In Focus: Catalyst For Change

NVAM programming and Hive partnerships to date have cast a wide net to draw in youth from around the city of Chicago. This proposed collaboration with IMPACT focuses in on a community not yet accessed through current NVAM programming and activates learning opportunities for youth in high-violence neighborhoods. It also fosters new, sustainable and impactful relationships between NVAM Teen Council members and IMPACT teens, nurturing a youth-facing, peer-to-peer community across the Network.
IMPACT has a 10-year record of accomplishment using digital media and desktop publishing to create connected learning opportunities for teens in Chicago’s Greater Roseland community. The program has produced nearly 800 youth who have progressed through the digital media program acquiring skills that have proven to be instrumental in improved grades and test scores, acquiring summer jobs, entrance into colleges and careers that involve communications, technology and digital media. Each year, youth expand their creativity and foster relationships with other organizations to cover a variety of topics and controversial issues that affect their community, which strengthens their voice. Veterans in the IMPACT community as well as communities served by NVAM have expressed interest in sharing narratives and interacting with youth. Interactions between teens and veterans will be documented using digital media. Artwork and written reflection will be showcased and shared out into learning networks through the NVAM Out Loud blog and the Hive working-in-the-open learning framework. The NVAM will provide project oversight in regards to organizing the workshops, interacting with IMPACT and coordinating events. Events include both on and off-site workshops (in the Roseland/Pullman neighborhoods), organizing the showcase of documented projects (both in progress and final products) on the NVAM Out Loud website, guiding field trips, and facilitating meetings with partner organizations to implement and conduct evaluations. IMPACT will provide space for weekly youth programming and commit to bringing youth to the NVAM to participate in art making workshops on the second Saturday of each month. IMPACT and the NVAM will commit to meeting bi-monthly to evaluate and establish best practices for implementing the programs as described in the proposal.
We are grateful to the MacArthur, Hive Chicago, and the Chicago Community Trust for your investment in the lives of our youth.
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