The Youth Arts Initiative Learning Community #3 (LC3) is only 5 weeks away! We are looking forward to facilitating a productive and joyful time in Chicago as you all do the vital work of planning for hard launch this fall.

Reminders

If you haven’t already, be sure to:

• Book your room at the Omni by May 27. (Note that this is Memorial Day, so while we hope you’re enjoying a long weekend, we also want to make sure you’re fully booked for the LC!)
• Book your flights! Prepare your travel plans to allow you to arrive in Chicago by Tuesday evening, June 18, and depart after 3 p.m. on Friday, June 21.
• Complete our  Favorite Things Survey so we can get to know you a little better for planning purposes.

Lunch Order

The Learning Community wraps up at noon on Friday. If you would like a box lunch to take with you on your way to the airport, please place your order by May 27.

Introductory Phone Calls

We will be calling each of you next week to introduce ourselves. This call won’t take too much of your time — just a couple minutes — so we can connect pre-LC!  We encourage you to reach out with any questions you might have as well.

Planning Your Visit

Check out this page for information on how to get to the hotel from the airport as well as restaurant recommendations and things to do while you’re in Chicago. You’ll have free time on Tuesday night (after you stop by our welcome reception in our “green room”) and on Thursday evening.

We can’t wait to see you in Chicago for a fruitful, fun, and inspiring few days together.

Keeping the beat until we meet!

Hey! I’m Mashona and I’m the drummer of this amazing band. IRL I do not have any instrument-playing capabilities but when I look at the role of the drummer, that’s all me. I am responsible for keeping the rhythm of our band and our overall experience. I understand and accept that my role is that of “timekeeper” which does not mean that I will be running behind everyone with a stop watch and a bullhorn, but rather I will keep my attention on generating the beat and timing of the experience; to ensure that our individual and collective needs are met. As a lover of all things that a Chicago summer has to offer, I am really excited for the energy that this city will add to our Learning Community. When I am not keeping the beat for this band, I can be found marching to the beat of my own drum mostly through airports as my latest mantra insists that “all good things are free and wild.”

Personal National Holiday aka Birthday: April 3rd

Organization Affiliation: SuRa FoMa

Favorite Snacks: Chips, specifically BBQ & sour cream

Favorite Candy: Sour Patch Kids, Peanut M & Ms, Twizzlers (red), Starburst, Jellybeans

Favorite Beverages: Diet Coke with lime

Introvert, Extrovert or Somewhere in the Middle? Somewhere in the middle

Early Bird or Night Owl? Night Owl

What forms of creative expression speak to you most? Spoken word, street art

Favorite color: DUKE blue

Favorite song or album: Self-Destruction

Favorite artist of any kind: Tasha Cobbs-Leonard

Favorite movie: Love Jones – Chicago-based!

Favorite form of relaxation and/or self-care: Travel, writing poetry, walking

Something that excites me about being in Chicago: The view of the skyline from the Planetarium.

Hey y’all! I’m K! I am the Musical Director for SuRa FoMa. I am in charge of the event production and logistics for the LCIII. I bring all the pieces together to make beautiful music! I am a Chicago born and raised, events professional with over 15 years’ experience in the game with local and national events. Along with my planning and production expertise, I LOVE my city and its rich arts culture. My eldest child is involved in the arts educationally and socially while attending one of the top arts school in Chicago. I am excited to bring to life this unique experience wrapped in the things I love about my city for all of you!

Personal National Holiday aka Birthday: July 28th

Organization Affiliation: SuRa FoMa

Favorite Snacks: Fruit, granola

Favorite Beverages: Water, tea, Italian soda

Introvert, Extrovert or Somewhere in the Middle? Somewhere in the middle

Early Bird or Night Owl? Night Owl

What forms of creative expression speak to you most? Dance, dance, dance!!!

Favorite color: Don’t have one!

Favorite song or album: That’s All by Nat King Cole

Favorite artist of any kind: I adore Janelle Monae

Favorite form of relaxation and/or self-care: Movies with friends, I Love Lucy marathons, spa

Something that excites me about being in Chicago: The pulse of the city!

