WE ARE HUDSON
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3pm - 5pm | Ages 10 - 15 | October - December 2014
How can we have a voice in shaping our city? Civic engagement and youth leadership in action. A collaboration between Perfect Ten After School, Kite's Nest, and Camphill Hudson.
OUR SOLIDARITY STATEMENT
We stand in solidarity with the people of Ferguson, New York City, and communities everywhere who live in fear of being attacked for no reason. We are angry and we are fed up.
We are against police brutality. A badge does not equal absolute authority. Police should not have the ability to decide if someone dies. Killing should not be an option. We are against racism because racism just perpetuates more violence. After enduring so many years of slavery and overcoming it, we all shouldn't be comfortable with the violence against innocent black people. Like Martin Luther King Jr., we dream. We are caged birds that sing. And we want to be free birds that dream, for life and liberty.
We are making our voices heard. Treat all people equally. Be nice. One of us said that protesting made her feel important for the first time as a black person. That should not be the only time a black person feels important. We stand as one. It is important to be out there together. The violence stops here. We can keep each other safe.
-- We Are Hudson
We Are Hudson is a collaborative after school program with participants from Perfect Ten Afterschool, Kite’s Nest and Camphill Hudson. Over the course of nine weeks together, we worked to understand the people, rules, and systems that impact our lives, families, and neighborhoods. In conversation with people in government, on the street, and with one another, we asked: what are the problems affecting our communities, and what do people care about? What are we willing to stand up for? What is the role of our public officials and what do they do? And what can we do -- as community members, as people with special needs, and as young people? How can we organize to address issues through individual and collective action? How can we have a voice in local government and decision-making?
Together, we explored how our voices, ideas and actions can make a difference in our communities. A workshop with LJ Amsterdam, in collaboration with Perfect Ten After School and Camphill Hudson.
