The CHA+DePaul Youth Partnership
Game and Graphic Design
Ten youth are selected to explore gaming and graphic design from award-winning game designer, Allen Turner, faculty instructor within DePaul University’s School of Design. During the six-week summer intensive, participants learn to use a variety of digital platforms and technologies that serve to open career paths, develop creative expression, and provide a voice for their experiences and unique perspectives. The program focuses on journaling and self-exploration to create graphic design, games, and interactive experiences.
Having witnessed firsthand the power of exposure, our intensives layer-in experiential learning to awaken interests and inspire minds. We’ve also found the excursions help build community and camaraderie amongst our cohorts.
Recent Field Trips: Iron Oaks Team Building Course | Lincoln Park DePaul Campus Tour | Isobar Global Digital Agency | Illinois Institute of Technology VR Studio | Escape Game Chicago | Wakandacon
Youth & Mentor Testimonials
Delshawn
17yrs
“I love video games and I play them all the time but after a few weeks in this program, I’ve deleted my games and decided to try and make more of my own. I’m learning new things that I want to go after in the future.”
Evelyn
18yrs
“The program is probably the best one I’ve ever been in. You learn actual skills. Before we even got hands-on experience, Mr. Turner explained all the aspects of game design and it was way more than I thought it would be.”
Curtis
17yrs
“What I love about the program is meeting new people. I’m not really all that out-going but this program forces me to meet new people and learn new skills.”
Brandon
18 yrs
“This program is actually around what I want to go to college for… graphic design. I’m actually doing the thing I want to take up in life at Depaul, one of the top schools in the industry.”
Allen Turner
SOD Faculty Instructor
“Most of our youth have a distant relationship to available gaming technology and typically engage it only as consumers. They aren't aware of how much easy access there is to these tools and processes for them to create with. In addition, our students are coming up in a failure adverse education system which stifles their urge to explore. We want to re-introduce them to play and iteration, and a failure-friendly, process of experimentation and exploration as a powerful way of learning and building mastery.”
Student Work
Mindscape
by Orion Worfolk
You are a blue square that is your conscious floating across your mind. You will come across purple squares or "Anxiety" as you wander in your mind. You must overcome all 3 stages in order to win.
Black Girls Rock
by Alicia Wormley
This art installation is about African American women and women of color. Each of the five illustrative pieces promote positive self image from embracing all shades of skin to the textures of natural hair. Alicia wants her pieces to make every girl and woman feel beautiful exactly as they are.
