Youth Fresh Camps

Every summer, Refresh Collective hosts our flagship program, the Fresh Force Summer Job Program. What started out as a neighborhood summer camp in Doc’s house in Glenville, Cleveland has evolved into a full-fledged 6-week program where students take a song from a beat to an impressively shot music video. Our summer campers learn music production, lyric-writing, visual arts, video editing, photography, marketing, literacy skills, and more during this process.

During our 2022 job program, students experienced a range of opportunities, from performing at multiple local venues to a personal learning session hosted by Mike Chav, a Grammy Award-nominated hip-hop engineer. They created three music videos, listened to talks by successful entrepreneurs and creatives in the Cleveland community, and designed their own T-shirts and hats. Many of these students have continued to find internships through opportunities attached to the summer program, where they have continued their mastery of skills like video, photography, or social media marketing! 

The majority of students in Fresh Camp are compensated by generous grants, so the Fresh Camp isn’t just a free opportunity—it is a legitimate paid internship designed to springboard students into more advanced internships and careers. Refresh Collective also partners with various community organizations to offer free 1-week “Fresh Camps” to Cleveland  students during the summer.

Piloted in Summer of 2023, the Summer Screen Printing Internship teaches the process of screen printing to high school students in Cincinnati. In partnership with Easter Seals, students with learning and developmental challenges get to experience hands-on creative learning. Our interns walk through the entire process from designing to screen-making to printing tees. Students work with professional screen printers on industry-standard equipment. 

Students gain valuable skills in workplace communication, attention to detail, and, of course, screen printing, which apply to any aspect of life and career. Due to our partnership with Easter Seals, Refresh Interns are not only receiving professional instruction in a growing industry that blends creativity with production, but they are compensated for their work.