The Octavia Project uses the creative power of speculative fiction and community to envision new futures and greater possibilities for our world. We foster spaces of imagination and exploration for Brooklyn teens, blending creative writing, art, science, and technology to encourage critical thinking, build confidence, and develop skills in a myriad of subjects. We owe our name and inspiration to the award-winning, pioneering science fiction author Octavia Butler. Our free summer programs bring young people together with women professionals and mentors to build new worlds. We do this by centering creative expression, community, and the experiences of young folks of color and LGBTQ youth. We use speculative fiction and interdisciplinary workshops to spark interest in and break down barriers to STEM. Our Fellowship Track offers leadership development and paid teaching positions to our alumni in high school and college. Run annually since 2015, our Summer Institute for high schoolers and our Summer Camp for middle schoolers, started in 2021, provide young women, trans, gender non-conforming, and nonbinary youth from middle school to college with the support and tools they need to build their dreams and effect change in their communities.

Photo by Octavia Project, 2019.