To end an exciting summer, Free Spirit Media hosted four events celebrating and honoring youth artist work.

RECAP: On August 7, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-IL-01), hosted a press conference and roundtable discussion on gun violence prevention at Gary Comer Youth Center, where our FSM News South programming is hosted. 

RECAP: For the past few years, WorldChicago,  a nonprofit organization "dedicated to promoting citizen diplomacy through programs that connect the Chicago community with the world,"  has facilitated two visits to the FSM News West summer documentary program. This year, our teen participants welcomed around 10 visitors from Saudi Arabia on July 23rd and 11 British teens from the UK-US Youth Dialogue Programme on July 25th. 

PHOTOS: Free Spirit Media hosted a Mid-Summer Fun Fest to offer a space for new connections and friendships to be made across all of Free Spirit Media's different programs.

RECAP: Chicago Community Trust President and CEO, Helene Gale, and COO, Andrea Sanchez, joined us at The Nichols Tower in Homan Square to have a conversation with local leaders about the North Lawndale community.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Free Spirit Media is so humbled and grateful to be a part of the MacArthur Foundation Jack Fuller Initiative. Jack Fuller, former Editor and Publisher of The Chicago Tribune and MacArthur Trustee, was a firm believer that good journalism and civic engagement are inextricably linked.

We want to tell REAL stories about REAL people living the REAL realities of the various systemic inequalities plaguing black and brown communities in this city.

RECAP: Free Spirit Media's annual fundraiser was truly a night to remember. We'd like to thank all of our sponsors, our dedicated board, our brilliant staff, our wonderful volunteers, and our community of supporters for showing up, sharing our work, and investing in our vision. 

PHOTOS: Last week the Industry Pathways Cohort hosted a wrap party to celebrate another cohort graduation! 

The McCormick Foundation generously extended a two-year grant to Free Spirit Media to continue our work supporting youth artists to tell authentic stories about Chicago, an especially urgent need in our current climate of increased distrust in the media.