Disney Dreamers Academy Launches a New Chapter with 50 Middle Schoolers in Orlando
On October 1, Disney Dreamers Academy came to the Dreamers. At the Boys & Girls Clubs Walt Disney World Clubhouse in Orlando, 50 students were welcomed with a purple carpet, Disney characters and community supporters there to cheer them on. The celebration offered a first look at the program’s new approach: meeting kids where they are and making Disney part of their lives throughout the year.
Since 2008, Disney Dreamers Academy has brought 100 high school students from across the country to Walt Disney World each year for mentorship, career exploration, inspiration, community, and fun, reaching more than 1,800 students. I was there again this past spring for the Class of 2026, and you can see what that experience was like in an episode of Laughing Place On Location.
For the program’s 20th year, Disney is making a major change: bringing the experience into students’ own communities and reaching a younger group of Dreamers: middle schoolers. On September 29, Walt Disney World announced a year-round, multi-year program developed in collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs. The first year will include students in Orlando, Miami, Atlanta and Houston, beginning with the October 1 kickoff in Orlando.
Before the Dreamers arrived, community leaders and Boys & Girls Clubs supporters gathered to help welcome them. Jamie Merrill, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, explained why their presence mattered. “It is unbelievably important for our kids to know that their community and their leaders stand beside them and behind them,” she said. Those guests were then invited to the purple carpet to cheer on the students as their Disney Dreamers Academy experience began.
Donald, Tiana and Mirabel were among those who joined the celebration, which also included droid races and an activity called “Match the Feces to the Species!” For Carlota, one of the new Dreamers, meeting Mickey and Minnie was a highlight. “My favorite part of the night was when Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse came to celebrate with us,” she said. “They came out, we took pictures. It was super fun and exciting.”
I had the opportunity to talk to Tajiana Ancora-Brown, Director of External Affairs at Walt Disney World Resort. I asked her whether Disney would be visiting students in each of the participating communities. “Just like we’re here today, that’s right,” she said. “And we’re in a clubhouse. This is their community. We’re meeting the students where they’re at.” Those connections will continue throughout the year through in-person experiences, virtual activities and mentorship with Disney cast members.
Meeting students where they’re at was a repeated theme. Julius, one of the new Dreamers, explained what keeps him coming back to the clubhouse. “To be a part of the Boys & Girls Club, it's like, I have a lot of friends since I was in fifth grade, and, like, it just takes me away from all that stress from school,” he said.
The younger age group is another important part of the change. “Middle schoolers are in the prime opportunity to figure out how to dream an impossible dream that they haven't even imagined yet,” Merrill said. Ancora-Brown explained that the Boys & Girls Clubs help identify students who could benefit from the opportunity. “So these may be the students who haven't quite figured it all out yet. These are the students who maybe are looking for more connection and community.”
Career exploration will continue to be a big part of that experience. “At Walt Disney World Resort, we have thousands of job classifications. That's an opportunity in and of itself,” Ancora-Brown said. She pointed to careers in entertainment, legal, finance and engineering, then shared an example of how those connections can come home: a cast member from Atlanta who will help welcome Dreamers in his hometown. “I'm so excited that that cast member's coming with us - going back to Atlanta, Georgia, his hometown, and showing those students what his career is at Disney.”
But don’t worry, Dreamers will still get to visit Walt Disney World. “These students will all have the opportunity to come and visit us at Walt Disney World Resort, and our goal is to give them a very magical vacation,” Ancora-Brown said.
Programming begins in January 2027, with 200 Dreamers taking part across the four cities. It promises to be an exciting year full of change. But whatever new possibilities the year brings, Julius already has one future career in mind. “Listen, one day, I'm gonna work for Disney, and I'm gonna be a Disney voice actor. Believe it.”