https://merandissime.com Merandissime Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:53:30 +0000 https://merandissime.com en https://merandissime.com/Index Wed, 29 Apr 2020 16:40:30 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/Index https://merandissime.com/Home-Page Wed, 22 Dec 2021 21:34:08 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/Home-Page <img width="6016" height="4016" width_o="6016" height_o="4016" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5868a1647109eaf2ad1ff8e5f8dc38cd9a5ad4d4f8e97fa78cea61107378f161/Rita-and-Meranda-in-I-have-something-to-say...-with-Pink-Fang.jpeg" data-mid="240977314" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5868a1647109eaf2ad1ff8e5f8dc38cd9a5ad4d4f8e97fa78cea61107378f161/Rita-and-Meranda-in-I-have-something-to-say...-with-Pink-Fang.jpeg" /> Performing with Rita Liu and Zinc Tong in a play called I have something to say… at Selfhelp Community Services - Maspeth Older Adult Center with Pink Fang As a theatre-maker, researcher, and facilitator, Meranda Flachs-Surmanek works with groups to share stories that must get told. Meranda leads WhyWOW Studio, a creative consulting practice developing environments for people and organizations to exercise our civic imagination. https://merandissime.com/Monuments-Across-Appalachian-Virginia Wed, 03 May 2023 00:50:46 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/Monuments-Across-Appalachian-Virginia Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia (MAAV) seeks and supports collaborations with community organizations, artists, researchers, educators, government officials, advocates, activists, memory keepers, and others who share an interest in constructing and reconstructing public narratives. Our mission is to reclaim, amplify, imagine, reinterpret, document, and display histories and experiences that highlight collective struggles for the vitality of Appalachian people and our shared environment, led by and for people whose stories have been silenced, denied, or excluded. From 2023-2026, MAAV is working with nine community groups across Appalachian Virginia and Eastern Siouan lands to:&nbsp; Inspire people to see themselves as capable of reshaping our physical landscapes Uplift histories that have potential to reshape public memory Center communities that have been chronically underrepresented and under resourced Form new coalitions and networks that promote community well being and set in motion new ways of collaborating Reimagine what a monument can be, beyond conventional statues or murals Create artistic expressions and spaces for reflection that go beyond the delivery of information We offer technical support to build the capacity of Appalachian community leaders and organizations to employ participatory arts and commemoration as tools for storytelling, organizing, and social change. <img width="1380" height="1382" width_o="1380" height_o="1382" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ced84ae06f4b38c952dbf8126588ab8439a48ab690b8e9ed6bac3d33a6895d0f/MAAV-Projects.png" data-mid="242563870" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ced84ae06f4b38c952dbf8126588ab8439a48ab690b8e9ed6bac3d33a6895d0f/MAAV-Projects.png" /> Project team photos by Matthew Pickett https://merandissime.com/Breaking-the-Walls Tue, 25 Nov 2025 01:00:56 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/Breaking-the-Walls &nbsp; <img width="1080" height="1350" width_o="1080" height_o="1350" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/daa2bce37c504481f684302280cdf14fab37ace8d40d78072413217c8bc3fa03/Wellness-Together-2.jpg" data-mid="245080814" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/daa2bce37c504481f684302280cdf14fab37ace8d40d78072413217c8bc3fa03/Wellness-Together-2.jpg" /> <img width="1080" height="1350" width_o="1080" height_o="1350" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6c657c81186ad667b920a6e38ac6bda1c4ee84a1e5761cfcef4536b5b95160c6/Wellness-Together.png" data-mid="245080552" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6c657c81186ad667b920a6e38ac6bda1c4ee84a1e5761cfcef4536b5b95160c6/Wellness-Together.png" /> Rita Liu and Meranda Flachs-Surmanek have been selected for the inaugural Wellness Together Arts Fellowship. Wellness Together aims to improve quality of life for a network of 1,000 older adults who are homebound for health reasons or because they are caregivers.The artists will work with The Performance Project at University Settlement, Culturehub, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre to create an ensemble of storytellers. The project, titled Breaking the Walls, will culminate in a hybrid performance at La MaMa that will integrate an innovative new platform