Cool Jobs shows young teens amazing, attainable career options.
COOL JOBS is a 3-day pop-up expo, with original funding from the James L. and John S. Knight Foundation, bringing successful working artists, chefs, artisans, art therapists, photographers, designers, and digital printers, and makers together in one place to demonstrate their work to creative teens. We invite students from Philly, Chester, Norristown and Camden low-income public schools to learn what a typical day is like for someone working in a creative field.
Fresh Artists presents our latest innovative initiative - Cool Jobs!
The Cool Jobs Mission is to:
- Introduce almost 600 at-risk sixth and seventh graders to people doing real jobs they didn’t know existed.
- Show them accessible paths to these jobs in the creative economy.
- Encourage them to stay in school and choose the best-fit high schools and colleges.
- To provide a resource through the Handbook given to each student with hundreds of afterschool, weekend and summer creative opportunities from organizations around the city.
52% of Philadelphia's creative kids with astonishing potential are at risk of dropping out between 8th and 9th grade, before they even make it to high school. Artistic teens are often told, “There aren’t any paying jobs for artists.” HOGWASH!
Look around. Someone designed the office chair you’re sitting in. The $300 Nike sneakers your kiddo has to have, the LEED Platinum building you work in, the set of dishes you bought at Crate & Barrel. The need for green design is taking off and designing prosthetics and adaptive devices is fascinating and meaningful work.
"There has never been a time in history when there were more opportunities for creative people to make a living."- Barbara Chandler Allen, Founder, Fresh Artists
Well, we’re tired of this being a well-kept secret. We decided to create a space where kids at this critical turning point can meet fascinating, dynamic, successful people who wake up everyday excited about their purpose and potential. Making things and creating change.
The Space: Cool Jobs.
We’re betting many kids leave Cool Jobs with a dream . . . “I wanna be a (fill-in-the-blank)”. A dream that will keep them in school, choose the best-fit high school, graduate and pursue their dream for a successful job to love for life.
The message: You don’t have to starve to be an artist. You DO have to have a dream, stay in school, pick the best-fit highschool, take advantage of after-school, weekend and summer art class opportunities, and work hard!
Sponsorships
Help us throw 600 city kids a lifeline!
We need your help to make this a roaring success. We are looking for corporate and individual sponsorships for almost everything that is nailed down or mobile! We invite you to be sponsor who believes fiercely in Cool Jobs as a major educational innovation and impactful intervention.
Click Here to download the Sponsor A Dream brochure
