McDonough Young Stars
youth creating media for families and communities
The McDonough Homes is a low-income housing complex nestled in the North End neighborhood of Saint Paul. It is hidden from main thruways and yet when you walk into the heart of the community, you see gardens, a school, rec center, and an abundance of homes (580 units). There is a rich diversity of generations, nationalities, and stories of how everyone came to live there. In Progress has been working with the McDonough Homes since 2018.
In 2019 we launched McDonough - the pilot that we now call Young Stars. The project had a powerful impact on the youth involved, their families and the local community. We are now taking the next steps of deepening arts programming in a meaningful way that originates from within, and is led by the youth that live there.
Activities include training in digital arts creation for youth living in the housing community;
Individualized mentorship with youth that result in a series of videos and photographs about the residents of McDonough;
A series of exhibits and screenings that take place both within the walls of McDonough and throughout Saint Paul.
Each year, the artwork generated through McDonough reaches an audience of 3,000 or more.
ART WORK & STORIES
Click below to see the videos and photographic works created by youth and families living in the McDonough Homes.