Life Imitates Dreams: Advance Creative Communities

Income Inequality

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

1.2 million 16-24-year-olds live in LA County, and 12.9% are considered disconnected youth, neither in school nor at work. 12% of the workforce in LA County are employed within the creative economy. Los Angeles is increasingly an unaffordable place to live with many young people questioning the value of postsecondary education and a competitive economy that requires both hard skills and a strong network to succeed. Simultaneously, youth and young adults represent culture creators and have the drive to build careers in the creative economy or apply creative thinking to effectively innovate in other fields. Social capital takes on new meaning when young people align their interests to increasing economic mobility through entrepreneurship and social impact efforts rooted in creative expression. Dreamhaus builds on lived experience to expand opportunities for young people through workshops, internships, brand collaborations, and special programs with partner organizations.

Life Imitates Dreams: Advance Creative Communities is the new signature program of Dreamhaus for young people to engage in meaningful career development in creative fields. Dreamhaus was a partner with the Snap Foundation Youth Advisory Council, led workshops with Art+Practice, CAAM, Vox Collegiate Academy, The Academy Museum, and currently hosts interns for internal projects. Dreamhaus is excited to launch a two-part program for young creatives including a workshop series and an internship program for youth to learn about brand management, art direction, fabrication, how to navigate the creative economy, and uplift their existing skill sets. The workshop series allows participants to engage in immersive learning opportunities, connect and learn from working creatives, and gain a deeper sense of the direction they wish to pursue. Interns contribute to various projects including product development, creative marketing and social media, event planning, and participate in ongoing professional development such as finance for creatives, project management, and self-care strategies. Workshops are free, include transportation support, meals and snacks, and an access point for deeper collaboration with Dreamhaus and peer-organizations. Interns are compensated for their time and energy, develop transferable skills, and are regarded as valuable contributors toward shared deliverables.

Dreamhaus is part of a larger effort across Los Angeles to ensure youth thrive as a result of meaningful employment and actively contribute to shaping the health and prosperity of their communities. While we don't teach people how to be artists, we do support individuals to apply creative thinking processes in a range of settings and career pathways to contribute to our collective well-being. The program will cultivate opportunities for up to 120 people annually who may or may not be active in creative fields to ideate and reimagine solutions unique to their own context. In an age of increasing automation and the prevalence of artificial intelligence the need to uplift critical and creative thinkers is more important than ever. Participants will engage in an ecosystem of diverse thought and resources that contribute to creative problem solving. The domino effect is significant and not only spreads to other communities but enhances positive multi-generational change.

This program is stemming from a pilot initiative incubated through the Snap Foundation Youth Advisory Council and internal internship opportunities. Dreamhaus continues to mentor alumni and maintains an open door for ongoing collaboration. Developmental evaluation of our efforts are emerging through data collection on how participants leverage existing talent for real world application while gaining new knowledge and resources. We are looking at how experiences translate to building social capital, increasing income, access and success in education and career pathways, the ability to navigate freelance opportunities in a competitive economy, and ultimately, how we see a decrease in disconnected youth counts. Qualitative data will also be sourced from participants, knowing that a "with us, by us, for us" approach is both inclusive and reflective of those with lived experience to shape positive outcomes. Currently demand exceeds capacity and we look forward to expanding opportunities.