ESB-MACC Teen Leadership Program

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We have hired our new class for Caminos 2024! Welcome, new Caminantes! Look at our Caminos Instagram for upcoming events where young people can join! Keep an eye out for our Breaking Barriers Conference BY TEENS and FOR TEENS in Spring 2024! 

CAMINOS is an immersive; one year long paid internship empowering Austin-area Teens to carve their own path in the creative arts.They undergo a rigorous application process and represent a diverse spectrum of schools and geographic areas of Austin, Texas. They are high-schoolers passionate about pursuing a creative career that can make a palpable difference in their communities. They are also very curious about learning more about Latin American and Indigenous cultures in the Americas and sincerely want to serve other teens by creating content and events that are relevant and enriching. In so doing, they become Ambassadors of Latinx culture in Austin while receiving precious professional development and empowerment along the way.

Caminos Current Projects:

Onion Creek Flood Mural Project

Information about Onion Creek can be described here. 

The Caminos current class is working on this mural project under the guidance of muralist Alonso Estrada.

Caminos Past Projects

"La Mujer" Mural by Caminos students, Unveiling & Presentation 
Saturday, April 29th, 2023 

In the summer of 2018, the teens from the Caminos Teen Leadership Program decided to embark upon a large scale mosaic mural arts project honoring the contributions of Latinas to our society, which was officially installed and unveiled in April 2023. J Muzacz is the artist mentor responsible for overseeing the project, and it was coordinated by Frederico Geib, former Caminos program director at the ESB-MACC. We spent the day hearing from community members, leaders, MACC staff and former Caminantes discussing the impact and legacy of the mural with heartfelt speeches. 

Bianca Olivares Reyes, former Caminante and current graphic designer at the ESB-MACC, produced a short documentary following the mural from start to finish. You can watch the full mural presentation on Facebook! 

Breaking Barriers: Youth Mental Wellness Conference
Annual Event
Next one in MArch-April 2024

ATX Caminos organized a mental wellness conference for teens in Austin. The day was filled with art making activities, screen-printed t-shirts, musical performances by Queen Deelah, ancestral healing with Jessica Zamparripa, and a painting workshop with Miguel Santana. So proud of Isabella, Nil, and the Caminos class of '23 for putting on such an amazing event and carving out a safe space for their fellow teens. 

Past Projects by Teens in the Caminos Program:

The Caminos Teens create public artworks and community workshops as some of their many projects throughout their one-year leadership program. These accomplishments are teen-led, with support from ESB-MACC staff and local teaching artists who engage the students, mentor them in the arts, and help them complete their vision. Some of our past projects have included:

Preservar y Promover Cultura Mural

In February 2020, the Caminos teens designed and painted a permanent art installation in the conference room at the ESB-MACC. The mural was designed by the teens with teaching artist Niz, who taught them a stencil making technique that was brand new for all of the teens. The mural depicts the teens' favorite memories at the ESB-MACC, including the performing artists who have inspired teens with their talent and expression of culture. Javier Jara, one of the ESB-MACC's Latino Artist Access Program participants, along with a Catrina-dressed participant from the 2019 Day of the Dead celebration, and Sonia Lopez, a dancer and teacher with the Ballet Folklorico of Austin group at the ESB-MACC, are some of the figures that the teens depicted in the mural. Over a series of working sessions, mostly on Saturdays, the teens worked with Niz to add layers of spray paint to the mural and resulted in a multi-dimensional, multi-colored, collective masterpiece to be enjoyed at the ESB-MACC for years to come. On February 29, 2020, the Caminos Teens inaugurated the mural with their friends, family, and supporters as they completed their leadership program and celebrated their graduation. We look forward to future mural projects from the 2020 Caminos class and beyond!