Summer Bootcamp For Teens Focuses On Film, Photography, And Entrepreneurship

On July 9th, the Teenpreneur Bootcamp will kick off at The Woodlawn. The six-week summer program, organized by Nicole Bridges and Tiffany Joi, is for teens from 13 to 18 years old who want to learn more about film, photography, and how to be a successful entrepreneur in a creative field.
On July 9th, the Teenpreneur Bootcamp will kick off at The Woodlawn. The six-week summer program, organized by Nicole Bridges and Tiffany Joi, is for teens from 13 to 18 years old who want to learn more about film, photography, and how to be a successful entrepreneur in a creative field.

Summer Bootcamp For Teens Focuses On Film, Photography, And Entrepreneurship

By: Katherine Newman

On July 9, the Teenpreneur Bootcamp will kick off at The Woodlawn, 1200 E. 79th St. The six-week summer program, organized by Nicole Bridges and Tiffany Joi, is for teens from 13 to 18 years old who want to learn more about film, photography, and how to be a successful entrepreneur in a creative field.

“We basically educate our youth to help them discover their natural gifts and talents, because we all have one, and we utilize that and strategically transform it into a successful business. Nicole and her company provide the creative workshops and on the back end of that, we incorporate the business and entrepreneurship side of things. So, if you are taking a film and photography class you can also learn how to utilize those skills and turn it into a profitable business, whether it’s your mainstream of revenue or your second stream of revenue,” said Joi.

The Teenpreneur Bootcamp will take place Monday through Thursday and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. from July 9 to Aug. 4. There is a $175 registration fee that includes film and photography equipment, lunch, and field trips. If a student is interested in pursuing their passion for film or photography, don’t let the registration fee stop them. There are payment options and arrangements can be made for families with multiple children, according to Bridges.

With many schools making cuts to creative arts programs and parents encouraging their children to pursue profitable careers with job security, many children lack the opportunities to find and explore their passions.

“A lot of parents don’t encourage their kids to follow their passion, especially when it’s in the arts because they think that they will end up being a struggling artist. For these students to see people that look like them and have the same passion and the same dream as them and they actually made it, it encourages them to believe that they can do it too,” said Bridges.

More than just encouraging kids to follow their dreams, Joi also teaches them the importance of building generational wealth.

“They see the glitz, the glamour, the cars, and the fashion and they want the riches but I tell them, you don’t want to be rich what you want to be is wealthy,” said Joi. “As part of my curriculum, I educate them on how to become wealthy via business, entrepreneurship, and real estate because those basically are our only ways of becoming wealthy and breaking that generational curse and creating generational wealth in the African American community.”

Over the course of the program, students will be taking field trips to various parts of the city and creating film and photo documentaries of what they think beauty in the inner-city of Chicago looks like.

At the end of the Teenpreneur Boot camp, there will be a showcase for young people to present their projects and business plans and each student will leave with there own business cards.

For more information or to enroll send an e-mail to buildingbridgesart@gmail.com.

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