The ESB-MACC's Teen Leadership Program @atxcaminos is a 10 month long paid internship for teens ages 16-18 to have an opportunity to work alongside the MACC's Cultural Arts team. 

If you're passionate about pursuing a creative career, have a good work ethic and are excited about the idea of becoming an Ambassador of Latin American art and culture in Austin, Texas then Caminos is right for you! 

Caminos Class of 2026 Applications have closed. 

Didn’t have the chance to apply to be apart of Caminos? Don’t worry! We take new applications every year starting in April and our deadline being the end of May! Mark your calendar for April 2026 when applications open up! 🌸📝

🚨 ATTENTION CAMINOS ‘26 APPLICANTS 🚨

Our team has officially finished reviewing applications, so keep an eye on your inbox for an invitation to the first round of interviews! 👀📩

🗓 First Round (Virtual Interviews): July 28th, 30th & 31st, 2025

🗓 Second Round (In-Person Interviews): August 1st & 4th, 2025

📬 Final decision (estimated date): August 11th, 2025

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Eufemia Rivera at Eufemia.Rivera@austintexas.gov

How is your program structured during the school year?

The Caminos year starts Mid-Late August and runs through Early June. 

We meet onsite at the APL on most Saturdays, Noon-5PM and Wednesdays 6-7:30PM via ZOOM.

In addition, there may be independent and small group assignments. 

A typical Caminos work week ranges between 6-10 hours.

How many participants do you have each year?

We have between 10-12 teens per year. 

Do the participants get to pick their creative projects or are they decided for them?

This is a blend. In the first semester, we have 2/3rds of the projects and mentorships/teachers already pre-selected. As we get to know each teen, we have flexibility in the second semester to have the teens have a say on possible areas and projects to focus

Who all gets to decide who gets to participate in the program?

Our program coordinator does a basic scoring of the written applications received. 20-24 finalists are than selected to attend the interview panels which consist of MACC employees, Community Members, Artists and past caminantes. Those grades are then averaged and calculated to select the final 10-12.

What is the communication like with the teens who do not get selected for the program?

We communicate with all the teens who do not get in (through each of the selection levels), and encourage them to stay in touch with us and to apply next year. We keep a database of emails as well and continue to invite them to our events and initiatives throughout the year.

We make sure to have a Caminos event open to all coming up, so it gives me a reason to connect back with these teens.

How much say does the participant get in terms of day to day scheduling of the program?

Coordinator and the Mentors/Teachers get to decide most of it. Within our structures, there is plenty of room for collaboration and fine-tuning by the teens. However, we have to strike a balance between doing things that we are passionate about, AND serving the MACC community. About 75% of the day-to-day scheduling structures are pre-set.  

We have an open door philosophy and continually remind the teens to give feedback and suggestions.