Thanks to whoever has added me to the mail list. I wanted to pass along to
my fellow alumni information about my work here in Chicago in hopes that some
of you might be interested in helping me out.
Several years ago I helped found a non-profit organization called
Street-Level Youth Media designed to give at-risk kids in Chicago access to
new technology and media arts tools. At first, Street-Level was a
neighborhood storefront where West side youth could come off the street and
produce videos about the issues that threaten them and their neighborhood.
Gradually, we began to include other forms of media communication to tell
new stories and address new audiences. We were one of the first sites in the
country that gave urban youth free range on the Internet, to create their own
Web pages, access email and chat on-line with other youth in cities across
the country. Today, we've grown to support three media art centers across
the city where more than 800 young people each year produce some of the most
compelling alternative media I've had the privilege to participate in.
Street-Level is funded through grants and gifts, from major corporations,
foundations and generous friends. All the equipment at all our sites has
been donated, from the computers to the chairs we sit on. We are always
looking to make new contacts with folks who are interested in what we do and
willing to help out in any way they can.
Feel free to visit our Web site (http://www.iit.edu/~livewire) to find all
kinds of information about our programs, our kids and the projects they've
been working on. You can also give me a call at our storefront
(773.862.5331) if you have ideas or ways we could work together.
Thanks,
Tony Streit, '87