Our Campers are urban planners in the making! With Chief Climate Officer of New York City Louise Yeung, they created heat maps of their neighborhoods. They also designed City Charters, mapping out visions for housing, transportation, and recreational spaces in NYC!

Have you RSVPed for our Summer Showcase at CARA on 8/13? https://f.mtr.cool/fpfefsbtaq If you’re 21+, we hope you’ll also join us at the Summer Showcase After Party at Henrietta Hudson at 438 Hudson Street from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Come have pizza—on us!—and enter to win book bundles in our raffle!

We 💜 field trips! At the Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan, our Campers explored the immersive & imaginative worlds of the Haas Brothers. Their Uncanny Valley exhibition uses ceramics, sculpture, painting, and digital work to bring fantastical realms to life.

Expert guest teachers led our writing workshops last week, including poet & playwright Nadira Simone & authors Rob Cameron (@brklyndragon.bsky.social) & Lisa Burdige (@lisaburdige.bsky.social) of @bsfwriters.bsky.social! See our students' work at our Summer Showcase: https://f.mtr.cool/gnhapqkspf

Our Camp participants explored NYC's water story with a trip to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility in Greenpoint last week. Through hands-on activities and exhibits, they learned about the city’s drinking water supply & wastewater treatment process, green infrastructure, & more!

✨ Announcing our Institute Book Club pick! ✨ This summer, our Institute participants will read and discuss Margaret Killjoy’s (@margaret.bsky.social) fantasy novel The Sapling Cage. Thank you to The Center for Fiction for helping us obtain copies for all of our students!

As Teaching Fellows, Institute alumni step into a new role––teaching, mentoring, and inspiring Camp participants. In addition to supporting our Lead Teachers, they design & deliver workshops, like the sessions on bookmaking and folklore our current Fellows led this past week!

We're keeping the summer bright and cool at the OP! ☀️😎 During the first week of Camp, participants built their own battery-powered circuits with lights and fans. Check out how they also used their new engineering skills to illuminate their artistic creations! 💡💡💡

Now that Camp is in session, it’s time to save the date for our Summer Showcase!  For the 4th year in a row, the Center for Art, Research, and Alliances is generously hosting our showcase at 225 West 13th Street. Join us at 5:30 PM on 8/13 if you’re local, or follow us for live updates!

Every summer, our Camp participants read one book together. This year’s Book Club pick is Anzu and the Realm of Darkness, written & illustrated by Mai K. Nguyen (@ohmaipie.bsky.social)!   Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers (@vikingbooks.bsky.social) for providing copies to all our Campers!

Our free, monthlong Summer Camp for middle schoolers kicks off NEXT WEEK! Through our unique STEM and arts-based curriculum, students will explore urban planning, architecture, coding, science, storytelling, and so much more. Watch this space for updates from Camp!

How are you getting ready for summer 🌞🌊 Our Summer Camp Lead Teacher and Teaching Fellows have been testing their lessons and getting ready to welcome a new Camp cohort in July!

🚨There's still time to apply to our high school Summer Institute🚨 Are a young person interested in:    💻 exploring STEM through hands on workshops    🎨 growing your art and writing skills    ✨ being part of a welcoming and affirming community    🎉 having fun Then the Octavia Project is for you!

Sometimes you just need to take a break in the shade 🌞🌳 Throughout the summer, Institute participants spend time on @pratt.edu's lawn reading their Book Club books, engaging in movement activities, and enjoying the warm outdoors.

Summer is just around the corner, and so is the start of our middle school Summer Camp 🌞👾 We're getting ready for another enriching summer of fun, learning, and community. Join other young storytellers this July! Apply today! https://www.octaviaproject.org/join-the-octavia-project-summer-camp/

🎉 More exciting grant news to share 🎉 We've received grant funding from Brooklyn Org to support our growing programs for young women and trans and nonbinary youth This multi-year award will allow us to expand our programs in a sustainable and responsive to the growing needs of our communities.

🎉 We're a Brooklyn Arts Council LAS grantee 🎉 The Octavia Project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the New York State Legislature and administered by Brooklyn Arts Council.

Are you a first-time coder? 💻👾 Many participants join our programs without having done any computer programing in or out of school. Whether they are new or experienced programmers, our coding curriculum centers creative expression to develop programming skills and confidence among young people!

Want to make art, create stories, and learn coding in a fun community? We’re accepting applications for our high school Summer Institute and middle school Summer Camp! Apply now: https://www.octaviaproject.org/join/ Summer Institute Rolling Deadline: May 15 Summer Camp Rolling Deadline: June 1

Last week, we launched out first Spring Studio Lab at @brooklynmuseum.org 🎉 Over five days, middle school aged young women and trans and nonbinary youth engaged in hands-on workshops combining art and science, speculative fiction and personal connection, building community and confidence in STEM.

🎉Thank you for answering the call and amplifying voices of the future✨ Together, our community raised a total of $66,191! Through your donations and support, you have shown your commitment to the young creators who are building the future every day. Thank you for your continued support!

We only have one more day to raise $50K for our free programs—and it’s our biggest match day ever! For the next 24 hours, two generous donors, Jeffrey C. and Tyler H., will match every dollar raised up to $6K.  Donate now! https://f.mtr.cool/zpzccvjkqm

🪻Flowers are coming into bloom, and so is our new Spring Studio Lab🌷 Our free middle school spring break program, hosted by @brooklynmuseum.org, will investigate the science of photography, the history of green spaces in New York, and storytelling through artworks and speculative fiction.

⏰ One week left to go! ⏰ We need to raise $50,000 for our free programs for NYC youth by 3/31, but we’re in danger of falling short. Can you make a gift now to help us get there? Every dollar gets us closer to our goal. Donate here! https://f.mtr.cool/ssnbiiskzm

Applications for our middle school Summer Camp are now open 💻✍️🖼️ Calling 6-8th graders who are looking to explore STEM, art and writing through 🌟fun🌟 hands on workshops. Join us our community this summer! Apply today! https://www.octaviaproject.org/join-the-octavia-project-summer-camp/

At the Octavia Project, we’re committed to serving NYC youth from middle school through high school and into adulthood. Help us raise $50K by 3/31 to bring new opportunities and spaces to young adult women and trans and nonbinary youth in NYC! https://www.octaviaproject.org/support/

🚨Our priority deadline for our high school Summer Institute is approaching🚨 The Octavia Project Summer Institute is a ✨free summer enrichment program✨ for young women and trans and nonbinary youth ages 14-19. Learn more: https://www.octaviaproject.org/join-the-octavia-project-summer-institute/

For over a decade, teens in our five-week Summer Institute have asked how we can build more just and joyous futures through workshops & field trips in STEAM and creative writing. Help us raise $50K by 3/31 for our free programs for Brooklyn youth! Donate now: https://www.octaviaproject.org/support/

‼️ It’s time to double your impact! For the next 24 hours, a generous Octavia Project donor, Robert B., will match every dollar raised—up to $5,000!—for our annual campaign.  Your gift goes twice as far today. Can you donate now to help us reach $50K by 3/31? https://www.octaviaproject.org/support/

🚨Apply to our Spring Studio Lab today!🚨 The Spring Studio Lab (April 6 – 10) is a ✨free spring break program✨ based in Brooklyn for young women and trans and nonbinary youth in grades 6-8.  Learn more and apply today: https://www.octaviaproject.org/join-the-octavia-project-spring-studio-lab/