Calls to Action
In partnership with InnerView, these Calls to Action form a powerful and ongoing series of creative challenges. Each challenge focuses on a different issue, empowering young people to use the arts for self-expression, empathy, and positive impact. These simple yet meaningful initiatives invite students to reflect deeply on their inner and outer worlds and respond through diverse media like photography, poetry, visual arts, and film.
Your Welcoming Photos, Your Welcoming Story
Who made you feel like you belonged this week?
Maybe someone saved you a seat, or held a door, or learned to say your name right. Belonging rarely announces itself. It shows up in small moments that are easy to walk past and hard to photograph, which is exactly why we are asking you to try.
Creative Changemakers, powered by Creative Visions, equips young people to use creativity to make positive changes in their communities. We have teamed up with Welcoming America, which helps communities across the country become places where everyone belongs. Every September, they lead Welcoming Week, a worldwide celebration where neighbors gather to meet and share their stories. This year, it runs from September 10 to 19, and the theme is Stories We Share: The Courage to Connect.
So we are asking a question only you can answer: what does welcoming look like where you live? Not in a stock photo. On your block, at your lunch table, in your family’s kitchen. Pick up the phone in your pocket and show us. Your photos could be featured in a gallery during Welcoming Week.
To learn more about Welcoming Week, click here.
Free. Open to youth ages 13 to 18. No prior photography experience needed.
Past Calls to Action
Your Verse, Your Voice
Poetry that Sparks Action
Read moreHey poets of today and tomorrow — this is your time to be heard.
Your voice matters, and the world is ready to listen.
Through your creativity, you have the power to tell stories that others need to hear — stories that can open minds, lift spirits, and spark real change.Your poetry can raise awareness, bring communities together, and light the way toward something better.
So for this month’s Call to Action, step up, speak out, and let your words leave a mark that lasts far beyond the page.
Mental Health Poetry Project
Read moreParticipants will use spoken or written word poetry to explore and express their experiences with mental health and well-being. Through reflection, creative writing, and performance or presentation, they will craft meaningful narratives that highlight emotions, coping strategies, sources of strength, and aspirations.
This activity encourages self-expression and connection through the power of words.
Snap Your Feelings
Read moreYour camera is your voice. Take three photos that tell the story of your mental health. Show how you feel, what keeps you going, and what you hope for your future.