for livestreaming theater into a performance for both in person and virtual audiences. Wellness Together participants will help to create and feature in the performance. Learn more here. https://merandissime.com/Our-Stories-Are-Alive Thu, 12 Jun 2025 21:52:15 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/Our-Stories-Are-Alive <img width="2796" height="2064" width_o="2796" height_o="2064" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b0a8112af031f2cdb55d6b9fd954c0a51040a8064a9b83e71e5f95461d643156/IMG_7841.jpeg" data-mid="242454997" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b0a8112af031f2cdb55d6b9fd954c0a51040a8064a9b83e71e5f95461d643156/IMG_7841.jpeg" /> <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/98cb2def94af3b8217b2176f98d57d4990cea41f957d6e48a29688136a051c81/IMG_5904.jpg" data-mid="234514226" border="0" data-scale="96" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/98cb2def94af3b8217b2176f98d57d4990cea41f957d6e48a29688136a051c81/IMG_5904.jpg" /> <img width="2257" height="2132" width_o="2257" height_o="2132" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e1dfac2a8f83710df8599927b351ee852ff1f2fcb42a234b5eaaf66af4e0f5f/QCFGS.jpg" data-mid="241387624" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9e1dfac2a8f83710df8599927b351ee852ff1f2fcb42a234b5eaaf66af4e0f5f/QCFGS.jpg" /> <img width="2447" height="2926" width_o="2447" height_o="2926" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/55b7366c8fc95f73437da371378d544810e1411438043acbca93c2567f842e80/Our-Stories-Are-Alive_Workshop-with-Lili.jpg" data-mid="243981751" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/55b7366c8fc95f73437da371378d544810e1411438043acbca93c2567f842e80/Our-Stories-Are-Alive_Workshop-with-Lili.jpg" /> <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/89d3cfdf72ffd477910d969575ab420397f654568902da6ba26f661fa056b80c/IMG_5912.jpeg" data-mid="234514047" border="0" data-scale="98" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/89d3cfdf72ffd477910d969575ab420397f654568902da6ba26f661fa056b80c/IMG_5912.jpeg" /> <img width="2048" height="1536" width_o="2048" height_o="1536" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/248a1135a4f682ec5ef26c22bbbf81a2b9bbed4181fb977687890c3cc2377191/WhatsApp-Image-2025-06-09-at-7.09.02-PM.jpeg" data-mid="235459574" border="0" data-scale="97" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/248a1135a4f682ec5ef26c22bbbf81a2b9bbed4181fb977687890c3cc2377191/WhatsApp-Image-2025-06-09-at-7.09.02-PM.jpeg" /> <img width="2048" height="1536" width_o="2048" height_o="1536" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/be03ce1b658b0fcd3c39e9e838baf2dc9f411660635056783a0d453ada660fdc/Our-Stories-Are-Alive.jpeg" data-mid="234514048" border="0" data-scale="97" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/be03ce1b658b0fcd3c39e9e838baf2dc9f411660635056783a0d453ada660fdc/Our-Stories-Are-Alive.jpeg" /> “Delightful, informative, respectful, entertaining, thrilling, welcoming, structured, warm, very playful, interactive, fun, and multicultural” - Participant “Sharing my story through improv allowed me to share a vulnerable side of myself in a way everyone enjoyed.” - Participant In Our Stories Are Alive, we are creating a community ensemble of intergenerational storytellers at the Queens Center for Gay Seniors in Jackson Heights, NY. LGBTQIA2S+ older adults and students at LaGuardia Community College discover what we are called to communicate about ourselves and our future. Through workshops that mix theatre games, improv, poetry performance, and story circles, we build community.In Spring 2026, we will lead workshops focused on creating protest songs, culiminating in a performance at the Queens Pride Parade with Ania Upstill and Social Practice CUNY. Our Stories Are Alive started as a program with Spectrum Arts Productions called the S.G.B. Generational Bridge, created with Craig Anthony Bannister and supported by Apollo Boissiere. In summer 2025, Liliana Rebolledo Vergara brought her experiences as a musician and activist to the group. In fall 2025, our work continued with workshops facilitated by Manny Dunn and Samantha Ciccone, with Guest Artists Irisdelia Garcia and Craig Anthony Bannister.Our Stories Are Alive is made possible in part with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund in 2025 and 2026, a re-grant program supported by NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts. https://merandissime.com/We-Shape-This-City Tue, 17 May 2022 16:37:24 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/We-Shape-This-City <img