The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Pamela Brown

Westchester Youth Alliance: Fostering Connection Among Youth & the Community

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Building bridges. Creating diverse communities. The youth in Westchester are coming together to learn about themselves while creating the world they want to live in. “We’re looking to help kids as they graduate high school to have a bigger world view when they enter college or the workforce, so when they move into a community and meet someone from a different background they can have a positive knowledge base to draw on and interact in a respectful and compassionate manner,” said Nisa Geller, Executive Director of the Westchester Youth Alliance (WYA).

Established in 2012, WYA connects high school students from diverse communities of faith, race, and identity and engages them in conversation, mobilizes them in community service, and empowers them to create a better, culturally informed world. “We feel it’s important for teenagers to have civil conversations with people who are different from them – different towns, different socio-economic backgrounds, different racial and religious backgrounds – and to have empathy and compassion for them,” said Geller. “This allows students to make friendships outside of their community. We facilitate the conversations using ice breakers and a curriculum that’s designed to break down stereotypes and stigma.”

For Monday Lerner, a sophomore at Scarsdale High School, spending time with the WYA is the best part of the week. “The community and social justice work we do inspires me to be a better person and think more about my community every day,” said Lerner. “The community of people I’ve met in WYA has been a lifeboat in the rough sea of high school and I’m grateful for their support.”

WYA’s THREE PILLARS

WYA has served 425 teens from 28 Westchester high schools and over 25 religious institutions and is growing in Southern Westchester. WYA’s curriculum of programming includes community service, educational opportunities, social justice activities, and recreational events, all based on three pillars: Nurturing Voice (active listening and respectful disagreement); Building Community (designing a better future); and Taking Action (working collaboratively to be agents of change). “We also teach these pillars so when students leave they feel they know who they are, how to get along with other people, and they’re a clear communicator in getting their message across in a civil and respectful way,” explained Geller.

The teens learn with and from each other through productive dialogue and engaging events and activities that include service projects, art projects, and regular gatherings to connect, reflect, and plan. Also, WYA organizes a variety of large-scale events, focused experiences, and guided discussions based on themes determined by teen members. Events are open to all teens at no cost. Recent issues of importance include mental health, food insecurity, gun violence, and climate change.

Emiliana Knauer, a senior at The Harvey School in Katonah, describes her time at WYA as a phenomenal experience. “While I may have initially joined the group as someone very hesitant to assume leadership positions due to lack of self-confidence, I’ll be leaving with the experiences of displaying a photography project at the Bedford Playhouse, working a booth at the Yorktown Pride Festival, speaking at a fundraising event, and even starting my school’s first feminist club,” she said. “I have so many fun and meaningful memories associated with WYA, and I’m incredibly grateful I had the chance to be part of the organization.”

WYA partners with a variety of not-for-profit organizations to offer hands-on community-service events. Students have cooked meals to feed the homeless, sorted toys for Toys for Tots, harvested vegetables at Hanover Hilltop Farm, and built affordable housing for low-income families. Throughout summer, members attend local events to share the WYA mission.

“We want students to be agents of change in their community,” said Geller. “We want them to realize they see a problem in their community they can take action on it, or if they see a need in their community, they can help make things better.”

Michelle Jones, a senior at White Plains High School, shares how the nonprofit has provided her with opportunities to collaborate with her peers and help the community. “I’ve learned to manage my time better and assume more responsibilities,” said Jones. “My first encounter with WYA was at a gardening event. I was quickly accepted into the group and felt like I belonged. WYA is a great place to find friends all the while bettering your community.”

That’s the goal of WYA. “We want to expand the students’ possibilities and network of people,” said Geller. “It’s very exciting for the teens and for the organizations that we help as well.”

Upcoming Events at the WYO

May 7 – Planting day at Hilltop Hanover Farm, Yorktown Heights

Students will be helping the farmers in the fields, weeding, picking (and sampling) fresh produce, making signage, pruning, and more. Experienced kids, passionate about plant care, will help care for more delicate plants.

June 11 – Yorktown For Justice: Pride 2023 Festival

All students welcome! Gather for the march and from 3-6 p.m. enjoy performances, speakers, vendors, food trucks, and activities.

June 18 – 12th annual Juneteenth Celebration at Depew Park, Peekskill

Juneteenth Tabling with the City of Peekskill’s Youth Bureau Celebrate the day as local performers are joined by youth groups who will will proudly strut their talents throughout the afternoon.

