Youth Programs

SOME HISTORY ON THE YOUTH PROGRAMS AT TSL

Young people are often the first to check out new things and the arrival of TSL into Hudson in 1991 was no exception. Neighborhood kids began to drop by to see what was going on at the big red brick building on Columbia Street, which for years had stood as a storage space. Soon enough, handing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to visiting children became part of TSL’s daily routine.

Gradually those afternoon snacks morphed into more directed efforts, often taking place out in the parking lot during beautiful Hudson River Valley summer weather. There was a weaving project led by New York artist Jun Maeda underneath a yurt he had constructed; there was a MussmannBruce original theater project, A Lincoln, about none other than the 16th president of the United States.

More visiting artists came, as well as other people who wanted to share in what they saw happening at TSL and how it was positively impacting the young people and families of this community. From 2001 to 2009, Maija Reed took on the role of TSL Youth Director and began to develop a series of programs that still resonate with many young people in Hudson. There were cooking and gardening, theater and circus performance, video, music, art and writing workshops. A tutoring program partnering with Bard College students began, and TSL helped facilitate field trips to NYC and elsewhere for children, some of whom had never been outside the City of Hudson. Another program was created that provided opportunities for children to attend summer camps.

TSL’s staff worked diligently to establish a relationship with each child and their families as programs were built and developed. Beginning at age 6 or 7, children could get involved in the Youth Programs and keep coming throughout their childhood. TSL remained a strong presence for many of them, creating programming and support as they became young adults - sometimes becoming interns in Youth Programs themselves. As they got older, TSL was there to help with job and life choices, including preparation for entry into college.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

During the months of Phase I construction, TSL temporarily re-located some of its programs to other venues in order to keep them running. For example, the TSL tutoring program has been hosted by the Hudson Library. Back at TSL, The College Prep program is going strong with guidance from Maija Reed and Bruce Naramore. When the doors to the renovated space open, we will welcome new coordinators who are excited to implement their programs. There is a lot to celebrate and many ideas to come.

TSL is continuing to seek matching funds for the original $122,500 appropriation and looking for funds to move into Phase II. Contributions have been committed to the project already, as well as work, time and material commitments from community members including plumber, George Ihlenburgh, electrician, David Gallardo, architect, Marilyn Kaplan, contractor and builder, Merlin Von Kriegenburgh, construction, Mike Meyers, concrete, Luke Schroeder and satellite installer, Jorge Lopez.

TSL welcomes the support of neighbors and community members as the project moves forward. Stop by for a tour. Help spread the word about the matching funds drive. Help TSL realize the completion of this space, insuring that the TSL Youth Programs continue to play a vital role in the lives of Hudson's young people.

Upcoming Youth Events

Friday, Sep 10th: 7:30
Member: $10, General: $10, Student: $5

Theatre: Making Macbeth Work

Director Linda Mussmann organized a group of young people, ages 17 - 22, who expressed an interest in exploring Shakespeare's Macbeth, from a non-conventional point of view. Linda constructed and deconstructed the text and re hearsed scenes as participants came and went throughout the summer. The process concludes with a performance by two actresses, Amanda Roberts and Nellie Rustick. Claudia Bruce and Ryder Cooley add musical support.

Saturday, Sep 25th: 9:30 am
Saturday, Oct 2nd: 9:30 am
Saturday, Oct 9th: 9:30 am
Saturday, Oct 16th: 9:30 am
Saturday, Oct 23rd: 9:30 am
Saturday, Oct 30th: 9:30 am
Saturday, Nov 6th: 9:30 am
Saturday, Nov 13th: 9:30 am
Saturday, Nov 20th: 9:30 am
Saturday, Dec 4th: 9:30 am
Free to the Public

Workshop: TSL Kids Create- A Building Workshop for Kids

TSL Youth Program ¦ FREE ¦ Saturdays Sept 25th - Dec 11th, 9:30-Noon.
11 Sessions (excluding November 27, Saturday of Thanksgiving holiday)
TSL's Kids Create Workshop, begins Saturday, September 25th in the newly renovated TSL Youth Space. This program, designed for kids in grades 2-5 (approximately 7-10 years old), focuses on creatively constructing objects out of a variety of materials (which maybe include cardboard, pre-cut wood pieces, old toys, craft supplies, odds & ends, paints) and to utilize each child's imagination as the blue print. The workshop will have three main projects (details below): building a model waterfront community, constructing scenes and recreating environments with dioramas, and experimenting with building through the process of taking things apart- learning about how objects work by deconstructing, reassembly or new collaged creations. The program will be lead by Bonnie Scott Jones and one other volunteer at the TSL Youth Space, 434 Columbia St, Hudson, NY. Participants may attend all or some of the sessions.
In each session, children may choose to work on one or more of the three main projects:

Community Waterfront Building Project -Children may work individually or in collaboration to construct parts of a waterfront model (e.g., boats, barges, cranes, buildings, people) that will be jointly built by all participants over the course of the workshop.
Diorama Making -Children may work individually or in collaboration to construct a scene, a world, a home, etc. using a blank box as their starting point.
Taking Things Apart - Part of the workshop will involve taking things apart (e.g., discarded toys, mechanical parts), for purposes of learning how things work, and for separating materials that the children can then put to new use in their own constructions.

fyi@timeandspace.org

2 hrs 30 minutes

United Way of Columbia & Greene Counties, Inc. supports TSL 2010 Youth Programs and Workshops