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Born from lived experience, Spur Chicago addresses the gap between workforce readiness and personal well-being through its proprietary M⁴PowerED framework, transforming growth into a disciplined process rooted in education, relationship, and real-world application.
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
Spur Chicago is a nonprofit organization committed to redefining how underserved communities access both wellness and workforce development by treating them as interconnected, not separate.
Established from lived experience, Spur Chicago was built on the understanding that individuals cannot sustainably thrive in the workforce without first addressing the internal barriers that impact confidence, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.
Through its proprietary M⁴PowerED framework, Spur Chicago delivers a structured pathway that supports individuals across multiple stages of life—guiding participants from self-awareness to skill development, and ultimately into leadership and economic opportunity.
By combining practical workforce training with intentional wellness practices, Spur Chicago ensures that growth is not temporary, but sustained, measurable, and transferable across personal and professional environments.
OUR MISSION & FRAMEWORK
Our mission is to guide individuals and families through the stages of becoming—mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and professionally—through a structured model that prioritizes both internal development and external opportunity.
Spur Chicago’s M⁴PowerED framework is designed as a transformational system that aligns four core pillars:
Mindfulness — developing self-awareness and emotional regulation
Movement — activating energy, discipline, and physical engagement
Mastery — building practical, creative, and workforce-ready skills
Mentorship — fostering guidance, accountability, and intergenerational leadership
These pillars are reinforced through education and real-world application, ensuring that participants not only learn, but apply and sustain their growth over time.
WHO WE SERVE
Spur Chicago serves individuals across four intergenerational stages of growth, ensuring that development is continuous and community-centered:
Seedlings — early development and self-awareness (typically K - 5)
Sprouts — identity formation and engagement (middle school years)
Branches — skill-building and workforce readiness (high school years)
Roots — leadership, mentorship, and legacy-building (young adults and beyond)
This structure allows Spur Chicago to support participants at every stage of life while reinforcing a cycle of growth where those who develop within the model return to guide others.
This stage-based approach aligns developmental readiness with programming, ensuring that each participant receives support appropriate to where they are, not just where they are expected to be.
LEGACY & LEADERSHIP
Spur Chicago is led by a dynamic, intergenerational team grounded in lived experience, creative innovation, and community-centered leadership.
Jessica “JesSoul” Carter, Co-Founder and Creative Founder of the M⁴PowerED framework, brings a bold integration of wellness, artistry, and systems-thinking, ensuring that every program is rooted in emotional intelligence and intentional growth.
Curtez “Shaman” Carter, Founder and strategic architect, leads the organization’s workforce development vision; bridging economic opportunity, media, and infrastructure to create pathways that extend beyond traditional programming.
Together, their leadership reflects the very model Spur Chicago delivers: growth that is lived, shared, and sustained across generations.
We believe development does not stop at childhood, and healing does not skip generations. Whether supporting a young person in finding their voice or an adult redefining their path, Spur Chicago meets individuals where they are and guide them towards who they are becoming.
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