Council approves contracts for summer youth marketing academy and theater arts program

Cleveland City Council approved emergency ordinances authorizing the director of finance to contract with Rhonda Crowder and Associates LLC and Karamu House to deliver out-of-school summer programming aimed at older youth.

Ordinance 5592025 authorized a contract with Rhonda Crowder and Associates for a city marketing academy that will operate as part of the mayor's Summer Soundtrack initiative and the city's expanded programs. The contract term is 12 months with two separate one-year renewal options exercisable by the director of finance. Rhonda Crowder, CEO of Rhonda Crowder and Associates, described her firm as “a creative services agency that specializes in developing messaging and design strategies for branding, public awareness, and fundraising campaigns,” and said the marketing academy teaches design, branding and monetization of creative skills to youth.

Rhonda Crowder and city staff said the marketing academy is tied to the city's YOU summer employment pool for recruitment (students earn wages and submit time sheets). The program's stated summer model runs eight weeks, four days per week and five hours per day (about 160 hours); a fall edition is described as 10 weeks at 8 hours per week (about 80 hours). Council staff said last summer the broader Summer Soundtrack initiative aimed to reach 7,000 young people and recorded more than 11,000 engagements across partners.

Ordinance 5582025 authorized a contract with Karamu House to provide a summer out-of-school theater-arts program and a technical theater workforce-development track. Asela Sharif, vice president and chief operating officer of Karamu House, said the performing-arts track serves grades 6'12 while the technical theater workforce track focuses on grades 8'12. Karamu staff described a five-week, five-day-a-week summer technical track (25 hours per week, about 125 hours total) that culminates in a production combining performers and technical crews; staff said the program pairs arts training with social-emotional learning and family engagement components.

Council members praised the partnerships and emphasized workforce-readiness and transferable skills. Councilman Kevin Conwell highlighted the project-based nature of the marketing academy and said exposure to systems and career pathways is central to job-readiness. Staff said the city will coordinate outreach through YOU and other partners, that participants may be screened and assessed for fit, and that program operators will connect students to job coaching, wraparound services and partner field trips and experiences (examples included Futureland tech events and planned engagement with TV 20).

Both ordinances were presented as new contracts though vendors have worked with the city previously; both items were approved by council during the session excerpt. City staff said the contracts were approved by the finance director and law director prior to the council vote.