TBA – September – Bonfire Open House kick-off for the 2024 season at Pound Ridge Reservation

Register at westchesteryouthalliance.org

Why the County’s Commitment to Prevent Homelessness is Working

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No one should be without a home.

County leaders fighting homelessness: Leonard Townes (left) and Craig Wong

Westchester County is on a mission to prevent the county’s most vulnerable families and individuals from homelessness. “The economy has picked up in Westchester in terms of how expensive it is to live here, and most people’s incomes haven’t matched that. It’s a blessing to know opportunities exist to be in a home,” says Leonard G. Townes, Commissioner of Westchester Department of Social Services (DSS). “We are doing all we can to keep our homeless numbers low,” he says. To ensure that, Westchester County has helped over 200 individuals and families in the county find leases for permanent homes through the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program, made available through the American Rescue Plan Act.

“The program came out at a time when there was a challenge to our national economy. It wasn’t just a simple one- or two- year program. The benefit of the voucher is for nine years so it secures them in housing for an extremely long time which is uncommon. That makes it special,” says Towne. “We’ve had a decline in homelessness over the years, but our numbers are starting to go back up little by little.”

Westchester leads all New York State counties in using the Federal plan to prevent homelessness. “We are more than proud about that level of success. It’s always been a challenge to house people throughout Westchester County. These opportunities don’t come around too often where we get support in housing our individuals,” says Townes. “Westchester County is a very wealthy county and it’s challenging for lower earning people to find housing here. Our goal is to identify housing available, help people find housing close to where they work, and also provide them with the supports to make it possible.”

The program has specific criteria to identify those most at risk of homelessness and in need of safe, stable homes, such as individuals and families who are homeless, at-risk of homelessness, fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability.

According to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, the county had serious concerns about the impact of Covid and the most vulnerable being able to stay in their homes when Covid arose. “By staying ahead of the curve and using all available resources to keep people from homelessness, we’re not only preventing human tragedy for those individuals and families, but we’re reducing the social and economic costs of homelessness for everyone in Westchester,” he says. “In the end, government programs are only as good as our ability to execute on them.”

The county’s success rate is attributed to diligent advanced planning by the County’s Department of Social Services and the County’s partner in the program, WESTHAB, a nonprofit agency that develops affordable and supportive housing, operates homeless shelters, and provides youth programs and employment services. “WESTHAB has done a tremendous job in helping us along with the program. When the state made us aware of EVH, it was all hands-on deck. We pulled together as a community organization and government organization to really make this a success. We want to serve the population with whatever funding and programming is released,” says Craig Wong, WESTHAB Program Administrator in Homeless Services. The County’s proactive response to processing applications places Westchester in a position to help even more people as additional federal application slots become available.

“Westchester County is really looking at making sure that affordable housing is being built throughout the state and we’re trying our best to look at all land and space opportunities to create additional housing,” says Townes. “Our team and their level of commitment and the partnerships we have are meeting the needs of the people we serve and that makes me proud. People are really helping the communities of Westchester County, but we have to zone in on more community support in developing housing.”

The work goes beyond providing homes to retaining their housing. Wong explains DSS has developed a thorough follow-up care program. “A lot of these folks have never had their own place before so there is a feeling of elation, but they also have that apprehension of how they will be able to keep their home,” he says. “We have a really cohesive team of DSS workers in place who can help them manage, whether it’s budgeting or accessing services or community organizations to help them succeed. We also have a Continuum of Care Board whose goal is to end homelessness as well as hundreds of people and dozens of agencies who have the mindset and the heart to help.”

Offering stability to families and individuals is important especially around the holidays. “Everyone wants to be home for the holidays, so it’s a great time to have this initiative come into play,” says Townes. “The holiday season is always a time when people tend to think a little bit more about other people and how they’re doing. To know that we are helping people establish a home and have their own private dwelling and that opportunities exist for people to move their lives forward is a blessing. If you can get in your first home now and celebrate the holidays, there’s nothing like that feeling.”

Classic Nursery Rhymes Infused with Compassion

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Three Kind Mice. Baa Baa Bright Sheep. Ring Around Sweet Roses.