I’m Folami, the lead singer for SuRa FoMa. And I really do sing. Check out my CD Come Be with Me! As the lead singer, I actively facilitate the space to ensure everyone’s voice is heard, needs are met and people are getting something incredibly worthwhile out of the space. A lead singer is like the host at the party. And I want make sure everyone has a good time and meets somebody that makes them glad they came. When not rehearsing (for June!) with the band, I am working with schools and youth-serving non-profit organizations coaching leaders and facilitating transformative equity-centered professional learning experiences. I am a community psychologist and all of my work allows me to use those acquired skills wisely. I have four adult children who are all exploring their artistic talents and 3 grandchildren, one of which is in pre-production for her YouTube channel – at 5 years old!

Here are some of my answers to the Favorite Things survey so you can get to know me a little better:

Personal National Holiday aka Birthday: September 21st

Organization Affiliation: SuRa FoMa

Favorite Snacks: Protein (cheese, meat, eggs), Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and granola, coffee and flavored creamers

Favorite Candy: Snickers and Werthers

Favorite Beverages: water with lemon, a sugary carbonated beverage every now and then

Introvert, Extrovert or Somewhere in the Middle? Somewhere in the middle

Early Bird or Night Owl? Early bird

What forms of creative expression speak to you most? spoken word/hip hop and improv, when in Chicago, visual art-making

Favorite color: Blue

Favorite song or album: Stevie Wonder – Innervisions

Favorite artist of any kind: Bob Marley

Favorite movie, TV show…etc: Movie – Black Panther, TV – Black-ish

Favorite form of relaxation and/or self-care: Reading novels, binge watching a TV series and entertaining for friends and family. Thrift store shopping with my hubby and do-nothing weekends.

Something that excites me about being in Chicago: Improv!!!

Hi! I’m Amanda, road manager for SuRa FoMa. I’m handling all the arrangements in advance, during, and after the tour, so the members of the band can focus on their performance. I’m coordinating all the logistics, so if you need something, just let me know! When I’m not on the road, I’m hosting an underground supper club called Chow Club Atlanta. Each month we feature a different emerging chef from a culture that is underrepresented in the Atlanta food scene. In the past two years, we’ve featured 23 cuisines from Antigua to Senegal and from Bulgaria to Laos! I’m also a coach for Pecha Kucha Atlanta where presenters have 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide to present on a topic of their choosing. 

Personal National Holiday aka Birthday: March 20th, first day of spring and the last day of the zodiac

Organization Affiliation: SuRa FoMa

Favorite Snacks: wasabi peas

Favorite Candy: super dark chocolate with a fun twist (ginger, chili, raspberry)

Favorite Beverages: kombucha, I brew my own!

Introvert, Extrovert or Somewhere in the Middle? Extrovert

Early Bird or Night Owl? Early bird

What forms of creative expression speak to you most? Fiber arts (sewing, weaving)

Favorite color: turquoise

Favorite song or album: Amy Ray’s “Goodnight Tender”

Favorite artist of any kind: Dolly Parton or Sam Cooke

Favorite movie: “Clue” or “PeeWee’s Big Adventure”

Favorite form of relaxation and/or self-care: adventures with my dog and long baths

Something that excites me about being in Chicago: I really want to take the architecture boat tour. I’ve heard amazing things about it!

Hi, I’m Rachel, SuRa FoMa’s lead guitarist and dedicated amplifier. While I have little actual musical talent, I thrive as a member of a team that creates meaningful, high-impact experiences that are also fun and inspirational. I have fun creating riffs and love harmonizing with my teammates while making sure each everyone’s voice is heard and valued. Outside of the band, I’m a mom of three teens, and I’m the Founder & Mission Director of VOX ATL, where I get to work directly with teens who are finding and projecting strong voices through leadership and content creation — and take our models to partners to inform and inspire the youth development field. Now that’s music to my ears!

Here are some of my answers to the Favorite Things survey so you can get to know me a little better:

Personal National Holiday aka Birthday: July 1

Organization Affiliation: SuRa FoMa

Favorite Snacks: Chocolate, of course! 

Favorite Candy: Ha, see above.

Favorite Beverages: Would it be rude to say “Same as Susan’s”? 🙂 

Introvert, Extrovert or Somewhere in the Middle? Extrovert (who can be a little shy, surprise!)   

