Free Spirit Media (FSM) partners with young creators, ages 11-25 and primarily from the West and South sides of Chicago, to develop and amplify their unique and critical voices through storytelling and media arts. We do this through our holistic programming which focuses on community-building, skill-sharing and career and education pathways that support young people to envision and build their futures within the media industry and beyond. FSM's goal is to support young BIPOC media makers and journalists as they form robust and sustainable support systems, gain the skills needed to pursue employment in their creative fields, and understand the powerful and important gifts they bring to their chosen career fields. FSM's media arts education and workforce investment programs are designed to break down barriers to access, success and leadership for emerging media makers and journalists from Chicago's West and South Sides. Programming is successful when young people obtain the resources they need to share their essential voices, apply their unique talents in pursuit of college and/or career and find meaningful work within the film and journalism industries and beyond. FSM envisions a future in which BIPOC creators are able to influence and shape the media industry and thereby influence and shape society.