywoodian Families

A group of five mentees photographed families who live in Maywood, as well as made a blog post about each individual family and their story of how they came to Maywood.

3. Video | Food Desert Conversation

Another group of five mentees created, shot, planned, and edited a podcast video talking about the challenges our community faces.

4. Individual Headshots

Our Summer Mentees teamed up to photograph headshots of each other. They utilized their skills that they learned throughout the 6 week mentorship cohort.

Part 1 | Part 2

Group Project | Food Desert Conversation

A team of five mentees from our summer Mentorship Cohort did a group project on some of the challenges our community faces. In this video/podcast episode, they talked about Maywood being a food desert, as well as what environmental racism is. This podcast was shot, edited, and planned out completely by this group of mentees, with the guidance of Jeremy, a co-founder of The Firehouse Dream who volunteered his time to support this amazing group of young adults. Additionally, Karina, who is the owner of Elevating La Cultura podcast, shared all her tips on how to create, plan, and launch a podcast.