MOCA Youth Council
Creative Youth
Creative Youth is a space for young creatives to explore and interact with the Museum behind the scenes.
Applications for MOCA’s Creative Youth’s Fall Session open July 12th and close on August 18.
Learn more about opportunities and workshops for youth by following us on Instagram or signing up for the MOCA newsletter.
What is Creative Youth?
Creative Youth is a three-month long series of workshops and creative sessions for youth (ages 15–18) to transform their emerging community arts passion into practice. Participants will learn about programme production, community arts building facilitation, curation, and artistic professional development skills while meeting with artists and arts practitioners at the Museum, participating in events, and also engaging in their own creative media arts work. There are two sessions of Creative Youth per year, one in the spring and one in the fall.
Towards the end of the series, members will co-produce a programme of their own design, which can range from workshops to exhibitions to performances.
In developing their programme, members of Creative Youth will have the opportunity to respond to MOCA’s exhibitions and to broader social issues. Members are also given the opportunity to meet exhibiting artists and MOCA partners in order to explore the inner workings of arts institutions, with the aim of empowering young artists to step into the role of arts leaders within their own communities.
Creative Youth is proud to be the only youth council and/or youth-centered programme which reimburses its council members for their time and effort by providing its participants with an honorarium based on the hourly minimum wage.
Session Timeline
Fall sessions run from September 10–December 10, 2024.
Creative Youth sessions are held weekly on Tuesday evenings from 5:00-6:30 pm at the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto located at 158 Sterling Road.
This programme will be offered twice a year in the spring and fall, coinciding with school semesters. Youth must apply for each semester separately.
FAQ
- Get experience in a real arts environment
- Begin to establish your professional artist networks
- Build your résumé, portfolio, or school applications, including reference letter support
All youth between the ages of 15–18 are welcome and encouraged to apply to MOCA’s Creative Youth. No experience is necessary — simply come with an enthusiasm and interest in the arts.
- Learn in creative and art-based ways
- Support from MOCA staff and partners in your learning
- Develop a network of youth artists and youth arts leaders
- Become an effective leader, learning about community-engaged work in the Museum, both in practice and in theory
- Plan and implement a community programme that will serve your creative interests at MOCA
There will be 14 sessions in total running on a weekly basis from September–December 2024, as well as the opportunity to produce a collaborative programme of your creation. Full attendance is required for all participants.
We do recognize that capacity can vary, that life gets busy, and that attending all sessions may not be possible. Participants must communicate absences in advance where possible. Prior commitments and expected absences must be communicated 48-hours in advance. Absences that have not been communicated to Creative Youth staff leaders will result in a decrease of honorarium.
15 youths will be selected to participate in each Creative Youth cohort.
Yes, an honorarium of up to $300 is available for participating youth (depending on attendance, participation, and programme completion).
We recommend you check travel times and plan your commute before applying to ensure that you can make it to MOCA by 5pm each Tuesday.
Even if you missed the deadline of August 18th, additional opportunities are available throughout the year for emerging youth artists and youth with a keen interest in contemporary art. Creative Youth happens twice a year coinciding with school semesters. Visit our Instagram or sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with upcoming opportunities.
Creative Youth encourages applications from young arts enthusiasts of all skill levels and identities, including but not limited to: 2S, queer, trans, and questioning youth; Black, Indigenous, and youth of colour; youth who live with disabilities; youth who live with mental illness, physical illness, neurodivergence, and those with other accessibility needs. Please find more information regarding accessibility at MOCA here.
We are looking for a diverse group of youth across ages, disciplines, interests, and communities. We are also looking for youth who have a keen interest in the contemporary arts, and if that interest has been demonstrated before through previous leadership experience, all the better!
That being said, previous experience in art creation, arts administration, or creative community building is not required.
Creative Youth is designed for enthusiastic students aged 15-18 who can commit to weekly meetings, participate in sessions and collaborate with their peers to create a successful programme.