Are you an artist between 15 and 19 years old? Do you reside in San Mateo County?
Apply to become a Youth Cultural Ambassador!
GOALS
To foster a love of arts and culture among San Mateo County youth.
To build community through arts and culture by supporting youth-led projects that engage the public and address issues important to local communities;
To develop a countywide cohort of young artists who learn from, collaborate with, and support one another through shared leadership and creative practice;
To create opportunities for youth artists to partner with libraries, schools, cultural institutions, and community organizations in the design and delivery of public arts programming;
To highlight the role of arts and culture in STEAM, civic engagement, and public discourse.
ELIGIBILITY
• Open to artists age 15 to 19
• Specializing in one or more art disciplines (ex. literary, visual arts, theater, music, digital, etc)
• Experience in community events, projects, or outreach (desired)
• Able to serve as Youth Cultural Ambassador for one year beginning July 2023
• Be a San Mateo County resident
• Up to five (5) Youth Cultural Ambassadors will be appointed, including a Youth Poetry Ambassador.
HOW TO APPLY
Visit https://tinyurl.com/smcyca-arts to complete an online application form. Deadline to submit your application is May 31, 2023. (You will be asked to attach an Artist Statement and 3-5 work samples. An Artist Statement is a description of your work, i.e., how you create art and why you do what you do.)
TIMELINE
• Application opens May 1, 2023
• Panel review in early June
• Appointment of Youth Cultural Ambassadors in June for a term to start July 1, 2023 and end June 30, 2024.
• One of the Youth Cultural Ambassadors will assume the role of San Mateo County Youth Poetry Ambassador.
• Each Ambassador will receive an honorarium of $500.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF YOUTH CULTURAL AMBASSADORS
Develop and execute a community-engaged arts and culture project that addresses one or more of the following themes: identity and belonging; mental health and healing; environment and sustainability; education and learning. Projects should engage members of the public and are encouraged to be developed in collaboration with libraries, schools, community organizations, cultural institutions, or other local partners.
Attend meetings and support fellow Ambassadors in the planning and implementation of their projects.
Collaborate with community-based organizations to create accessible, public-facing arts and culture programs that engage residents in exploring and addressing issues affecting youth and the broader community.
Participate in organizing the Youth Arts Ambassadors Convening for middle and high school students, with the goal of providing meaningful arts and cultural experiences to youth who may not currently have access to arts programming.
The San Mateo County Youth Arts Ambassador Program recognizes outstanding young artists and cultural leaders who use the arts to strengthen communities. Through a year-long cohort experience, Ambassadors collaborate with one another, partner with local organizations, and develop public-facing arts and culture projects that engage residents around issues affecting youth and the broader community. This pilot program will be directed by San Mateo County Poet Laureate Emerita Aileen Cassinetto in its inaugural year. For more information, please email artsandculture@smcgov.org.
Aileen Cassinetto 