Disneyland to launch its own Dreamers & Doers recognition program for high school students

Disneyland may be the original Disney theme park, but Walt Disney World was the first park to celebrate students who have made a difference in their communities. The Orlando resort has honored Disney Dreamers & Doers for more than 30 years. Now, Disneyland has announced it, too, will begin highlighting outstanding students with awards of the same name, although the California program will have some differences.

Students at all Orange County (California) high schools are eligible to apply by sharing their stories of how they are taking action for a brighter tomorrow in four focus areas: Live Healthier (make healthier living fun and accessible); Strengthen Community (bring hope, happiness and comfort to children and families); Conserve Nature (connect children and families with nature to build lifelong conservation values); and Think Creatively (nurture creative thinking skills to inspire children and families to create the future they imagine).

Applications can be downloaded beginning Sept. 8. They must be turned in at each school’s main office by Nov. 20, and then the school will select up to two Dreamer & Doers. Each school winner will receive two 1-Day Disneyland Park-Hopper tickets.

In honor of the 60th Diamond Anniversary Celebration, Disneyland then will select 60 students from the group of Dreamers & Doers to be Shining Stars. They will be invited to attend a celebration luncheon along with two family members and a representative from their school. To inspire fellow students to make their school a better place, each of the 60 students selected as “Shining Stars” will receive a $1,000 grant for their school, as well as a Dreamers & Doers medal of recognition. Later, they will be invited to attend a one-day symposium to discuss issues that affect youth and create solutions that they can implement in their schools and communities.

Additionally, six “Luminaries” will be selected to receive a Disneyland weekend prize package to enjoy with their families. And there will be additional surprises announced at the celebration luncheon.

Students interested in applying to become a Dreamer & Doer this fall are encouraged to use summer break to get involved and make a difference, and even showcase how they are making an impact by submitting videos of their work in action. Select videos will then be part of a final video highlighting the program, which will be shown on the Disney Parks Blog and various other social media channels.

Video submissions must:

** Be between one and two minutes in length.
** Include the statement “I Dream…” to describe what the student dreams the world could look like given the work they do in their community. (For example, a student who serves by supporting a local food bank might say: “I dream that everyone will have access to the nutrition they need, so I collect food donations for my local food bank.”)
** Showcase the student’s work in their community, home or school.
** Be in a .mov file format.
** Be emailed to [email protected] by August 2.
** Be submitted along with a signed “Consent and Release” form from each individual in the video. Forms can be downloaded here.

Disneyland’s Dreamers & Doers will be announced in December, and the Shining Stars will be named in January 2016.

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