Kite's Nest Community Zine

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Kenny and Nazia were our youth program assistants this semester - and they brought such care and sweetness. Here's what they have to say about their work this season...

SPRING 2023 COMMUNITY ZINE

"Working here was a fun experience...my favorite role is some of the kids coming to me, knowing that they can talk to me, It really felt good that I could be useful to some of the kids and they could rely on me." - Nazia, 18 (she/her)

"Some highlights were just working with the kids. It can be challenging sometimes but just doing new things and learning new things about people is what brought me here." - Kenny, 17 (he/him)

Smith

Support our work by making a one-time donation or becoming a monthly sustainer: kitesnest.org/donate

connection singing water

flower belonging river joy

dreaming nest greenhouse WAYS TO CONNECT WITH US

Apply now for SJLA Summer! Five weeks of summer fun for teens 13+

Visit the ReGen Teens bike-powered smoothie stand at Waterfront Wednesdays July-August

Join our team of grassroots fundraisers this summer

Apply for Fall afterschool programs

Kite's Nest Alumni: attend our July 9 Alumni Brunch and apply for Nest Fund scholarships, emergency funds, and/or life grants

Join the #solutionsnotsuspensions cause + stay tuned for related actions

Calling all allies, community weavers, and resource mobilizers. We want to raise a future with you. Will you join us? kitesnest.org/growyouthpower

GROWING YOUTH POWER IN HUDSON!

photo by Jessica Chappe https://jessicachappe.com/ photo by Kite's Nest alumni Dezjuan

AFTERSCHOOL

with Sharece Johnson + Nellie Ostow

ROOTS & REBELS

This Roots & Rebels season was a whirlwind of adventure filled with discovery and community. Together we visited wonderful people and places and immersed ourselves in nature. We set out to explore local trails, playgrounds, and even the Hudson River, immersing ourselves in the beauty of our surroundings every Tuesday.

At the Kite’s Nest garden classroom, our creativity blossomed as we combined our love of plants and the creative arts: making paint from plant pigments and dyeing fabric with plants and herbs. And of course we planted seedlings with our ReGen teen mentors and collaborated on many delicious meals!

There was so much love and imagination in this group. We can't wait to get our hands dirty and make beautiful things together again in the Fall!

A QUESTION FROM OUR ARCHETYPES QUIZ...

I SOLVE PROBLEMS BY..

a. transforming them!

b. making a joke out of them

c. learning everything i can about them

d. living by my values

"My favorite moment from this spring was when we got to sing with Anneice because we wrote a song. I took a picture of one of the photographers and I was happy about it. I would never think I'd be able to use a camera."

- Sherrae, 12 (she/her)

e. going on a journey for answers

f. finding creative solutions

g. being strong and facing them

h. doing things for others

...what's your answer???

This season we embarked on a journey of self expression and creative discovery. Arts Under The Sun kicked off the semester with a connective Know

With our amazing guest educators, we delved into the meanings of colors, made jewelry, painted portraits, made collage art, and wrote songs! We even went on field trips - cooking at Lil' Deb's and visiting Nkoula and Ma Badila for a captivating

"This place is really fun and I don't want it to end! I'm proud I didn't get bit by a bear in the Oakdale woods."

- Amarni, 9 (he/him)

D A Y T I M E

with Rebecca Posner, Jeannette Rodríguez Píneda, Nellie Ostow, Nandi Rose Levine, & Jamie Gerber

"I loved making bracelets, and I loved doing color meditations, and I loved learning about how animals see color, too."

- Everly, 9 (she/her)

"I learned that there was this guy who painted the color of the morning every day for three years. It was super cool. I learned a lot about light and negative space and controlling how big and small things look with light and shadows."

- Rain, 12 (they/them)

OUR COLLECTIVE WATER BODY... catskill swamp water

tap water from hudson, catskill, chatham, high falls, ct

- Autumn, 15 (she/her)

COLOR LAB

This spring, the vibrant beings of Color Lab dove deep into the wild world of pigments, tints, and hues, exploring our own imaginations, and the magic of the world around us. Each day, we meditated on a different color, learned about the science of light, sight, and pigment, and created colorful artworks!

Try out our daily reflection practice!!! >>>

Hudson creek and stream water well water

rain water from River City Garden

dandelion water, essence of orange juice, dead nettle water

"My favorite memory was the boat ride and I was proud of my water rollercoaster!"

-Nonie, 8 (she/her)

WATER KEEPERS

Water Keepers spent this spring exploring how water is a connective thread throughout so many aspects of our lives and our world. We reflected on the life-giving qualities of water and how much we depend on it in our daily lives. We dove into the water cycle – learning about how all the water on earth is ancient and how it moves through time and space in different forms (liquid, gas, solid). We visited different water bodies: creeks, lakes and estuaries and observed and archived their qualities and textures. It was in these places that it was made so apparent how many other beings are connected to and supported by water: birds, plants, rocks, fish, trees...and us!

LISTENING EXERCISE

Sit by water. Close your eyes and listen very carefully for 2 min. Describe what sounds you hear and anything else you notice.

"I just love diving into colors and really thinking about them and how they make people feel."

REGEN TEENS SJLA

SOME of the things we learned about this Spring!

1.How to grow produce from seed to harvest!

2. How to use the lasagna soil-layering method to build up grow areas and raised beds

3. Through game play, we connected the composting process with the life cycle of decomposition, from food scraps to mature fertilizer

4. Important processes of soil remediation to rebuild our soil which will help aid in recovery of our ecosystem

5. What the hardiness zone is for our area and proper times to plant seeds as well as how to keep journals documenting growth of seed and when to transplant

6. Different depths required for different vegetables to grow and the important of making sure that enough soil and space is provided to guarantee a bountiful harvest

7. Fundamentals of running a greenhouse

8. The language of food sovereignty and the different ways we can do our part to bring about food justice for all

9. How to deepen community connections by helping our neighbors grow food, flowers, and herbs

...AND SO MUCH MORE! COME ASK US ABOUT IT AT OUR BIKE-POWERED SMOOTHIE STAND @ WATERFRONT WEDNESDAYS THIS SUMMER!

This spring, SJLA teens deepened their connections with art as a means of self-liberation and interdependence. In a BIPOC-only space, we explored art mediums they already felt passionate about and maybe some new ones - music, visual art, poetry, and more! Each week we explored guiding questions with our overall big question being...

...how can art and healing support us in our organizing?

Each session started with a check-in activity that explored some healing themes such as how to empathetically listen, asking young people what their gifts were and how they could share their gifts. We also learned about how we felt and acted when we experienced certain emotions.

Our focus was on education justice and how education systems and learning spaces can feel liberatory. We followed this theme as we made floral sprays, made special art projects, went on field trips, and spent time together letting our guards down and connecting.

"I'm proud of how much money we made at ReGen markets, making new friends, and the closer bond I got with all the adults at my wonderful job."

- Daija, 15 (she/her)

starrseedhealingproject

This year we're organizing around the Solutions Not Suspensions bill in NYS - join us!

solutionsnotsuspensionsny.org

#solutionsnotsuspensions

Natasha Strickland

....creates spaces for Kite's Nest teen staff and other Hudson teens to access one-on-one professional counseling and coaching, through which they can process grief and trauma and cultivate collective care, joy, and power.