width="2217" height="1320" width_o="2217" height_o="1320" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7d8e0a6bae12cefe7ca9420aca4f7e3aa9d2f92f7186d3ef3328e56960545990/We-Shape-This-City-closeup.jpg" data-mid="163661816" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7d8e0a6bae12cefe7ca9420aca4f7e3aa9d2f92f7186d3ef3328e56960545990/We-Shape-This-City-closeup.jpg" /> <img width="3024" height="4032" width_o="3024" height_o="4032" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e2d52704114cd253eab0fb2ec925e8d607540a147a613f6b6509ce9e24cbe746/Shape-this-city-3.jpeg" data-mid="173907387" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e2d52704114cd253eab0fb2ec925e8d607540a147a613f6b6509ce9e24cbe746/Shape-this-city-3.jpeg" /> <img width="882" height="1176" width_o="882" height_o="1176" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4dce008a0f50ad578d763409e263e583c45345973cbeaa7045b3484f775b129a/IMG_4517.jpeg" data-mid="142876373" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/882/i/4dce008a0f50ad578d763409e263e583c45345973cbeaa7045b3484f775b129a/IMG_4517.jpeg" /> <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/792ef90134b00e3643036dcef710f51506ed0f37a1e2e16bc72a6068a989d2cd/Shape-this-city-2.jpeg" data-mid="173907382" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/792ef90134b00e3643036dcef710f51506ed0f37a1e2e16bc72a6068a989d2cd/Shape-this-city-2.jpeg" /> <img width="2231" height="1561" width_o="2231" height_o="1561" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bb5a5ac3a3862c893723be7ca97e3c473c79df66c5b336fbc2434e3d736d5bcc/Photo.jpg" data-mid="173907378" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bb5a5ac3a3862c893723be7ca97e3c473c79df66c5b336fbc2434e3d736d5bcc/Photo.jpg" /> LOCATION Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, New York, NY, USA, and Newcastle upon Tyne, UK SPONSORS The Mitchell Art Gallery at MacEwan University, ProjectArt, and Newcastle University PROJECT DATES Spring 2018 - present &nbsp; We Shape This City&nbsp; We Shape This City is a laboratory that explores belonging, displacement, and spatial justice through creative expression. Drawing on dance, visual art, and theater practices, we build connections between these ideas and our stories. The experience is especially suited to people curious about the role of the arts to help us look at civic processes and structural inequities anew. Places are shaped by memory. When communities are destroyed or extracted from, we lose more than just wealth. In We Shape This City, we look at the hierarchy of memory created through systemic violence. We feel through our memories as we experience others’ memories. The experience invites people to move differently in association with their neighbors and in the environments they move through daily. In doing so, we implement a micro-space of justice within the context of the workshop space. These new insights travel with us.&nbsp; We Shape This City was initially developed as an Artist-in-Residence at MacEwan University’s Mitchell Art Gallery in Alberta, located on Amiskwacîwâskahikan, Treaty 6 Territory, Canada in 2018.&nbsp;It was recently supported by the 2023 Diversity Scholars program out of the Office of Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion.&nbsp; I have led We Shape This City with Andreza Jorge (dance, Mulheres ao Vento), Hiromi Okumura (visual/performance), and Rosa Stourac McCreery (theater). https://merandissime.com/You-re-a-Poet-Too Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:53:30 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/You-re-a-Poet-Too <img width="701" height="877" width_o="701" height_o="877" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d101886d9e6609370a2e9fd687cbbcdbd3948c6183f925213d2accd4d4eaacd6/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-9.12.40-PM.png" data-mid="245470123" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/701/i/d101886d9e6609370a2e9fd687cbbcdbd3948c6183f925213d2accd4d4eaacd6/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-9.12.40-PM.png" /> You’re a Poet, Too!Poetry Month Workshops at Queens Library in English and Spanish&nbsp; Upcoming Workshops:&nbsp; Far Rockaway Teen Library May 20, 2026, 3:30-4:30 PM&nbsp; co-hosted with Jasmine Rosario (alias JRose)Long Island City Library Teen Center:&nbsp; May 21, 2026, 4-5 PM&nbsp; co-hosted with Marcos de la Fuente Poetry has always been a vehicle of community-building and gathering in NYC. In these critical times, we pause and re-engage with our innate creativity and joy. You’re a poet, too! Yes, you! Together, we will draw inspiration from curated prompts and the creative energy of our neighbors, leading to an informal and optional poetry sharing from what we create. Every person comes to this workshop with a style of their own, and together, we’ll lean into our style and build on it, drawing from the work of June Jordan’s "Poetry for the People". Avid poets will gain a community of support. And if you're new to poetry, we can't wait to welcome you in. We all have things to learn from each other. Poetry is every person's birthright and accessible to everyone, if only we begin. You’re a Poet, Too! workshops were designed with Rae K. Devine for Vanesa Álvarez’s “Our Story” SU-CASA Artist Residency with Brooklyn Arts Council at&nbsp;Cypress-Hills Fulton Older Adult Center.