Building Creative Inclusive Learning Spaces

A Train-the-Trainer Initiative

Through Inclusive Healthy Communities funding, Appel Farm is launching a two-year initiative, Building Creative Inclusive Learning Spaces: A Train-the-Trainer Initiative. The work will be co-created with an Advisory Council of youth, educators, and community members with diverse lived experiences, ensuring that the voices of those most impacted guide every stage of the process. Together, this community of practice will shape the development of a digital Resource Bank offering practical tools, shared language, training, and ongoing support for arts educators. In the second year, the initiative will pilot the Train-the-Trainer model in partnership with schools and community organizations to test and refine inclusive practices in real learning environments.

By centering lived experience and equipping leaders across New Jersey with the knowledge and resources to remove barriers to arts participation, this initiative aims to ensure that more people with disabilities can access and shape the creative, healing power of the arts.

For more than 60 years, Appel Farm Arts & Music Center has been a leader in arts education and creative youth development in South Jersey. Each year, more than 32,000 children and adults participate in arts-based programs designed to foster creativity, connection, and belonging. At the heart of our work is a commitment to safe and brave spaces where people of all identities can express themselves and thrive. From our flagship overnight Arts Camp, the state’s only residential summer camp dedicated to arts education, to school residencies, afterschool programs, community festivals, professional learning, and arts-based wellness partnerships, Appel Farm champions inclusive practices that honor the whole person and celebrate the intersections of art, identity, and community.

This two-year initiative is possible through funding from the NJ Division of Disability Services.

Meet the Project Team Members

“I am a serial thrift shopper and need to be stopped. ”
Maera Barker
Coordinator for Creative Inclusive Learning
(she/her)

Advisory Council Member Info Coming Soon