The Firehouse Community Arts Center
Leveraging the Arts and a Hyperlocal Approach
The Firehouse Community Arts Center
The Firehouse Community Arts Center uses a hyperlocal approach to interrupt cycles of violence in the North Lawndale community and engage young people through the arts. The Cook County supported VIP program works with at-risk young men, providing mentorship, therapeutic services, workforce development opportunities and access to the arts. Outreach teams form connections with young people and a supportive environment and keeps them engaged. Young men in the program are exposed to fields with high placement rates including culinary arts and construction.
"The Firehouse changed my life for the better. If it wasn't for their outreach team not giving up on me, ain't no telling where I would be. I've lost a lot of friends and two brothers to gun violence. Waking up everyday not knowing if today is gonna be your last just didn't sit right with me so I made a decision I didn't want to be a part of that life anymore. The Firehouse outreach team came to me once again and I was finally ready. I told myself that I was going to stand out in the program and that's exactly what I did. Now I am proud to say that I am a Firehouse employee, working with and mentoring guys like me."
Preston Baldwin, a professional mentor at the Firehouse Community Arts Center