We began operating TechKno Camp as a Summer Youth program back in 2012 at The Light House Youth Center on the South Side of Chicago. This collaborative effort allowed 16 creative youth to learn the basic fundamentals of shooting a short film they titled Black Beauty. The students wrote, produced and directed a 3 camera shoot, all within two weeks, operating every aspect of video production. 

The following summer we collaborated with The Light House Youth Center again to instruct the same participants on how to produce and perform their very own music video to accompany the short film of the previous year "Black Beauty". After a Songwriting Class, administered on-line by Canadian songwriter Melissa Endean, 21 students worked tirelessly to come up with a combination of Spoken Word, Rap and Anthem lyrics. The intended theme of the lyrics are purposely connected to the "Black Beauty" short film written and directed by former classmates of TechKno Camp 2012. The theme and lyrics of I'm So Awesome are 100% conceptualized, written and produced by the students, in their own words, with guidance from the instructors.

The self-affirming music video (below) is their statement of being.

A young boy with glasses, wearing a white shirt, is sitting at a table pointing and speaking to someone outside the frame. Two other children are beside him, one in a red shirt and the other with glasses and braids. They are in a room with a cityscape mural on the wall.
A woman with glasses and short hair speaking, holding a pen, in a discussion or meeting in an office or classroom setting.

TechKno Camp
(Summer Program)

A young boy wearing headphones operates a professional video camera on a tripod in a dark environment.
A young girl is speaking into a microphone held by a person near a mirror at an event. The girl has headphones on, and other people are visible in the background.
A woman with glasses and earrings playing a violin, wearing a brown sweater, with a focused expression.
A group of diverse young girls sitting and smiling in a classroom with a yellow wall.

“I’m So Awesome” (music video)

Group of smiling children and a woman posing indoors against a blue wall, some children wearing blue shirts, one child making a peace sign, and the woman wearing a pink tank top with a necklace.
A man sitting at a desk with a laptop, talking to two young girls standing nearby in a room with a world map on the wall.