Celebrating International Youth Day: Empowering Young Artists Through Career Connected Learning
Commenced by the United Nations on August 12th, 2010, International Youth Day is a call for global societies to recognize and celebrate young people in our communities as partners and agents of change.
Here at Mural Arts, we are celebrating the potential, artistry, and engagement of youth right here in Philadelphia. Our programming at Mural Arts aims to engage raw talent through art that ignites change.
In celebration of International Youth Day on August 12, Mural Arts proudly highlights the creativity, leadership, and influence of over 100 young people who took part in our Career Connected Learning Philadelphia (C2L-PHL) program this summer. This paid, six-week program engages Philadelphia youth ages 14–18 in exploring creative career paths while developing vital skills in civic engagement, workforce readiness, and collaborative art-making. Partnering with the City of Philadelphia, the School District of Philadelphia, and JEVS Human Services, this year’s program concludes with a compelling exhibition, Summer of Service, featuring a youth-designed mural series at City Hall.
For six weeks, students immersed themselves in the community mural-making process, engaging directly with public service workers whose behind-the-scenes efforts keep our city running. Through interviews and hands-on research, they created artworks that celebrate the humanity behind public service roles—amplifying the voices of these often-unsung heroes. This exhibition is not only a celebration of their stories but also a testament to the power of youth voice and vision. On this International Youth Day, we honor the next generation of artists, changemakers, and civic leaders.
To hear more about the experience from the inside, Mural Arts’ Career Connected Learning Coordinator, Martha McHaney, sat down with youth participants Kaddy Ren and Maxwell Sheppard to reflect on the summer and what it meant to them.
Kaddy Ren (18) is entering her freshman year at Duke University, where she will be studying engineering and computational media. She has been working alongside her peers to uplift Philadelphia librarians through their mural project. This is Kaddy’s first experience with Mural Arts.
Maxwell Sheppard (18) is interested in the intersection between science and art. He begins his first year at Arcadia University this month and will major in biology. Joining Mural Arts for the first time, Maxwell has been contributing to a mural that honors public health services.
Martha McHaney (MM): Tell me what drew you to Mural Arts when applying for the C2L program.
Kaddy Ren (KR): Yeah…it’s very local. I was actually surprised, like, I had never done anything with Mural Arts before, so this was a really nice way to do that, like, before I go off to college…And also like, focus on my art instead of maybe, alternatively like an office job.
Maxwell Sheppard (MS): So, I was really attracted to murals and I found [Mural Arts] online and I was really interested because I wanted to be a part of it. And I was really lucky when I got picked…I was able to create a mural.
MM: Your cohort focused on various public services for your mural. How did this experience shape your understanding of libraries/public health entities in Philadelphia and public service as a whole?
KR: It’s been really awesome. I think it’s a very important time to shed light on the services that the city offers. Yeah, and the timing was kind of perfect because of all the stuff that’s happening with the union, so that definitely shaped my perspective…Specifically, one of the things that stood out on our trips to the library was the teen center, so we highlighted that in our mural. It’s just coming together really nicely…I’ve known about the teen center’s offerings, and I think it exists at a very important intersection because there are so many places in the city where teens want to go and they’re not celebrated…But all the staff there are always super welcoming to everyone…And I think that it is just really nice for young people to feel like there is a special place for them and all the staff are very enthusiastic about that, too.
MS: It definitely widened my viewpoint on public health and what services Philadelphia has. I didn’t realize how many services we really have and opportunities you have that you can access and as long as you reach out and research. But it’s really eye-opening in a way because what we’re doing now prioritizes [a nurse]…And it’s just really cool.
MM: A significant aspect of this process has been collaborative art-making. Is there a component of the mural that you’re particularly proud of? Why?
KR: That’s a good question. I personally am very proud of the slogan because that’s a big contribution that I made: Your next adventure awaits. It’s, like, a big banner that’s flying across the library. I really like that quote because I think it expresses the open-ended possibilities that there are. And something that I really value about the library is the accessibility that it offers to so many communities.
MS: I think that a lot of my sketches that I did definitely show in the mural; [they’re] a big part of it and I’m proud of it. I made the grass. [Dillon, TA Assistant] combined all of our [contributions] together, but you can definitely see that mine was prominent. And that’s really cool. And I like the fact that I can go back and look at the mural and be like, wow, I made that.
MM: As you wrap up your time with Mural Arts this summer, what new knowledge are you going to be bringing with you as you enter college?
KR: Yeah, I definitely learned a lot through this process. This was my first time being a part of a mural-making process. But in general, I learned a lot about collaboration and bringing ideas together, especially in the initial phase… It was helpful to learn how to, like, take criticism and incorporate that into the new iterations that we created…being able to put your whole self into that project but also separate the criticism from that is important.
MS: Well, one, I think the connections, like meeting new people. I met really good people, like my instructors. I like knowing what’s going on behind the art scene in Philadelphia. I like being a part of that because [it’s] really cool. I like being a part of the arts…I have a place in the city–I have a role. And, if I continue to pursue my interest in that, I can make really cool stuff and create more things.
MM: If you could summarize this C2L experience using three words, how would you describe it?
KR: It’s very hands- on. It’s collaborative. And the last one….. It’s fun!
MS: Expressive, creative, and fun.
A public reception of Summer of Service will be held on the fifth floor of City Hall (insert link here) on Thursday, August 14, 2025, from 4:30 – 6:00 pm. The exhibition will remain on view until (Art Ed to confirm exhibition closing date with Tu).
Special thanks to our partners: The City of Philadelphia, The School District of Philadelphia, PhilaWorks, JEVs, and Creative Philadelphia.