About the Creative Youth Collaborative
CYC is a youth-led adventure to expand arts programming for young creatives in Washington County, Oregon. The CYC is for young artists (ages 14-20)of all media and creativity at their heart – for example design, music, publishing, architecture, film and video, crafts, visual arts, fashion, TV and radio, advertising, culinary, literature, computer games and the performing arts.
The Creative Youth Collaborative is focused on the following core goals:
- Connecting youth with arts opportunities – giving young artists more chances to explore their passions and develop their talents.
- Career-related programming and assistance – providing youth with ways to explore careers in the arts, including workshops, internships, and meaningful involvement in arts organizations and activities.
- Youth engagement and mentoring around advocacy – helping young creatives impact their communities by creating public art and expanding arts access for underserved populations.
CYC is a program of Tualatin Valley Creates (TVC)- a nonprofit supporting the arts & culture in Washington County. CYC is part of an effort to engage and support young artists/creatives.
What Activities Might We Do?
Connecting youth with arts opportunities
- Creating and maintaining social media platforms to help youth keep up to date with creative / arts focused activities
- Setting up a local advisory board / youth engagement team at your school or community center
- Design our CYC logos and marketing materials – and then use those in crafting online messaging, t-shirts, backpacks, etc.
- Plan and carry out “pop-up” art, creative and cultural events
Career-related programming and assistance
- Host a speaker series at your school or community center providing youth with opportunities to learn from and network with professionals
- Create a series of “work in progress feedback sessions” where young creatives can share things they are working on and get supportive feedback from other youth and professional creatives
Youth engagement and mentoring around advocacy
- Coordinate a mentorship program linking professional creatives with youth in your local community and across Washington County
- Creating a public mural from community input and design to securing permissions and final production
Help to plan and produce annual major events, such as:
- Arts and Creative Internship / Job Fair in April or May
- Youth Arts Showcase Event in June or July
- Community Arts Advocacy Event in July or August
This is your collective, what you want to do!
Roles and Expectations:
- Active participation in annual planning (in Fall each year)
- Meet regularly with the CYC team to discuss options, explore priorities, and set programming goals for the coming year
- Gather information and input from your local community on their needs and wishes for programming
- Work collaboratively with other CYC team members in between ‘regular’ meetings to share ideas, resources and feedback
- Engage in program planning and scheduling (throughout the year)
- Help build and maintain master calendar of youth arts programming (each CYC member will focus on collecting dates and times of art programs for youth in their local community)
- Work closely with CYC team to plan TVC Youth Programs for the year (most programs will be in January – August)
- Craft proposed budgets for programming – focusing on specific costs for facilities, materials, people, and transportation
- Program promotion and participation (mostly January – August)
- Actively promote TVC programming through networking, public and school announcements, social media, and other sources
- Direct invitations to others, particularly underserved youth, to participate in programming
- Attendance and participation in day-of programming (including willingness to come early to help set up or stay late to clean up)
- Help capture events with pictures and stories
- Personal expectations for CYC members
- You will communicate with other CYC members with sincerity, positivity, and compassion
- You will follow TVC’s Marketing Policies and Procedures when acting as a TVC representative when using social mediaYou will work to ensure all members feel heard and valued, and fully respect individual differences and identities – please read TVC’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- You will serve as a positive role model and ambassador for TVC and TVC Youth Programs when talking, writing or posting about TVC, TVC Youth Programs, and the CYC.
- When you have concerns or constructive feedback, you will share it with the appropriate people in a time, place, and means that demonstrates your professionalism and commitment to others
- You will have fun while getting things done – we all have different needs and goals regarding our creative pursuits, but we should never forget the joy of creating and sharing with others
Click here to read the full Guidelines / Parameters for Creative Youth Collaborative Involvement
Join the CYC Team!
-A young creative
-Between the age of 14-20
-Living, going to school, or working in Washington County, OR
-Interested in building a community program connecting young creatives to new opportunities and other resources that support a future in the creative industries
-Able to commit 3-8 hours a month
APPLY HERE