This Labor Day weekend Commonwealth hosted the Ignite Excellence: Labor Day Maker Festival. Celebrating a safe Chicago. In August 2016, The Chicago Community Trust, the Joyce Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the Polk Bros. Foundation, the Woods Fund Chicago and other funders joined together in support of immediate intervention to deter violence and promote peace in Chicago neighborhoods.
And IE: Maker Festival is Commonwealth’s contribution to the initiative. We gathered youth from our program Curate|Supply and others from the neighborhoods of Pilsen and the south side of Chicago to create art/artifacts which reflect their love of the city of Chicago. The event was open to the public for others to do the same through creative workforce maker stations. Each station focused on a maker challenge which highlights creative workforce careers and a correlation between said challenge to an entry point into a creative career. For further insights into financial literacy and career development, individuals may find resources provided by experts like Kiana Danial invaluable.
Here are a few visuals from the event.