&nbsp; https://merandissime.com/Healing-Through-Story-with-LaGuardia-Nursing-Students Wed, 30 Jul 2025 23:22:26 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/Healing-Through-Story-with-LaGuardia-Nursing-Students <img width="5760" height="3840" width_o="5760" height_o="3840" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/83c3f14b0b606d3efc835bd74e5dc47c153052b188ac16967e12c76a85bfb788/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_006_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" data-mid="236466807" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/83c3f14b0b606d3efc835bd74e5dc47c153052b188ac16967e12c76a85bfb788/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_006_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" /> <img width="5760" height="3840" width_o="5760" height_o="3840" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/77e847be11efff0742c1cf7e1b588ec4795110c98855df3eb9eca894d5c2d589/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_009_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" data-mid="236466832" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/77e847be11efff0742c1cf7e1b588ec4795110c98855df3eb9eca894d5c2d589/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_009_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" /> <img width="5760" height="3840" width_o="5760" height_o="3840" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c45c19ef45a7850b66cf3819e5c95d7d0c59c47dbd2fb5a84e389ebfcedabf29/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_007_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" data-mid="236466847" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c45c19ef45a7850b66cf3819e5c95d7d0c59c47dbd2fb5a84e389ebfcedabf29/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_007_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" /> <img width="5760" height="3840" width_o="5760" height_o="3840" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/29c81e5c14d2c0550879afa1a6ecff13ff56ebb425cc4f2515db5029edac558f/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_020_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" data-mid="236466833" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/29c81e5c14d2c0550879afa1a6ecff13ff56ebb425cc4f2515db5029edac558f/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_020_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" /> <img width="5205" height="3470" width_o="5205" height_o="3470" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/80655ff197cce601ceefbb9bcd97048b47386b06c1fa17b97bc2a7d9a869e8a6/PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_027_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" data-mid="236466837" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/80655ff197cce601ceefbb9bcd97048b47386b06c1fa17b97bc2a7d9a869e8a6/PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_027_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" /> <img width="5760" height="3840" width_o="5760" height_o="3840" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c68e7ef511f06253d8d35599ab68a664a99d7f79309c6568754541c450ca765e/PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_025_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" data-mid="236466842" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c68e7ef511f06253d8d35599ab68a664a99d7f79309c6568754541c450ca765e/PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_025_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" /> <img width="5760" height="3840" width_o="5760" height_o="3840" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2d70eaca926215969da9dd242e52cfc05e596b055ba40588fe820aac97725eea/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_004_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" data-mid="236466848" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2d70eaca926215969da9dd242e52cfc05e596b055ba40588fe820aac97725eea/Copy-of-PINK-FANG-JULY-2025_004_credit_Ryan-Prado.jpg" /> LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (July 14, 2025)—In July 2025, at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC) Pink Fang (formerly Ping Chong + Company) and the Nursing Department at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY are launching a unique arts-integrated residency designed to support graduating nursing students in their final semester called Healing Through Story.