Disney Dreamers Academy is launching a new year-round, mentoring programme in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs, shifting from its traditional high school focus to provide ongoing career exploration and hands-on experiences for middle school students across multiple U.S. cities.
Disney Dreamers Academy is widening its reach with a new partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs that will extend the long-running Walt Disney World youth programme beyond its annual gathering format. The expansion is designed to give middle school students more sustained mentorship, career exploration and hands-on experiences in both their local communities and at Walt Disney World Resort, according to Disney Experiences.
The first phase will involve 200 students from Boys & Girls Clubs in the Orlando, Miami, Atlanta and Houston areas. Disney Experiences said the students will be selected in October, with programming set to begin in January 2027. The initiative marks a shift from the academy’s traditional model of bringing together a national class of high school students for a concentrated experience.
Disney marked the launch of the expanded effort with a celebration at the Walt Disney World Clubhouse in Orlando, where 50 students from Central Florida joined community leaders and Disney employees who volunteer through the company’s VoluntEARS programme. The event included character meet-and-greets and Mickey ear personalization, offering an early taste of the sort of immersive experiences the programme has become known for. One participant, Carlota, said, “My favorite part of the night was when Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse came to celebrate with us,” adding, “I feel honored to be here. I’m very happy and excited for everything this program has to offer me.”
The Orlando gathering was the first of four launch events tied to the next chapter of the academy, with similar celebrations planned in Miami, Atlanta and Houston. Disney and local television station WFTV reported that the new format will run as a year-round, multi-year pilot, blending virtual and in-person programming with workshops, career exposure and activities led by Disney cast members and other professionals. The company says the change builds on nearly two decades of the academy’s work, which since 2008 has reached more than 1,800 students, many of whom have gone on to careers in business, education, engineering, the arts, health care and community service.
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