Dream Out Loud Center, Inc.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 20th, 6pm - 8pm for our Summer Student Showcase at our creative space at The Kilburn Mill! This event will feature youth-created performances of original music, artwork, videos and publications from our Creative Careers Summer Program, along with a special premier showing of Dream Out Loud's 25th Anniversary Video! Please join us in celebrating!!

Dream Out Loud has been filled with artistic productivity in our Summer Creative Careers Program at The Kilburn Mill!

We welcomed 30 students this semester, who have been working diligently on their original songwriting, digital music production, creative writing, digital art and design projects in preparation for their showcase project presentations. We can't wait to see their final pieces!

A special thanks to our major funders: The After School and Out-of-School time (ASOST) grant in partnership with the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (MAP), the US Dept of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) from the City of New Bedford, SouthCoast Community Foundation and Women's Fund SouthCoast for supporting our youth!

Check out this amazing opportunity from Fall River Museum of Contemporary Art!

Are you a Fall River or New Bedford high school student interested in contemporary art, making work, and the social questions shaping the present?

FR MoCA’s Summer Teen Residency runs July 6–23, Monday–Thursday, 10am–3pm, at 44 Troy St., Fall River. Participants will develop their own work, work with practicing artists and educators, overthrow! to the current exhibition Citadel, participate in critiques, and exhibit in a final showcase.

Apply now by emailing [email protected]

The open house sign up session for our FREE Summer Creative Careers Program is this Thursday, July 2nd anytime from 3pm - 7pm at Dream Out Loud. We are located at the The Kilburn Mill, 127 West Rodney French Blvd in New Bedford, Suite 2-64.

Please SHARE with any youth who may be interested!

Our Girls Rule Creative Careers Program instructor Lexie Cousineau had the pleasure of attending the Women’s Fund SouthCoast’s Young Women’s Initiative (YWI) Celebration & Policy Forum at UMass Dartmouth! We were incredibly grateful to have been selected by the Young Women’s Advisory Council (YWAC) last year for one of their youth-directed grants.

In Lexie’s words, “The Women’s Fund’s Young Women’s Initiative Celebration and Policy forum was a display of powerful leadership potential in the local New Bedford community. These young women are incredibly passionate towards their causes and genuinely care for their community’s human rights. Programs like this bring me peace of mind for our future as these kind and inspiring women will be our future leaders. But more importantly, these future leaders will be able to hear us and carry this nature of being so personal. I was fortunate to meet one of the previous graduates from the first cohort, Duyen Le, who was in great support of funding our Dream Out Loud Girls Rule program last year. We are so blessed to make these kinds of connections, and we wish these girls’ futures to be bright and inspiring in whatever they pursue!”

Special thanks to Women’s Fund SouthCoast, Representative Chris Hendricks, Representative Tony Cabral and Senator Mark Montigny for supporting the young women in our New Bedford community!

Dream Out Loud is proud to be part of these amazing organizations receiving support from SouthCoast Community Foundation’s 2026 Spring Grant Cycle for our Creative Careers Youth and Apprenticeship Program! Congratulations to all the grantees!!

2026 Spring Grant Cycle Grantees - SouthCoast Community Foundation 2026 Spring Grant Cycle Grantees|Published on: Jun 15, 2026||This year marked the launch of SCCF’s new two-cycle grantmaking model, featuring coordinated Spring and Fall grant opportunities designed to create a more predictable, transparent, and accessible process for nonprofit organizations. The ...

Our Dream Out Loud Center instructors Lexie Cousineau, Xavier Fernandez and Aim Benson were excited to attend this year's MASSCreative Creative Sector Summit at the Zeiterion! By participating in workshops and panels such as Community Connections, The Creative Sector in the Economy and Making Space for Art, they were able to interact with fellow creatives for a day of peer learning, skills-sharing and community building.

In Lexie’s words about the experience, “The MASSCreative Sector Summit reminded local and aspiring artists that making a change in your community isn’t as impossible as one may originally assume. Meeting so many local and regional people with the same connection to the arts was refreshing and affirming that creative careers are such a strong presence in Massachusetts. The summit panelists offered an astounding amount of resources and networking opportunities for individuals across the state to flourish in their creative endeavors, big and small. I’m so glad that even in tough times, artists find a way to help each other grow. I hope that this giving community will continue to provide these same opportunities for our Dream Out Loud students in their future creative pursuits.” Special thanks to Women’s Fund SouthCoast for sponsoring Lexie’s ticket to attend!

Xavier reflected, “I learned a lot about the issues that creatives face in this state, such as displacement, how we can help to stop it, and resources we can use to help. Another important thing I learned is the impact art has everywhere, and how much untapped opportunities there are for artists because they aren't looking in some places.”

Thank you MASSCreative for a wonderful day! Dream Out Loud is proud of our 25 years helping to inspire and actualize the creative dreams of New Bedford youth, and we are excited to continue this important work with all of these remarkable people and organizations.

Looking for an awesome, FREE creative outlet for your kids this summer?

Dream Out Loud Center, Inc. in New Bedford is opening applications for their Creative Careers Summer 2026 Program!

This is a completely FREE 7-week program designed for youth in grades 5 through 12.

From July 7th to August 20th, students can dive into hands-on creative industries right here in the studio. Space is limited, so you will want to act fast!

Key Dates & Deadlines
Informational Open House & Sign-Up Day: Thursday, July 2nd from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Application Deadline: Thursday, July 2nd by 7:00 PM

🎼 Classes Offered (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Options)
Songwriting: Work with instructors in a real recording studio to write lyrics, compose music, and record an original track (Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, or Rock!).

Music & Digital Production: Learn the basics of beat-making and instrumental creation using pianos, drum pads, and studio gear.

Digital Art & Graphic Design: Level up drawing skills for comics, manga, or anime-style fan art using drawing tablets and Adobe Photoshop.

Creative Writing (Wednesdays only): Explore poetry, descriptive writing, drama, and fiction to craft original stories.

Class times run from either 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM or 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM depending on the subject.

Where: Dream Out Loud Center | 127 W Rodney French Blvd, Suite 2-64, New Bedford, MA
How: To lock in a spot, grab the application from the flyer, fill it out, and email it to [email protected].

Have questions? Drop by the Open House on July 2nd or email the team directly at [email protected] to give your teen an unforgettable, creative summer!

We are currently recruiting for our FREE Summer Creative Careers Program for middle and high school youth who are interested in songwriting, digital music production, creative writing, digital art and graphic design.

Classes start on July 7, 2026 and will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:00pm - 6:00pm, and 6:00pm - 8:00pm through August 20th.

The application deadline is Thursday, July 2nd by 7pm.

You can mail completed applications to Dream Out Loud, 127 West Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford MA 02744 or email to [email protected] (preferred).

We are also having an open house sign up session on Thursday, July 2nd anytime from 3pm - 7pm. Dream Out Loud is located at the Kilburn Mill, 127 West Rodney French Blvd in New Bedford, Suite 2-64.

Please SHARE with any youth who may be interested!

A HUGE thank you to TFed - Taunton Federal Credit Union for their generous $500 donation to Dream Out Loud Center! This contribution was made possible by TFed’s Dress Down Program, an initiative driven entirely by their staff, who nominate and vote on local organizations to support each month. We are so appreciative to be selected as a recipient, and we know this donation will certainly brighten the hearts of our artistic New Bedford area youth!