Pam Gittleman

We’re all familiar with the classic nursery rhymes that have been around for years and offer nostalgic appeal, but Pam Gittleman thought it was time to put a new spin on them. “They’ve been a standard part of early childhood for their memorability and musicality, their whimsical characters and rhyming benefits, but I noticed fewer kids were familiar with them in recent years and discovered that millennial parents and caregivers were avoiding them due to their outdated, dark, inappropriate and, in some cases, downright cringeworthy content,” says Gittleman, a Chappaqua resident and preschool music teacher who developed Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times,™ a collection of updated children’s rhymes with music that nurture kindness, empathy, and gratitude.

Gittleman kept the characters and rhyme schemes but re-crafted new storylines. “Many teachers and parents had no desire to sing about Three Blind Mice whose tails get cut off by a carving knife or Baa Baa Black Sheep who has a master and a dame,” she says. “I saw an opportunity to leverage the inherent appeal of those rhymes to convey socially responsible messaging that would appeal and be appropriate to today’s young parents/teachers/caregivers and the children they love.” In Three Kind Mice, the mice help each other get the cheese, and when Humpty Dumpty falls down, his friends help him up and put on a Band-Aid.

Raffi, the famous children’s composer/performer, and his collaborator, Lindsay Munroe, released an album featuring 15 of Gittleman’s rhymes. “It was a dream come true,” she says. “I knew my desire to have the updated rhymes nurture kindness, empathy and gratitude dovetailed with Raffi’s Foundation for Child Honouring that includes principles focused on emotional intelligence, conscious parenting, and respectful love.

“Having him record my rhymes seemed like the perfect way to create synergy with what he stands for and to provide a vehicle for him and Lindsay to continue on their music-making trajectory in support of promoting kindness for all.” Raffi mainly uses a ukulele but also incorporates the harp, clarinets, violins, bassoon, and a trumpet. “Those choices create a light, airy feel to the music that supports the whimsy and enchantment of the stories and characters.”

Growing up in a musical family playing piano, guitar and flute, coupled with a 20-year career as a preschool music teacher honed Gittleman’s creative and educational skills. But it was when she participated in Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative in 2020-2021, which allowed her to take courses at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, that she deepened her knowledge of early childhood education, especially regarding social and emotional learning (SEL).

“Achievement, competition, and performance tend to be valued and rewarded more than kindness, caring and compassion,” says Gittleman, noting a ‘caring deficit’ in society. “The foundation for building soft skills, such as teamwork, collaboration, and empathy, starts with the right messaging and teaching of those skills in childhood. I wanted to create something that could be paired with research-based SEL tools but could be cheaply and easily integrated into daily routines in school and in homes that would help build and reinforce emotional intelligence.”

Believing SEL tends to get shortchanged in school, Gittleman’s mission is to help make the early childhood education landscape more equitable. “There’s a wealth of research on how much growth and development occurs in the first five years of life. What and how we teach our children during that time impacts their cognitive, social, emotional, and academic well-being for years to come,” she explains.

“Quality early childhood education is elusive for many, particularly for underserved families who don’t have the knowledge and/or socioeconomic capital to access programs built on evidence-based early childhood practices.” Gittleman doesn’t expect the rhymes to be life changing, but she hopes her memorable, easy content will create an opportunity for teaching SEL skills, nurturing positive relationships, and promoting kindness, empathy, and gratitude.

In the future, Gittleman hopes to publish a book of the rhymes and have her work available to schools and families. “It’s always been my intention for Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times™ to provide a multi-modal experience for children and the adults who love them using illustrations, story and music,” she says. “I hope to continue to provide easy and fun ways for adults and the preschoolers they love to build relationships on a foundation of kindness.”

Three Kind Mice

Trad., Adapted by Pam Gittleman & Raffi
© 2022 Homeland Publishing

Three kind mice (three kind mice)
See how they run (see how they run)
They help each other to get some cheese
Asking nicely by saying “please”
Sharing with friends and families
Three kind mice

Three kind mice (three kind mice)
See how they play (see how they play)
They share their books and share their toys
They’re kind to animals, girls, and boys
When they’re happy they make some noise
Three kind mice

Jack And Jill

Trad., adapted by Pam Gittleman & Raffi
© 2022 Homeland Publishing

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and began to frown
‘Til Jill helped him feel better

Giggling they did laugh and play
And filled the pail with water
They took turns to carry it back
Helping one another

