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
Cool Jobs Advisory Council
Adam Aquino - BEHR Paint
Jeff Ashley - Jefferson University
Carol Bailis - Wells Fargo
Barbara Bassett - Philadelphia Museum of Art
Antonio Black - Industrial Designer, Toys and Pet Products
Ted Borowsky - Foster KeenCut
Jackie Buhn - Athenian Razak
Nicole Carville - Haworth
Robert Chaney - Institute of Contemporary Art
Donna Cooper - Public Citizens for Children & Youth
Karin S. Copeland - CreateXChange
Heather Coyne - philafad, University of Pennsylvania
Susan Miller Davis - Architect / Public Art
Joe Deetz - Visual Magnetics
Sammy Sitarski - Brulee Catering
Rosemarie Fabien - Fabien Communications
Donna Frisbee-Greenwood - Fund for the School District of Philadelphia
Susan Frostén - Jefferson University
Lyn Godley - Lyn Godley Design Studio
Elizabeth Grimaldi - Fleisher Art Memorial
Christine Hartley - Rhode Island School of Design
Douglas Herman - Rough Cut Productions
Jason James - Fig, Fresh Artists Board
Barbara Klinkhammer - Jefferson University, College of Architecture/Built Environment
Christine Kochevar - Clutch
Frank Lee - Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Drexel University
Kelly Lee - Chief Cultural Officer, City of Philadelphia
Michael Leonard - Academic Dean, School of Design & Engineering, Philadelphia University
Maud Lyon - Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Tricia Trainor Monsell - Interface FLOR
Jim Pasquerella - Avison Young
Karen Randal - Retired, Director of the Office of Business Attraction and Retention,
City of Philadelphia, Department of Commerce
Jaime Salm - MIO
Michael Spain - D2 Interiors + D2DA Architects
Gretchen Suess - Netter Center, University of Pennsylvania
Charles Thornton - Charles H. Thornton & Company LLC
Jason Varney - Varney Photo
Felicia Wallace-Benton - Daltile
Jerria Williams - Author
