TRUST THE YOUTH: A DEEP DIVE RECAP
Several hours of hard work, over 100 attendees, and one message…trust the youth. We dive a little deeper with one of the campaign leads, Joshua Jenkins about the purpose and takeaways of Trust The Youth.
BIZZIE: What ignited you to begin doing this campaign?
JOSHUA: “Early conversations involved Ocion coming through the shop and basically wanting to create an event that brought together like minded individuals. During the night of the reception, I mentioned to the room that we wanted to bring back tumblr meetup days. At a time when there weren’t as many people that were dedicated to fashion research and coming up with unique ways to express themselves. There are a lot more of us know but we still live in a pretty isolated region, often with not much to look forward to. So essence, I think this campaign was an attempt to change that narrative.”
BIZZIE: What is the importance of this campaign?
JOSHUA: “I think it’s really important for adjacent creatives to witness and experience what can be accomplish when you come together. I think there’s also a key element related to the idea of discovery. I’ve seen a lot of different era’s in this city. But there was definitely a lightbulb moment for me when I went to my first CCH at Real Art Ways or even hosting a few parties at our shop years before it became The Caf. I never knew these things could were happening when I was first coming up until someone showed me “the door”. I think it’s time to open up a few more doors for the next up.”
BIZZIE: Why Trust the youth? Meaning literally and in terms of why you decided to have this be the title of the campaign.
JOSHUA: “There was something powerful about imagining those words blasted on the windows to the shop and how polarizing it would be in an environment that’s predominantly white collar. There’s also been this stubbornness felt by “the old guard” particularly in this state that has always felt more harmful than good, feel me? It’s a statement that humbly says, if you just give us the keys, we won’t steer you wrong.”
BIZZIE: What does it look like for you to be a role model of sorts to the new generation of creative entrepreneurs?
JOSHUA: “I feel super privileged to be in my situation. I don’t take it for granted. Back in 2013, I dreamed to have a space like The Caf. But I’ve been fortunate enough to have a couple OGs I learned from. I just hope I can pass the best advice because the talent pool we have is remarkable. We just need to keep exploring ways to motivate ourselves and each other.”
All photos by Bizzie R
BIZZIE: How do you, as an individual and representative of The Caf plan to actively implement the mission behind TTY into your every day?
JOSHUA: “Take more risk. Not every idea you attempt will surpass the last. Apply the 3% approach and move on.”
