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FREE SPIRIT MEDIA TRANSFORMS MEDIA AND SOCIETY BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING CREATORS, PRIMARILY FROM COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, TO PRODUCE AND DISTRIBUTE ORIGINAL CONTENT AND TO PURSUE ARTISTIC, PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL ASPIRATIONS.

A-AFTER SCHOOL. TEEN LABS PROGRAMS (SOUTH & WEST SIDE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS) HIGH SCHOOL-AGED YOUNG CREATORS EXPLORE MEDIA MAKING TECHNIQUES AS A VEHICLE FOR SHARING THEIR STORIES AND DEVELOPING THEIR UNIQUE VOICES AND PERSPECTIVES. OVER THE COURSE OF THIS YEAR-LONG PROGRAM, YOUNG CREATORS BUILD SKILLS IN STORYTELLING, CAMERA OPERATION, AUDIO ENGINEERING, PERFORMANCE, WRITING, EDITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY. LABS IS BASED AT TWO MEDIA LABS, IN NORTH LAWNDALE AND GREATER GRAND CROSSING, WHICH ACT AS PROGRAMMATIC HUBS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON BOTH THE WEST AND SOUTH SIDES OF CHICAGO.

B-CREATIVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. CREATIVE WORKFORCE PROGRAMS FOR EMERGING YOUNG CREATORS ( INPATHWAYS, THE REAL CHI, PRO). INPATHWAYS PARTNERS WITH 16-25 YEAR OLDS FROM THE WEST AND SOUTH SIDES OF CHICAGO TO ACCESS MEANINGFUL, PAID INTERNSHIPS AND WORK OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FILM, TELEVISION AND MEDIA INDUSTRIES. INPATHWAYS PROVIDES A HOLISTIC SERIES OF PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT, TRAIN, MENTOR, AND EQUIP EMERGING CREATORS INTERESTED IN BUILDING A CAREER IN THE RAPIDLY GROWING AND OFTEN EXCLUSIVE MEDIA AND FILM INDUSTRIES IN CHICAGO. YOUNG CREATORS WHO PARTICIPATE IN INPATHWAYS ALMOST ENTIRELY IDENTIFY AS BIPOC, WITH 72.22% IDENTIFYING AS BLACK AND/OR AFRICAN AMERICAN. ALL OF THE YOUNG CREATORS IN FSM PROGRAMS EXPERIENCE SYSTEMIC BARRIERS. INPATHWAYS IS COMMITTED TO ELIMINATING BARRIERS THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY KEPT BLACK AND BROWN MEDIA MAKERS OUT OF THE INDUSTRY. THE REAL CHI MAINTAINS A FULLY OPERATIONAL COMMUNITY NEWSROOM ON THE 9TH FLOOR OF FSMS NORTH LAWNDALE SPACE. EMERGING REPORTERS AND EDITORS ARE MENTORED BY FSM STAFF AND PARTNERS WITHIN THE NON-PROFIT NEWS IN CHICAGO, TO SOURCE, RESEARCH, WRITE AND PRODUCE NEWS STORIES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THEIR LIVES AND COMMUNITIES. THESE STORIES ARE BROADCASTED ON BOTH FSMS NEWS PLATFORM AND PARTNERING PLATFORMS. THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM IS TO ENABLE EMERGING JOURNALISTS FROM CHICAGOS WEST AND SOUTH SIDES, WHO ARE OFTEN LOCKED OUT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO PUBLISH STORIES FROM THEIR COMMUNITIES, TO DEVELOP THEIR UNIQUE VOICES AND LEARN TO PRODUCE HIGH-QUALITY, JUSTICE-ORIENTED, COMMUNITY JOURNALISM ON THE JOB. FSM JOURNALISTS LEARN TO USE NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGY TO INTERRUPT, REDEFINE AND TRANSFORM THE NEWS COVERAGE THAT CHICAGO'S WEST AND SOUTH SIDES OFTEN RECEIVE. FREE SPIRIT PRO, FSMS PRODUCTION STUDIO PARTNERS WITH MEDIA MAKERS AND ALUMNI TO PRODUCE EARNED-REVENUE PRODUCTIONS FOR CLIENTS.

C-IN-SCHOOL. FSM PARTNERS WITH CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SPECIFICALLY AT NORTH LAWNDALE COLLEGE PREP TO PROVIDE IN SCHOOL PROGRAMS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. YOUNG CREATORS EXPLORE MEDIA MAKING TECHNIQUES AS A VEHICLE FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY, SHARING THEIR STORIES AND DEVELOPING THEIR UNIQUE VOICES AND PERSPECTIVES.