Let's put Detroit youth back to work, beautifully

Mint supports young people with summer jobs that  help develop and grow essential skills while creating a wide variety of community art projects and pieces.

In its fifth year, our Summer Creative Jobs program will hire 13 young people from Detroit to paint artistic pictures on canvas, create mosaics and make other art projects. That's up 30 percent from our 2019 Summer team. Their big project is creating original paintings that Mint donates to local nonprofit organizations in our annual Paint Detroit with Generosity initiative.  So your donation  helps us honor 25 local nonprofits' missions and work.  This year we will partner with non-profits that focus on children and youth.

Our young artists also run a free arts and crafts activity in Palmer Park, which will be open to all for eight weeks.  This year, we intend to create a new public art piece- a butterfly mosaic, to go with those created previoiusly.  We also may create a caterpillar.

Our  summer workers learn artistic skills from teaching artists. They also become better communicators and more productive workers and learn from some of Detroit's best, most altruistic visual artists, who visit, teach and encourage them.  "Best summer job ever," said Seyi Akintoroye, who worked with Mint last summer and hopes to return in 2020.

After summer is over, Mint arranges an exhibit of the Paint Detroit with Generosity paintings and invites the public and our artists to revel in their work being on display for a month.  And your donation supports all this goodness and creativity, Generosity and growth.

• We will interview candidates and hire 13 young artists - summer workers by about May 15. DONE!
• Then we buy required art supplies, materials and equipment, thanks to your gifts and donations. 
• Mint will sign up 25 nonprofits for our Paint Detroit with Generosity initiative by June 7.
• Also in June, we will outline the week by week plans for the Summer Creative Jobs program. 
• If allowed, we will start free arts and crafts in Palmer Park in mid-June.
• We will prepare our studio, welcome activities and stock up on snacks.
• The summer jobs start in July, based on the Grow Detroit's Young Talent schedule.
• Join us July 29 at our Summer Open House. And watch our progress all summer on our Instagram and our blog.

This year, with the economic slowdown, summer jobs are more valuable and more scarce than ever.  Teens face increased competition from adults for many starter jobs. Mint's program is open only to Detroit youth ages 14 to 21, so this gives them an opportunity to shine. Hiring 13 youth and developing their skills and confidence requires big commitments. And the payoff is magical.

We believe this is a win-win-win - a win for the youth who work for Mint and who boost their creativity, confidence and bank accounts. A win for the nonprofits who receive paintings through our Paint Detroit with Generosity initiative. And a win for the community, which will receive another public mosaic and free arts and crafts weekly in Palmer Park.  So please back a winner and donate generously today.