Earn & Learn:
Real-World Experience Through the Arts
PRAA’s Earn & Learn program provides teens and young adults withpaid, hands-on experience in the creative economy. Participants don’t justlearn about the arts—they actively contribute to it. Through real projects,live events, and mentorship from professional artists and staff, youth build confidence, responsibility, and career-ready skills grounded in culture and community.
What Participants Do
Live Event Production
Supporting concerts, festivals, and community events through stage setup, sound, and logistics
Music & Audio Production
Learning the fundamentals of sound engineering, recording, and live mixing
Arts Administration & Leadership
Gaining experience in program coordination, outreach, and community engagement
Interested in applying?
Send an email to Josel@praachicago.org
Our Paid Internship Opportunities
PRAA’s Internship Program provides college students and emerging professionals with hands-on, career-building experiences across the creative and nonprofit sectors. Interns work alongside experienced staff and artists, contributing to real projects that support arts education, cultural programming, and community impact across Chicago.
Overview statement
Marketing Internships
Support the storytelling and visibility of PRAA’s programs and events. Interns assist with social media content, digital marketing campaigns, photography, video, and community outreach efforts—helping elevate Puerto Rican arts and culture across platforms.
Interested in applying?
Send an email to Adrian@praachicago.org
Exhibitions and Collections Internships
Work behind the scenes in our galleries and cultural spaces. Interns gain experience in exhibition planning, art installation, collections management,and curatorial research, contributing to museum-quality exhibitions that highlight Puerto Rican and Caribbean artists.
Accounting Internships
Develop practical skills in nonprofit finance and operations. Interns support budgeting, financial tracking, reporting, and administrative processes, gaining exposure to the financial systems that sustain arts organizations.
Paid Music and Arts Residencies
Music Teacher Residency in collaboration with the Inter-American University in Puerto Rico
Residents become an integral part of PRAA’s creative ecosystem, contributing to a vibrant cultural hub while advancing their own artistic journey.
Interested in applying?
Send an email to Zabdiel@praachicago.org
Teen Apprenticeship Program: StudioArts & Latin Music
PRAA’s Teen Apprenticeship Program offers Chicago youth the opportunity to deepen their artistic skills while gaining real-world experience in the arts. In partnership with Chicago Public Schools and After School Matters, this program provides paid, high-quality arts training in both Studio Arts and Latin Music, grounded in cultural identity and creative expression.
Hands-On Learning in Music & Visual Arts
Latin Music Apprenticeship
Students build musical skills through ensemble performance, composition, and instrumental training—often centered around culturally rooted instruments like the cuatro. Apprentices rehearse, collaborate, and perform, developing both technical ability and stage presence.
Studio Arts Apprenticeship
Students explore visual arts practices including drawing, painting, mixed media, and exhibition design. Apprentices create original works while learning how to present and install art in professional gallery settings.
Earn, Create, and Showcase Your Talent
This program is a critical entry point into PRAA’s broader workforce pathway—empowering young people to see themselves as artists, leaders, and future professionals in the creative economy.
Interested in applying?
Applications for this program are managed through After School Matters. Visit their website to explore current opportunities.