Early Bird or Night Owl? It depends … 🙂  

What forms of creative expression speak to you most? Photography, writing (narrative & poetry), theater, collage and more. I also love to (watch) dance and sing (by myself). And I appreciate paintings, collage and multimedia — especially when created by teenagers! 

Favorite color: Periwinkle (I love to see it and say it)

Favorite song or album: Almost anything by The Indigo Girls and/or Elton John

Favorite artist of any kind: My aunt 

Favorite movie: Can’t pick just one! But I love singing the soundtracks to “Mama Mia” and “Moana” with my 12-year-old daughter. 

Favorite form of relaxation and/or self-care: Walking — on a beach solo or hiking / city walks with a girlfriend. Oh, and an occasional massage! 

Something that excites me about being in Chicago: Seeing this learning community come to life! 

I’m Susan, the bassist for SuRa FoMa. I’ve long had dreams of playing in a band so am really living into my chance with this one! As the bassist, I have an eye towards rhythm-setting and rhythm-keeping. In facilitation, this looks like moving through an agenda to make sure we’re on time and not trying to cram too much in. When not strumming away, I am the executive director at VOX ATL and do a lot of similar rhythm-setting and rhythm-keeping in my day job. I love playing this role because I get to keep moving things forward, while ensuring that the other members of my band feel supported and taken care of.

Here are some of my answers to the Favorite Things survey so you can get to know me a little better:

Personal National Holiday aka Birthday: May 7th – proud Taurus

Organization Affiliation: SuRa FoMa

Favorite Snacks: Popcorn, chips and salsa, salty not sweet

Favorite Candy: Well, if I have to go sweet – any combo of peanut butter and chocolate.

Favorite Beverages: Coffee…all day, every day…lime seltzer…red wine.

Introvert, Extrovert or Somewhere in the Middle? Introvert

Early Bird or Night Owl? Early bird

What forms of creative expression speak to you most? Words – written and spoken. Also love paintings, murals and ceramics. Love dance and song, too.

Favorite color: Reds, oranges and pinks – think of a sunset.

Favorite song or album: Impossible to pick just one but a formative record is “If You’re Feeling Sinister” by Belle & Sebastian

Favorite artist of any kind: James Baldwin

Favorite movie: “We Are the Best,” it’s about three 13 year-old girls who start a punk band. Do you see a pattern?

Favorite form of relaxation and/or self-care: Reading in bed with coffee near by and a snoring dog.

Something that excites me about being in Chicago: Seeing the city through the eyes of youth creating art!

This is SuRa FoMa. We’re a group of passionate facilitators and youth-development professionals that know the value of thoughtful collaboration. In March of 2019, we teamed up to pursue a project that excited each of us – the facilitation of the Youth Arts Initiative Learning Community this June in Chicago, in partnership with The Wallace Foundation and Boys & Girls Club of America.

Two of us (SuRa) work for VOX ATL (aka VOX Teen Communications), Atlanta’s home for uncensored teen publishing, self-expression and youth voice. Two of us (FoMa) work for HTI Catalysts, a collaborative network of consultants that provide facilitation and professional development to schools, youth programs, and community-based organizations. With the multiple perspectives on the field of youth development and shared expertise in facilitation, we knew that we were the right fit for this project.

As the four of us prepped for our interview experience and thought about our roles, we had an ah-ha moment of just what we were building. We’re a quartet of facilitators, each bringing a style and skillset uniquely our own that builds a stronger collective. So, we discovered we’re a band! And that is how the group became SuRa FoMa. We each have our roles (or instruments) to play. We are also so excited to add Amanda and Keinika to the group as our powerful duo of road manager and musical director! These two will keep us focused on the facilitation and handle all of the logistics for our LC.

Here’s the full line-up:

Susan – bassist

Rachel – guitarist

Folami – lead singer

Mashona – drummer

Amanda – road manager

Keinika – musical director

You can read about each member of the band and what our roles mean to us by clicking above.

And we want to expand our sound! As we hit the road and plan for our tour in Chicago, we can’t wait to add more voices and instruments to the mix with all of the Learning Community participants.