Summer Jobs at the Refresh Collective: “Fresh force, we’re here at last!”
“We emerged from COVID isolation with a Refreshed determination to deliver workforce development opportunities to Cleveland kids in need.”
-Phillip Hewitt, Communications Manager at Refresh
This summer Refresh Collective employed 15 Y.O.U. participants who got to reach new artistic heights in a digital media mastery-building experience. They developed soft job skills and social-emotional competencies. For six weeks the young people wrote and recorded an original hip-hop album, shot and edited music videos (one pictured above), and performed their original music after a substantial social media campaign.
This fantastic partnership between Refresh Collective and Youth Opportunities Unlimited created a platform for youth voice to be heard around issues that matter most to Cleveland teens.
The teens learned every aspect of hip-hop music creation from digital music composition (beat making), lyric writing, and recording arts to performance skills, videography, and clothing design. They also learned real-world job readiness skills, such a resume building, portfolio development, digital content creation, and social media marketing.
Interview skills, resume writing, and personal finance aren't covered in school, so this partnership offered the youth these real-life skills. The music the teens created can be heard on their Soundcloud linked below.
