Young people’s stories have the power to heal, inform, and transform. These stories deepen our understanding of the past and present as we co-create our future.
Young storytellers are essential for building a world where everyone can thrive.
Young storytellers bring enthusiasm and innovation to redesign systems and structures to improve our communities.
Chicago’s West Side holds an abundance of culture, history, and community.
Intergenerational Collaboration is necessary for collective learning and healing.
Youth organizations must be co-created by young people

We
Believe.

Our Methodology.

Search our Resources to learn more about our Theory of Change and the principles that guide our work.

Our History.

Before Free Spirit Community Arts + Media, Free Spirit Media grew out of a collaboration in 2000 with friends and teaching artists Jeff McCarter and Jesse Miller at Street Level Media in collaboration with a founding group of young people from the West Side of Chicago. Beginning as a single filmmaking class focused on basketball broadcasting, Free Spirit, officially established in May 2001, steadily grew into a multi-site media arts education organization partnering with hundreds of youth over its first decade.

Formative partnerships included a pilot telecast with Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV) at the Garfield Park Golden Dome, which led to the launch of the HoopsHIGH youth sports broadcasting program at Westinghouse Career Academy in the winter of 2000-2001. McCarter and Miller were then joined by Rafie Fields, a Westinghouse and Columbia College Chicago alum, and together, they developed Free Spirit’s first cohort of 15 young filmmakers. The success and investment made by young people through the HoopsHIGH program led to the expansion of programs, specifically into the realms of journalism, photography, and documentary and narrative filmmaking.

Following profound environmental shifts in 2020—the COVID-19 pandemic, the global impact of the extrajudicial murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and subsequent racial justice reckonings—Free Spirit underwent its own period of transition beginning with an executive leadership change. This led to an intentional organizational transformation designed to honor Free Spirit’s historical commitment to young artists while forging an intentional path forward with a recommitment to youth agency, organizational equity, and creative intergenerational community.

Our Team.

Core Staff:

Alex Herrera

Director of Programs + Partnerships

Alex (she/her) leads the strategy and management of all programs and external partnerships. Alex is driven by her experience in youth development and advocacy and her work is a testament to her passion for community arts and youth leadership.

Aurora Toshiko King

Executive Director

Aurora (she/her) facilitates the alignment of the organization’s mission across all areas, ensuring programs, fundraising, and operations move collectively. She envisions a world where young people have everything they need to step into their power and brilliance, including access to holistic creative spaces that uplift collective humanity.

Crislin Christian-Frazier

Operations + Communications Manager

Crislin (she/they) manages all operations and external communications and frequently partners with the Program Team to meet strategic goals. She envisions a world where systems work for people—not the other way around.

Juan Linares

Production Coordinator

Juan (he/him) coordinates all internal and external production planning and execution. He is dedicated to partnering with young artists to help shape narratives that reflect their truths and inspire change, providing guidance from initial concept to final cut.

Justus White

Program Manager

Justus (he/him) manages all programmatic offerings as well as the Teaching Artist cohort. He envisions a world where young people can creatively share and tell stories through media that will make an impact for today, and beyond.

Teaching Artists + Program Staff:

Our Program Team collaborates with staff to design holistic media arts programming for young artists to collaborate with their peers, develop technical skills in digital storytelling and create authentic media narratives.

Jason Roman

Emerging Teaching Artist

Jason (he/him) is a skilled filmmaker who supports Teaching Artists during the planning and instruction for Teen Programs. He envisions a world where art and shared experiences are valued for how they connect different communities together.

Jordan Blanco

Emerging Teaching Artist

Jordan (they/she) is an experienced multidisciplinary artist and activist who supports Teaching Artists with planning and instruction for Teen Programs. They envision a world where we all have enough time, peace and abundance to contemplate the supreme elegance of trees daily.

Raysam Donkoh Halm

Teaching Artist

Raysam (he/him) is a video media professional who lends his creativity to Teen Programs alongside his fellow Program Team members. He enjoys making content with fun, finesse, and flair for various audience palates.

Stevia Ndoe

Teaching Artist

Stevia (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist and analog photographer who co-leads Teen Programs with their fellow TAs and ETAs. Outside of the classroom and studio, Stevia enjoys baking, exploring nature, and dancing.

Terrance Patterson

Teaching Artist

Terrance (he/him) is a dedicated CPS educator who lends his time after-school and during the summer to co-leading Teen Programs. He envisions a world where every young person can confidently share their story to help shape society.