Chicago to Spotlight Alternative Education this School Choice Week with Trade Skill Workshops

CHICAGO, Jan. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- What is it like to work with your hands in construction, electrical work, culinary arts, or cosmetology for a living? A School Choice Week celebration in Chicago will connect teens and adults with local tradesmen this Saturday, Jan. 27, shining a light on opportunities for students interested in pursuing a trade after high school.

Hosted by the Brown House Experience, Trade Day 2024 will take place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Richard T. Crane Medical Preparatory High School. The event will kick off with a "Family Hour" from 11 a.m. to noon, featuring free information about local community colleges, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that provide resources to families, with a special focus on resources for students transitioning into or out of high school.

The heart of Trade Day will be hands-on work stations led by Chicago-based tradesmen and women, business owners, and entrepreneurs. Attendees 12 and up can choose up to three stations to engage in hands-on skill workshops at the event.

Vendors participating in Trade Day 2024 include Sha'Li Projects, Tanya's Woodworking, Loysteen Genes, Drone Events, Crane Medical Preparatory High School, Next 1 Electricians, Future Tech Leaders, Lincoln Tech College, Kennedy King College, Harold Washington College, Eye Slay By Sunny, Above and Beyond Catering, Tippy's Nails, Athletic Konnection Training, SouthPaw Solutions, Imperious Society, Cook County Health Family Planning and You Play Too Much Games.

Organizers hope that the event will familiarize students and parents with the empowering trade careers available post-high school, and invite them to discover their inner tradesman.

"We have created a pipeline of inner-city youth that will be better equipped to enter the STEAM & trade career fields that will dominate the future," said Tia Brown of The Brown House Experience.

The Brown House Experience aims to foster the positive development of youth by providing access to opportunities for hands-on exposure to the arts, mental and physical wellness, skilled trades, and entrepreneurship—all with a purpose to enhance their academic, social and emotional growth. The Brown House Experience has been hosting Trade Days annually since 2019, but this is the first year adults are welcome to participate.

The Jan. 27 event is open to the press and public, and timed to coincide with National School Choice Week (NSCW), which will feature more than 26,000 school choice events across all 50 states to raise equal and positive awareness of the traditional public, public charter, public magnet, private, online, and home education options available for families. In Illinois, nearly 1,000 celebrations will take place. 

The Richard T. Crane Medical Preparatory High School is located at 2245 W. Jackson Blvd. Trade Day will take place in the cafeteria as well as various classrooms.

Families can register for the free event at https://TBHETradeDay2024.eventbrite.com.

National School Choice Week (NSCW) informs, inspires, and empowers parents to discover the K-12 education options available for their children, including traditional public, charter, magnet, online, private, and homeschooling. Every January, tens of thousands of schools, organizations, and individuals plan unique events and activities to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options in their communities. The Week is a project of the nonpartisan, nonpolitical National School Choice Awareness Foundation.

SOURCE National School Choice Week