Rock-A-Bye Baby

Trad., adapted by Pam Gittleman & Raffi
© 2022 Homeland Publishing

Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top
When the wind blows the cradle will rock
When the branch bends, brother peeks in
And says Hi to baby with love and a grin

Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top
When the wind blows the cradle will rock
When the branch swings, sister will tell
A sweet bedtime story, to help you sleep well

To learn more, visit forkindertimes.com. It includes videos and educational resources for many of the rhymes, as well as information about the Raffi album. The album is available on all major music platforms and on Raffi’s website: raffinews.com/store/childrens-music/nursery-rhymes-for-kinder-times/

Remembering and Honoring Linda Zhang

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Linda Zhang was a determined young woman with a passion to save the world. She lived the statement – “be that one person” – knowing the power of one’s voice and actions to enact environmental change. Through her zero waste lifestyle, her influential writing, and insightful YouTube videos on sustainability, Linda inspired others to join her in protecting and preserving the planet for future generations. 

Unable to shoulder the responsibility of saving the world, Linda, at age 18, ended her life last year, but her advocacy and legacy endures through the nonprofit Linda J. Zhang Memorial Foundation, created by her parents, Mingbao Zhang and Li Tang. Its mission is to help protect the environment and fight the climate crisis by raising awareness and promoting positive actions and behaviors. “Linda had a heart of pure gold. She cared about people, children, animals. When she saw environmental challenges she felt the urgency to act,” said Zhang. “We created the Foundation to spread the work Linda began and fulfill her wish that society – all of humanity – face the climate crisis and help make the world better by changing how we live and reducing our carbon footprint.”  

Linda was devoted to her beliefs, shopping at thrift stores, teaching her parents how to live more environmentally-friendly, attending environment-related forums, and spearheading a campaign at Horace Greeley to replace bottled water with locally sourced water. To bring greater attention to her beliefs and the vital issues plaguing the world, Linda scheduled a letter to be mailed to the New York Times on the day after her death, explaining her desolate feelings, writing, ‘despite what we all know, the world still considers environmentalism to be something noble, something additional, rather than something necessary.’ 

Linda was heartsick and saddened that people failed to see what was happening in the world and felt she did not want to be part of it “reciting poetry even as the world is burning.’ Linda’s death placed the spotlight on how everyone needs to step up and have more empathy. “Everybody is busy with their daily lives, but our daughter was a thinker, a writer. She was way ahead of us in seeing what was happening. She was proud of her work with the environment and we were really proud of her,” said Zhang.  

To strengthen the connection between Linda’s talent in writing and commitment to the environment, the first inaugural Linda J. Zhang Award for Writing Achievement was presented this summer to Horace Greeley High School senior Erica Dunne. “Linda was very creative, and we encouraged and supported her writing,” said her parents, noting Linda was a gifted writer, an honor student at the Hoff Barthelson music school, and was the recipient of numerous honors and regional and national awards for her writing, including a Scholastic gold medal in poetry in 2018 and a Claudia Ann Seaman Award for Fiction in 2019. 

In addition, Linda was an alumnus of several major national workshops for young writers including the highly selective and prestigious Iowa Young Writers Studio and the Kenyon Young Writers Workshop. In addition, the Foundation also worked with Horace Greeley to set up the Linda J. Zhang Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Award that is given annually to two graduating seniors in recognition of their outstanding leadership in environmental and sustainability issues and to encourage other students. 

As the school year begins, Linda’s parents recall how their daughter loved school and enjoyed working at the Chappaqua Library as a student volunteer and later as a paid page until graduation, and teaching piano at a local charity music program for less-privileged children. To honor Linda, the library will be creating Linda’s Corner. “It will be a special place to encourage more young people to write, think about the environment, and use their talents to advocate like Linda did,” said Tang. 

To appreciate her Asian-American heritage, in 2019 Linda traveled to a remote area in China to teach English, art, and music to elementary school children, she taught herself Korean language, and she appreciated Chinese art. “Linda was a curious person and always wanted to be part of bigger things. When she was little, every week we went to the library, and she always brought bags of books home. She always carried a notebook and put down her thoughts about people and places,” said Tang.     

Through the Foundation Linda’s parents hope to mobilize others to do their part to save the world. “Before she brought these concepts to us, we didn’t realize it, but now we stop and think and you start making the change and it becomes part of your routine. By doing it we are reducing waste,” said Zhang. Linda asked others to respect the planet, be kind, and live a life of good intentions so future generations can thrive. 