&nbsp; Through this partnership, Sara Zatz and C Meranda Flachs-Surmanek are working closely with nursing students enrolled in SCR280: Leadership and Delegation to explore their personal and professional journeys as they prepare to enter the workforce. Using Pink Fang’s interview-based methodologies and community engaged practices, students are guided through a creative process centered on narrative storytelling, intercultural communication, and self-reflection. “This collaboration is more than a performance it’s a space where students’ voices are elevated, their experiences are honored, and their leadership skills are deepened through the power of art.” - Handan Ozbilgin, Artistic Director of LPAC.The residency includes in-person workshop intensives and an online coaching session, culminating in a final public presentation of original, student-generated work. For nearly all of the participating students, this is their first ever theater workshop, and a rare opportunity to step outside the academic and clinical rigor of the intensive nursing program to get to know their classmates and to express both the joys and fears of their journey in the program. In their reflections, students shared “It was a great experience. I felt safe and supportive, and this workshop helped me to step out of my comfort zone” and “The workshop helped me to stay focused, be calm, and be supportive of my classmates.” We are honored to support the next generation of health care professionals through storytelling and community-building. Their stories remind us of the transformative power of care—and of being truly seen. The partnership will continue and evolve in Fall 2025. About Pink Fang:&nbsp;Pink Fang creates art at the intersection of performance, community building, and social change, continuing the ethos and artistic legacy of Ping Chong. Their work centers real stories, real people, and the transformative power of collective narrative. https://merandissime.com/Lippitt-Hill-Critical-Oral-History-Project Fri, 28 Apr 2023 13:18:42 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/Lippitt-Hill-Critical-Oral-History-Project <img width="2013" height="1542" width_o="2013" height_o="1542" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/20b288b15ab1e3b42d1aba37efc9d4061b52cd226f7822082aec8a06fa4ba7a5/Critical-Oral-History.jpg" data-mid="215673930" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/20b288b15ab1e3b42d1aba37efc9d4061b52cd226f7822082aec8a06fa4ba7a5/Critical-Oral-History.jpg" /><img width="1930" height="1930" width_o="1930" height_o="1930" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0538d53d2ee68921b47dbcaa1db4cc958b9aefbd7f9f87ee7463f10dfbff65dd/download.png" data-mid="222603838" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0538d53d2ee68921b47dbcaa1db4cc958b9aefbd7f9f87ee7463f10dfbff65dd/download.png" />Image 1: Dannie Ritchie at the May 2024 Critical Oral History event Image 2: Rites and Reason Theatre’s play The Providence Garden Blues Lippitt Hill Critical Oral History Project I facilitate engaged scholarship and help organize an effort led by Dannie Ritchie (MD, MPH) and community members to document stories about—and take action on—displacement, urban renewal, land use, spatial justice and the current housing crisis in Providence, Rhode Island. Our focus is Providence’s East Side, where thriving predominantly Black and multi-racial communities faced city-sanctioned, federally subsidized displacement (also called urban renewal) in the 1950’s and 1960’s.Past work to preserve the stories of the East Side’s Black families has led to murals and events for people to gather, document and tell stories. Actor and historian&nbsp;Sylvia Ann Soares shared a powerful performance at one of these events. Through Community Health Innovations of RI, an organization Dannie founded to work with communities to advance community health, we are creating more vehicles to share the stories of Black Families from the East Side - Mt Hope and Lippitt Hill.