YourPassion1st

Our mission is to inspire young adults to find, define, and follow their passion into the workforce or entrepreneurship by connecting them to mentorship based opportunities in their area of passion.

YourPassion1st is an Oak Park–based, Black-led, fully accredited 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering under-resourced youth and young adults (ages 11–24) across Oak Park, River Forest, and Chicagoland. Our mission is to help young people find, define, and follow their passion into the workforce or entrepreneurship through mentorship, collaborative experiences, and project-based learning. Founded in 2019, YourPassion1st works to transform communities by fostering intergenerational connection, shared purpose, and life-affirming opportunities for youth and seniors alike.

We recognize that both youth and older adults are often marginalized in different ways, and our programming intentionally brings these generations together to dismantle ageism, create reciprocal learning environments, and build stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities.