Another Piece of the Puzzle

So here goes the long overdue report about the folks and the mission of Kulture Club Collaborative in Minneapolis(I will try to keep it brief in light of the past two gargantuan post).

Way back last week's Thursday, seems like eons ago now that I am sitting in the abundance of Seattle, Jeff and the other staff members working with KCC were generous enough to show me around and include me in their programs. It was a special night as they were having a gallery opening celebrating the completion of a large garden project done at a transitional housing site nearby. Again, it was not without difficulty that I stumbled in the doors of Youth Link, the larger network of youth services where KCC is housed. After many phone calls to Molly, the woman at the front desk, I found the correct 'building with paintings outside' and was happy to finally be plopped down in their sitting area and ready to meet with Jeff.

Jeff swung through the doors and his energy practically bounded over to great me before his handshake. It was not hard to recognize immediately how his spirit and enthusiasm had suited him to work with youth and the arts. Before the gallery opening started in full gear, Jeff gave me the overview of who and what Kulture Club Collaborative is. As a part of the larger Youth Link, KCC works with youth experiencing homelessness or who are transitioning out of homelessness, and on average has 60-100 youth drop in each day. At Youth Link the people dropping in can receive a warm meal, a place to hang out, access computers, receive help with employment, get connected with counseling, have a place to play games, and overall have a place to feel safe, respected, and connected. Jeff distinguished that KCC is not a social service, but is rather meant to connect professional artists with youth, and create a sustained relationship between youth, those adults, and the arts. KCC uses a long term artist residence model, where professional artist are involved in workshops ranging from two weeks to six months. Workshops are project focused which allows youth to really dig in to a specific and achievable goal while building relationships with an artist who has a specialty in the medium used for that artwork. Jeff also explained that their program does something called Art View when youth and the KCC staff go out into the community and do something art related. This could be going to a movie, play, or going to museums, and beyond relating to art allows more time for youth to talk openly and make connections with staff.

While taking a tour of the facilities youth mingled, ate, hung out, played, and showed a lot of respect for staff and adults, including me who they'd never seen before. Our tour ended at the gallery where the exhibit of the garden project was in full swing. Garden lights rimmed the ceiling, and bundles of sage, rosemary, and other herbs picked fresh from the garden lined the floor of the room. Youth kept coming in and commenting on how good it smelled. The gallery space was set up to be a live representation of the actual garden space. A tent stood in one corner of the room where the shed is, and pictures of the project to create a garden bench-swing were placed where it would have been in the garden plot. There was a photo journal of the various projects lining the walls, and a table with veggies from the garden. I had the chance to talk with the welding artist and youth participant who worked on the bench project. They had taken a class together at a local school to learn how to do some specific welding for the project. Together they had sawed, sanded, and welded the bench to successful completion. In speaking with both of them, you could tell they had a lot of fun doing the project, and had a special connection and pride because of the work they had done.

After talking with them I asked if I could see their work, thinking it was on site and I could just walk outside and take a tour myself. However, the garden project was actually a ways a way at a transitional housing program. My disappointment was fleeting, as Anne a woman who works at the housing program and was attending the gallery that night, immediately offered to drive me there. After the shock at and initial refusal of such a kind offer, I agreed and we were off. On our way to the site Anne explained that she had gotten involved with the garden project because many of the youth in the transitional housing also spent time at Youth Link, being a foodie herself she loved the idea and the space it provided for the community living there. Arriving at the garden space, I was shocked at how huge it was. In the rapidly diminishing light, I could see a large garden shed with a mural wrapping around all sides. The bench, fortress like and sturdy enough to last many years, stood in an honored and well used spot in the garden. There were also numerous large raised bed box plots throughout the backyard producing a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Having some appreciation for how long all these activities can take, especially when done as a learning experience with youth, it was a testament to the the dedication of the youth and adults working on the project. Anne explained that the tenants used the garden frequently and in their own ways. Some were actively engaged in keeping the garden, some started eating and recognizing different foods in the garden, and one girls just likes to spend her time doing homework or reading there. Overall it was a huge success and youth continue to connect and learn from it.

Heading for the car, I saw a group of girls gathered around the front entrance were talking passionately about something. One girl called out to Anne and asked her a question, get this, about writing grants. For what you ask? Composting!!! Yeah, that's right, she wanted to organize a composting project that would engage the community and educated them about the how and why of composting. In the car Anne explained that this girl was totally psyched about composting since she had found out about it, and was on a mission to spread the word. As Anne drove me homewards, again bending over backwards, she shared with me all the other organizations and trainings she knew of or had participated in that may be helpful for what I'm doing. Filled with the power of the nights experience, and Jeff and Anne's expert service to their community, I said goodbye with gratitude and with Anne's well wishes.

Jeff's book recommendation:
What We Want is Free by Ted Perves

As I thought about the night's experiences, I was again struck with the profundity of community power, and youth power. Along with that was the question in my mind, how do we recognize and grow that power positively in youth? How do we make it a priority that kids have faith in their own competence, which seems to be increasingly doubted by the society around them? What I saw in the girl who was so excited about composting, was hope. Hope backed with confidence, and with the unique perspective and energy of youthful minds. This hope in the mind of youth is so necessary especially in these time, when we face global warming, water shortages, and a future wrought with global challenges. Youth like the young woman on the steps will be our innovators and caretakers, and it will largely be left to their minds and creativity to manage these problems. So how can we stop at the expectation that they learn algebra and English? Is it not also necessary to expect them to believe in and use their own competence, to have confidence that they can challenge and change their environment for the better, and maintain resilience and hope that this is possible?

With those questions in tow, I packed my bags the following day and headed out late in the evening for the Amtrak train station. Over the next 37 hours lets just say I shared a lot of air(of all kinds) and living with a lot of different passengers. Sometimes delightful, sometimes aromatic, prone to interesting conversations, and allowing for extensive boughts of thinking, the ride was all I wished it would be. I woke up from night two, expertly curled in a fetal position at this point perfected from night one's restlessness, to indigo mountains and rushing rivers. As daylight chased us westward, the leaves revealed their colors in shades of gold blushing crimson, and the rivers gushed over long ago tumbled boulders. I was reminded of scenes from A River Runs Through It, one of my favorite childhood movies that remains a favorite today. As we pulled into Seattle, the small voices of the kids in front of me got even more excited as they spotted the space needle, we'd made it.

Much more to report on the lovely city of Seattle and this week's meetings, but due to a stubborn cold I'm off to bed and will keep you filled in tomorrow. All my best wishes, hope you are all well!(ok, so maybe not that brief of a post, thanks for reading!)