The MCN Summer Fellowship is our flagship arts education program for caregiving youth.
The MCN Summer Fellowship
Our flagship summer program provides youth caregivers with 6 weeks of multimedia arts classes rooted in self-reflection, community-building, and empowerment.
Creativity & Care
In a meta-analysis covering ~900 articles on the arts in healthcare, researchers from the World Health Organization found that the arts can offer catharsis, ease anxiety, and promote self-acceptance for caregivers and care recipients. Knowing the transformative impact of arts education on those navigating illness, we have developed a summer program that offers arts education rooted in holistic self-reflection and community-building for caregiving youth.
Our curriculum relies on trauma-informed pedagogy. The scaffolding for the program gives students the chance to delve deep into self-reflection while progressively building confidence in artistic expression. At the end of the program, the MCN Summer Fellows have the opportunity present and celebrate their work with family and friends in a student showcase. Bridging creativity and community, we aim to leverage arts education to better care for our youth caregivers.
Our Curriculum
Our arts curriculum is rooted in trauma-informed pedagogy, integrating holistic exercises and projects that offer opportunities for self-reflection, mindfulness, community-building, and artistic expression.
Self-Reflection and Artistic Expression
Photo by Gregg Richards; Manipura at Brooklyn Public Library (2022).
Immersion in Nature
Photo by Rahul Sharma; Manipura at Bard College (2018).
Mindfulness Meditation
Photo by Ally Caple; Manipura at Recess (2021).
Community-Building
Photo by Rahul Sharma; Manipura at Bard College (2018).
Equity & Inclusion
Our work is founded on the principle of empowering young people in a collaborative and inclusive classroom environment. In each of our classrooms, we strive to create a welcoming community that ensures all feel respected, valued, and celebrated. Engaging the different dimensions of diversity, ranging from race and gender to socioeconomic and immigration status, we incorporate content in our curriculum that reflects the global and complex spectrum of human experience. We rely on student-centered pedagogy that is informed by the range of student experiences in the classroom.
With each lesson, we strive to nurture confidence and authorship in our students as they gradually work on projects that require increasingly complex levels of self-reflection. In every classroom, we strive to ensure students feel supported in expressing their most authentic selves. In the work that we do, diversity, equity, and inclusion serves as the foundation of a safe and vibrant educational environment.
Material Support
We provide a stipend, meals, transportation, and professional art supplies for inclusive instruction.
Working Locally
Our program brings together caregiving youth in neighboring communities. We work locally with our students, partners, and field trips. We currently serve South Florida.
Know a youth caregiver? Interested in nominating yourself or someone else?
Read our Nominations FAQ.
Nominations FAQ
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Any caregiver 14-18 years old can be nominated!
At this time, we are only working locally with youth caregivers based in South Florida (Miami-Dade County, Broward County, Palm Beach County). -
We have a short nomination form that asks a series of questions about the caregiver you wish to nominate.
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The nomination period is from April 1 — May 15 each year.