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Today at Apple Youth Program sparks the creative energy of New York City artists

This spring, New York City youth from Brooklyn to The Bronx came together online to build creative projects, learn new skills from leading artists, and discover a passion for creative storytelling. Through opportunities made possible by Today at Apple, 39 young artists were given the tools and ideas they need to impact their communities.

The Today at Apple Youth Program was a 14-week journey of creativity and learning presented by Brooklyn’s Youth Design Center, Lower Eastside Girls Club, Ghetto Film School, and Apple. Youth participating in the program submitted applications to join last winter and began learning in March.

On June 10, a panel of guest artists and collaborators powering the program joined some of the youth artists on Webex for a Virtual Portfolio Showcase that celebrated the creative portfolios developed over the past 14 weeks. Participants shared their most meaningful projects and explained how the Youth Program gave them new ways to think about themselves and society.

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The showcase began with an inspiring message from Apple Music’s Ebro Darden and a recap of the program by Apple’s Vanessa Guzman. Joining the showcase for Q&A with the young artists were collaborators Eda Levenson and Geneva White from Scope Of Work, a New York City talent development agency working to build a more inclusive creative ecosystem. The Today at Apple Youth Program is part of Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.

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Portfolio projects were presented in a series of multi-week tracks hosted by teaching artists and mentors: Owning Your Narrative, Community Mixtape, Neighborhood Stories, Envisioning Freedom, and Illustrating New Futures. Each track honed a specific creative discipline, like filmmaking or photography. Apple provided the youth with tools like iPhones, microphones, and editing software.

On June 11, New York City illustrator and design director Kervin Brisseaux and MTV’s Rich Tu wrapped up the Today at Apple Youth Program with a Virtual Studio session open to the public on Webex. Kervin and Rich discussed creativity’s role in the design industry before jumping into Adobe Fresco on iPad for an illustration demo.

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The Youth Program is one of several initiatives Today at Apple has offered since the start of the pandemic to connect and inspire creatives during a time of isolation and uncertainty. You can discover the latest Today at Apple sessions at apple.com/today, and learn more about the Youth Design Center on their website.

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Avatar for Michael Steeber Michael Steeber

Michael is a Creative Editor who covered Apple Retail and design on 9to5Mac. His stories highlighted the work of talented artists, designers, and customers through a unique lens of architecture, creativity, and community.

Contact Michael on Twitter to share Apple Retail, design, and history stories: @MichaelSteeber