The Firehouse Dream

Team Leader

Jasmine Lopez

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

The Firehouse Dream

One-line solution summary:

Creative Mentorship Led by BIPOC Creatives

Pitch your solution.

As a Latina creative entrepreneur, I know the industry is thriving, and yet we are highly underrepresented when it comes to BIPOC representation. Our goal at The Firehouse Dream, a creative arts non profit, is to shift the starving artist narrative in BIPOC communities by partnering with our young adults through a mentorship program where we teach creative skills like photography, film, brand identity, website design, marketing, and more. Our program allows for young adults from communities that have experienced with another pathway beyond sports and academics by utilizing these skills to earn an income beyond minimum wage, start a business, freelance, and work under a brand. Additionally we provide the equipment and tech needed through free rentals, in order for our mentees to grow their portfolio, or begin to take on paid clients. Our solution could greatly impact the next generation of creatives of color.

What specific problem are you solving?

The Firehouse Dream (TFD) is headquartered in Maywood, a village just west of Chicago, IL. Maywood is a 95% BIPOC community, with African American (68%) and Latinx (27%) being our largest 2 racial/ethnic demographics. As a working class community, with a median income of $48k, high taxes and little resources to show for, many neighbors are hoping for a thriving Maywood with a grocery store, equitable education, homes and businesses revitalized - while not displacing the community itself. As a creative arts nonprofit, we are utilizing the power of social media, photography and marketing to amplify the concerns of our community, while simultaneously creating opportunities for BIPOC youth to be centered in their own community’s development and revitalization.

The creative arts industry lacks BIPOC representation with our stories at the center and yet it is a thriving industry with over $400B, and provides a plethora of opportunities that can lead to entrepreneurship, freelance opportunities or full time employment. By learning creative skills, our young adults are provided with an opportunity to participate in a growing field and earn an income beyond minimum wage. Furthermore, the creative industry does not require a college degree, and instead is portfolio and network focused, which can be beneficial because in Maywood, only 13.4% of our neighbors have a bachelor's degree or higher, which shows that access to higher education can be a financial challenge. By equipping our young adults with creative skills, it provides them with a pathway that is beyond academics and sports.

What is your solution?

The Collective is a paid mentorship program where we pay each mentee a stipend of $15 per hour. Our mentorships are co-created with the youth and together we design the mentorship with workshops, field trips, and collaborative projects. The workshops we offer are built around our 3 pillars: the creative arts, financial wellness, and mental health.

Through the unlimited opportunities of the creative industry, we are
revitalizing the local economy by equipping BIPOC youth to shift the
narrative of our community through the power of storytelling and the
creative arts.

Additionally, we believe that teaching creative skills is not enough to create sustained economic change, but rather includes normalizing our lived experiences on topics around money and mental health. Successful entrepreneurship means we are not only skilled in what we do, but identify if we have a healthy relationship with money, ourselves and how we see the world. TFD goes beyond teaching creative skills by teaching how to budget, helping with business planning, life skills, and hosting group mental health check-ins and workshops.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

The population we are serving are BIPOC youth ages 16-22 from communities that have experienced disinvestment. 100% of our mentees identify as BIPOC. Our area of focus is Maywood, IL and students from the Proviso District which includes Bellwood, Melrose Park, Westchester and more!

We co-create our mentorship based off of our mentees creative interests and desires. We don't approach our mentees from a place of here's what we have to offer you, but rather ask: "What are you dreaming of, and how can we partner with you?" We then design each mentorship based off of their feedback.

We also do paid mentorships as we recognize that many of our youth are the caregivers of their younger siblings. By providing a stipend equating to $15 per hour, it allows for them to financially contribute to the family as they participate in our mentorship. We also believe by providing a stipend it helps parents and caregivers see the value of allowing their youth to participate in learning more about the creative industry.

Long term, our solution will allow for our mentees to have another career path that could allow for them to make an income beyond minimum wage, allowing them start a business and begin building wealth or qualify to work with a creative agency, in turn creating an opportunity for our mentees to have access to a field where they can thrive. If our mentee decides to not go through the creative industry route, they can take what they've learned about collaboration, financial wellness and other life skills into their career of choice.

Which dimension of the Digital Workforce Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Reduce inequalities in the digital workforce for historically underserved groups through improved hiring and retention practices, skills assessments, training, and employer education and engagement

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

The Firehouse Dream is POC led and driven non profit located in a 95% BIPOC community. We are aware of the challenges and power dynamics at play when it comes to entering into the industry. With our connections and network in the creative industry, we've been able to partner with over 15 creatives/entrepreneurs of color to teach our mentees, so they can see themselves represented in the industry, but also have us available as resources for their success. The population we are serving are youth ages 15-22 from communities that have experienced disinvestment. 100% of our mentees identify as BIPOC.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Maywood, IL, USA

Is your solution already being implemented in one or more of the following ServiceNow locations (Australia/New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom, United States), or are you planning to expand your solution to one or more of these countries?

My solution is already being implemented in one or more of these ServiceNow locations

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

We've completed 2 mentorship programs. Our 12 week paid mentorship program in the Spring of 2021 which includes 5 mentees. Our summer mentorship included 10 mentees. Our Fall mentorship starts Sept 13th with a group of 10 new mentees.

I feel we are in the growth stages, as we currently operate out of one location with the desire to duplicate and expand to Chicago and other cities like Nashville, Atlanta, and more!

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Jasmine Lopez | Co-founder/Executive Director

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for the ServiceNow US Racial Equity Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes, I wish to apply for this prize

Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use the ServiceNow Digital Equity Prize to advance your solution?

As Latina creative entreprenuer who lives in Maywood, I co-founded The Firehouse Dream, which was birthed out of my own story and lived experience, for the purpose of providing an opportunity to our youth and young adults in the community. The Firehouse Dream is a POC-led and driven non profit. We highly value diverse leadership that includes all walks of live: race, ethnicity, class, and education level. 100% of our board identifies as BIPOC. And our staff are all POC as well. We all bring varied lived experiences to The Firehouse Dream that is deeply valued and appreciated. 75% of our staff also live in Maywood, so we have a shared vision and hope for a thriving community.