THE YOUNG AND MIGHTY MARCH:
A Kid-Centered March And Art Project On Issues They Care About
Sunday October 21st, 1:00pm - 3:00pm at Lou Lodati Park
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Woodside, NY, September 24, 2018 – On Sunday, October 21st The Young and Might March, an event focused on the issues that matter to youth, will invite kids to parade through the streets of Sunnyside and Woodside, Queens. The inaugural project of PARADE, the public art programming arm of the non-profit Art F City, the Young & Mighty March will bring together kids and adults from all backgrounds.
The mission of the Young & Mighty March is to offer Queens kids of all ages a platform to express their concerns about political events, inspire civic engagement, and draw attention to issues affecting youth. As we approach the midterm elections, we want kids to know that just because they can't vote, doesn't mean they don't have a voice. This is their chance to be heard.
The march route will start and end at Lou Lodati Park, located at 41-15 Skillman Ave. in Sunnyside. After a short rally featuring youth activists, and artists, marchers will walk east on Skillman Ave., loop around to 43rd Ave. at 48th St. and then head back to Lou Lodati. The event is open to children of all ages with adult supervision. Guardians should plan to attend events and support their child's ideas and artmaking.
The day before the march, teaching artists from the Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA), in conjunction with CMA’s CIVICKIDS campaign, will partner with PARADE to offer Poster Making Parties (sign making workshops) in Sunnyside and Woodside on:
Saturday, October 20th, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm at Sunnyside Community Services
Saturday, October 20th, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm at Woodside On the Move’s Woodside Beacon Community Center at PS 361Q
The arts-based workshops will be offered to young participants in Sunnyside Community Services and Woodside On the Move programs, with limited availability to the public. Workshops will be geared towards children ages 7-12 years old, but all are welcome to attend with adult supervision. To learn more, contact Nancy Kleaver at nancy@paradenyc.org.
March organizers encourage the public to host their own poster making parties in preparation for the event and will share lesson activities and resources on social media to suppor them.
The Young & Mighty March is a peaceful, positive, and creative project, focused on highlighting the hopes and dreams of kids in Western Queens. Messages of non-tolerance, bullying, will not be permitted. Electioneering will also not be permitted.
“This project is the essence of why we founded PARADE,” Paddy Johnson, co-founder of PARADE said of the March. “It takes a lot of courage to make art, to speak up, and to march in the streets for what you believe in. New York kids are some of the bravest and most inventive people we know, so we can’t wait to see what they do.”
“With The Young and Mighty March and workshops—which we hope will become an annual event for all young New Yorkers—we have an opportunity to start a conversation with the people whose lives will be most impacted by the decisions adults make today.” added Nancy Kleaver, PARADE co-founder .
“My first year of motherhood coincided with Trump’s first year in office. So as soon as my daughter was big enough I strapped her into the carrier and joined fellow New Yorkers at various marches. But I found myself craving a space where kids could get the megaphone. With the Young and Mighty March I wanted to show my daughter that kids can be powerful—that even in the shadow of a giant, the smallest voices can be heard,” said march organizer and filmmaker Kate Marks.
Get Involved!
The march organizers are actively seeking volunteers, donations, and local business sponsors. To learn more and get involved, go to www.paradenyc.org or follow on social media:
Facebook: The Young and Mighty March for a Voice
Twitter: @youngmightynyc
Instagram: @youngandmightymarch
Media contact: Paddy Johnson paddy@paradenyc.org
About PARADE
PARADE collaborates with artists and the people of Queens to launch large scale public art. We value public art that sparks civic engagement and bridges gaps in the public discourse. Our projects, like our name, celebrate inclusion, compassion and action.
The Young & Mighty March is PARADE’s inaugural project. As the programming arm of the art blog Art F City, PARADE plans to continue hosting inventive and community driven arts engagement around Queens. To learn about upcoming collaborations at www.paradenyc.org.
About CMA and CIVICKIDS
The mission of the Children’s Museum of the Arts is to introduce children and their families to the transformative power of the arts by providing opportunities to make art side-by-side with working artists. Founded in October 1988 by Kathleen Schneider, the museum has been located in the Manhattan neighborhood of SoHo since its inception. Since opening the doors to its 10,000sq ft. home on Charlton Street in 2011, CMA has served hundreds of thousands of children and families, 27% free of charge.
CIVICKIDS: Make Art. Make A Difference. is a year-long series of exhibitions, community events, and digital art calls hosted by Children's Museum of the Arts in New York City. Rooted in the belief that art builds empathy, understanding, and respect for others, CIVICKIDS aims to foster civic engagement and shared community pride through art making. Each month, CMA will issue a digital art-making challenge based on themes of civic engagement including environmentalism, identity, equity, leadership, sustainability, kindness, and freedom. Partnering institutions are invited to share photos of their audiences completing the digital challenge with #CMACIVICKIDS. The photos will be added to our online exhibition at cmany.org/civickids. We are excited to partner with institutions all across the world and share art with children and their families globally.