&nbsp; History: Approximately 80% of the 57-acre bulldozed parcel were homes to Black residents. The new neighborhood was built to accommodate 13% Black tenants. The City celebrated this statistic by comparing it to Providence’s overall 8% Black population, classifying the area racially integrated. You can read more here and here. Our Work: We want to reframe hegemonic stories to activate a more nuanced and evocative perception of history. At our events, we use critical oral histories to look at how urban removal is understood and how it was responded to by people impacted and their descendants. We use a multi-sensory aproach. We pay special attention to food, music, and arts-based storytelling. At our workshops, we read George Houston Bass’ 1970’s play The Providence Garden Blues. The play is based on interviews with 80 seniors in Providence about their lives against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement and the urban renewal projects that destroyed the East Side.Using a desire-centered approach, rather than documenting pain and brokenness to hold power accountable, we contribute to preserving new foundational stories that can reshape how we relate to Lippitt Hill and the broader effects of urban renewal. In May 2023, after a year of project development, Dannie, Rochelle Lee, April Brown, Virginia Thimas, Justice Ameer, Marijoan Bull, and I co-hosted our first semi-public critical oral history event for 15 invited community members with direct experience of urban renewal. The event was documented by filmmaker Don Mays.&nbsp; Our Future: We are raising funds to create a documentary film and develop popular education workshops that bring older adults and young people together to respond to urban renewal’s legacy. https://merandissime.com/Making-Space-for-Youth Fri, 02 Aug 2024 17:59:14 +0000 Merandissime https://merandissime.com/Making-Space-for-Youth <img width="468" height="614" width_o="468" height_o="614" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/748563dadbf4dacccbbb638812377304e7e8ed70f08e4e98a7bd773d7c8a751e/Making-Space-Image-1.png" data-mid="215725513" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/468/i/748563dadbf4dacccbbb638812377304e7e8ed70f08e4e98a7bd773d7c8a751e/Making-Space-Image-1.png" /> People living in New York City public and affordable housing deserve to rest, gather, and grow in their communities. Making Space for Youth is a storytelling and advocacy project developed in collaboration with the Committee for Independent Community Action (CICA), RedHook NeighborhoodSTAT and City Polytechnic High School. Making Space&nbsp;centers the needs and power of youth in public housing’s future in NYC. <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0507b6eadb559afe8236f41f4b1bb13f52d20b3f431f146ce34845590010bdc4/Surmanek_Photo-2.JPG" data-mid="236467243" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0507b6eadb559afe8236f41f4b1bb13f52d20b3f431f146ce34845590010bdc4/Surmanek_Photo-2.JPG" /> From September 2023 through June 2024, as a Forefront Fellow at the Urban Design Forum, I worked with urban designers and community organizers Camillia Brown, Amy Obonaga, Eamon O'Connor, Gina Massari, Janaira Ramirez, and Melody Stein on community-based research and advocacy. We collaborated with longtime organizers at the Committee for Independent Community Action (CICA) who have been fighting to safeguard NYC public housing, building a grassroots movement to oppose the encroaching privatization of public housing. Together, we held public workshops and offered a four-part scaffolded workshop with City Polytechnic High School. <img width="4032" height="3024" width_o="4032" height_o="3024" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/48f75119e8cb301e3bd9d761fc93cf426ce2257e4ea295a03f8b204884cff9b3/Youth-Centered-Spatial-Futures--NYCHA.jpg" data-mid="215725508" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/48f75119e8cb301e3bd9d761fc93cf426ce2257e4ea295a03f8b204884cff9b3/Youth-Centered-Spatial-Futures--NYCHA.jpg" /> Courtney Symone Staton performing at a public engagement workshop at Brooklyn Heights Library Our report and workshop curriculum, developed with CICA organizers, students at City Polytechnic High School, and subject matter experts, proposes pathways for youth and NYCHA communities to collaborate and advocate for improved quality, communication and accountability in the design, construction, operations and management of public housing. &nbsp; The curriculum we developed provides a framework for a growthful, skills-building, 4-part workshop series that brings youth into conversation with organizers about the future of our cities and our neighborhoods. It develops skills in urban planning, urban design, advocacy, and organizing. It also offers one approach to creating community-accountable designs, and developing civically engaged creative projects in public. &nbsp; <img width="4200" height="2800" width_o="4200" height_o="2800" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d700dc574f8815e2b6014fdb7ed716218d282428f15fc8e2a72a6f9587b38528/529_SLC08236.jpg" data-mid="215725482" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d700dc574f8815e2b6014fdb7ed716218d282428f15fc8e2a72a6f9587b38528/529_SLC08236.jpg" />