Author: Meghan McNamara

Autumn, left, with Co-Teaching Fellow Cheyann Dear Octavia Project Community, I am writing to you as an Octavia Project alum and Teaching Fellow. This program has challenged me in ways I never expected. Entering the program as a cynical and soft-spoken tenth grader, I was prepared to keep to myself and explore the arts & … Continue reading A letter from OP alum & Teaching Fellow Autumn

Last weekend, an intimate group of alumni, volunteers, and community members gathered together for a cozy OP Community Chat. We talked with OP alumni Cheyann and Xylon about their experiences in our programs, what inspires them as creators, and what we can do to improve STEM education opportunities. You can catch the recording here. We … Continue reading Starting the new year with community!

Are you an experienced program administrator who’s passionate about working with young folks to build new worlds through STEM, art & writing? Come work with us! We're looking for a Program Manager to join our small team and lead our high school summer program. This is a year-round, part-time position, with increased hours over the … Continue reading We are hiring! 📢

2022 was a busy year at the Octavia Project! Our Summer Institute returned to in-person, we grew our Summer Camp, and we added programs to better support our alumni. Before the year ends, we want to pause, reflect, and thank all of you who make the Octavia Project possible—our participants and their families, our teachers, volunteers, and supporters. As a small … Continue reading Making Strides in 2022 💥

It's finally here! We're delighted to share with you volume three of the Octavia Project Zine, Positive Obsessions 2022. This year's zine is a compelling collection of digital artwork, poetry, paintings, games, comics, and more from our incredible Octavia Project Summer Institute Class of 2022. The pieces in this collection deal with belonging, inequity, love, … Continue reading We’re obsessed! Octavia Project Zine Vol. 3 📖

That’s a wrap on another spectacular summer! Our Summer Institute concluded this month with a vibrant celebration of art, writing, tech, and imagination, marking our first in-person Summer Showcase since 2019! Read on for highlights from the event. After a rundown of the many varied workshops and projects from this summer, Institute lead teachers Natyna Bean Osborne and … Continue reading A celebration of art, writing, tech & imagination 🎉

We can’t believe the summer’s nearly over! After four amazing weeks of exploring, creating, and learning together, we said a bittersweet goodbye to Camp. But don’t worry, the fun’s not over yet—our Summer Showcase is just two days away! In their last two weeks, campers had a book club visit from Artie and the Wolf Moon author Oliva Stephens, … Continue reading Using science to inspire art 🔬

The Octavia Project’s summer programs are going strong! See below for details, and don’t forget to follow along on Instagram for all the latest happenings.It was a very busy week for the Institute! They had their first app lab day, learning how to design and build applications through Code.org. They also took their first field trip, and traveled to the Weeksville … Continue reading Exploring NYC—past, present & future 🌆

Hello from the Octavia Project! Our Summer 2022 programs got started last week, and we can’t wait to give you a glimpse of what our participants are up to. Our Summer Camp, for girls and trans and nonbinary youth ages 10-13, is in its second year and going strong. This week, campers stretched their creativity … Continue reading Our summer programs are taking off! 🚀

At the Octavia Project, we’re all about collaboration. We teach collaboratively; we learn collaboratively; we lead collaboratively. And now, in collaboration with our community, we are making our dreams for summer 2022 a reality. Whether you contributed to our annual campaign, attended our virtual event, or spread the word about our work, we want to thank … Continue reading It takes a community