PROGRAMS

Geared towards female identifying youth, the Become a Filmmaker filmmaking intensive is designed to provide all essential skill sets for a job in film: pre-production, camera operation, lighting, sound, and video editing. Working in small teams, 15-20 participants create three original short films that are screened as part of their graduation celebration and are submitted to play at local venues and film festivals. The films’ themes provide a voice for social topics important to CHA youth and serve as an entry point to community discussions on creating positive change in Chicago.

Next Level Photography is a six-week program designed to expose CHA youth to the field of photography and develop professional photographic skills.  Sixteen participants are given a professional DSLR camera and led through a number of technical and creative exercises to provide a base for a potential career in photography. CHA youth are exposed to camera mechanics, lighting techniques, and a variety of photography genres (sports, portraiture, fine art, wedding, street/photojournalism) presented by accomplished photographers in each field. Although they are given autonomy to explore topics, they are urged to focus on visual stories that feel important to them and their community.

CHA youth were invited to participate in an intensive six-week summer program studying the art of screenwriting. Movie & TV Scripts 101 allowed youth to become well-versed in the Classical Hollywood conventions of writing for film and television, and then developing a story pitch in to an original short script. The program culminated with a live table read with actors from DePaul University’s Theatre School. The final scripts presented at the graduation ceremony as a live table read were No Man’s Land, a short fantasy drama about a boy who goes on an adventure with a giraffe, and Is This Love, a short crime romance on how far two individuals are willing to go for the other.

Hyde Park Art Center’s Mural Production Program, led by artist-educator Dorian Sylvain, helps emerging artists ages 18–25 design and create large-scale public murals while building artistic and professional skills.

Through mentorship and hands-on collaboration, participants learn the full mural process—from concept and design to installation and community engagement—while gaining resources, real-world experience, and connections to Chicago’s public art and the Art Center’s creative community.

Be Your Own Boss is a six-week paid internship program for high school age CHA youth. Twenty participants explored the startup ecosystem, networked with entrepreneurs, built community with peers from different backgrounds, and pitched the businesses they built in a competition format at the program’s end. Participants explored key entrepreneurial concepts and applied this knowledge to a business being built with a group of co-founders. Alongside learning the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, this program enabled participants to practice, and refine key career skills including interview practice, resume building and networking.

PeacePlayers uses basketball to unite, educate, and inspire youth through sport-based programming, peace education, and leadership development. The program served 18 CHA boys ages 13–15, building empathy and community connection while strengthening career readiness skills like punctuality, teamwork, accountability, and project management.

Annually in the fall, as part of Operation Warm event for CHA families, Springboard to Success sponsors the distribution of 12,000 brand new books to youth living in public housing.

Springboard to Success has previously funded programs to better the lives of youth children including, back to school events that distribute healthcare, uniforms, and school supplies.