“Young people’s voices are strong. Linda cared passionately for the world and she could have done so much. We need to keep conversation about climate change alive and mobilize more people to spread the word,” said Zhang. “Linda wanted to do something meaningful and was always helping and advocating everywhere she could,” added Tang. “We really, really miss her.”   

For more information on the Foundation, visit: https://lindazhangfoundation.org or https://www.facebook.com/LindaZhangFoundation/

Chappaqua Acts for the Environment

A group inspired by Linda, Chappaqua Acts for the Environment was founded by Chappaqua residents Susan Rubin, Tara Walsh, and Amy Barone. According to its website, its mission is to be emotionally supportive while delivering honest climate change information and education based on scientific facts and projections, and to provide survival skills through training and tools to the Chappaqua community. “So many people were devastated by Linda’s death and want to do something,” said Li Tang who does not want her daughter to have died in vain. Zhang agrees. “It’s bittersweet. This group will carry on her legacy. People are encouraged by her and will carry on what she started.”

Survival of the Fittest: Two Programs Offer Lifelong Skills

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If you ever found yourself lost in the wilderness, would you know what to do? The natural environment is a complex place and it takes knowledge, confidence, and first-hand experience to survive.

The popular television show Survivor puts the spotlight on contestants who use their instincts to survive in a remote location. Since then, similar reality shows have gained in popularity, including Running Wild with Bear Grylls where the Irish adventurer takes celebrities into the wilderness for 48 hours and teaches them survival techniques. Also, The Weather Channel’s SOS: How to Survive features true stories of people battling severe weather elements and provides tips from a survival expert on how to overcome dangerous situations.

PHOTOS BY ZACH FISHER

7th graders making fire

You don’t have to be on these shows to challenge your skills against the natural world. To learn what it’s like to survive in nature, the town of New Castle Recreation & Parks is offering two wilderness survival programs, Primitive Survival Skills and the First 24. They will take place in Gedney Park in April. “I’m always looking for out-of-the-box programming. These classes are hands-on learning and get kids outside. The kids really like that,” said Bill Garrison, Assistant Superintendent of the Town of New Castle.

Oliver Jacobs, 10, of Chappaqua, attended both classes. “I’m interested in survival and read a lot of books on it. I thought it was really fun to learn survival skills. We played games and they all had something to do with nature and sometimes animals,” said Jacobs who learned how to make a waterproof shelter using sticks and leaves. “All the kids built it together. I felt kind of proud of myself and the people in my group,” he said. Other benefits were making new friends and learning from the instructor. “I would recommend anyone to take the class because it’s a lot of fun, you learn important survival skills, and you learn things you can do to respect nature.”

The programs were created and led by Zach Fisher of Patterson, who is a primitive skills educator and licensed N.Y. State Guide, and also Wilderness First Responder Certified. His experiences have given him a greater understanding of himself, others, and man’s relationship with the natural world. “I think this is an invaluable experience to go along with skills that can potentially be life-saving. In addition, there’s a direct correlation between someone’s understanding of nature and their desire to conserve it, so this is also part of my duty toward the preservation of our valuable wild resources,” said Fisher.

Primitive Survival Skills

Primitive Survival Skills, an after-school program for children in grades 5-8, offers practical instruction and hands-on activities on wilderness survival that involve survival skills, sense awareness, team projects, motor skills and more. Some of the fun, educational activities include making foraged tea, playing games, talking about plants and trees and tracking animals. “It’s tons of fun and we laugh a lot. We do a lot of game playing and joking around, but I make sure to include a lot of useful content at the same time,” said Fisher. “I also include at least one lecture on an essential skill, like shelter building or fire-making. Depending on the program, I might include a long-term project, like making a bow, a basket, or a bone knife.”

Rose Kory, 11, and her sister Natasha, 10, also took Primitive Skills. “If you want to learn about using your senses and getting more in touch with nature, you’ll enjoy this class,” said Rose. She learned skills such as starting a fire and making a bow and arrow. Her sister Natasha said, “I liked that you do team work plus I made a friend.” Marcus Arnold, 10, of Chappaqua, decided to take Primitive Skills because he was interested in learning about survival too. “I made a house in the wild using sticks, leaves and moss. We all did it together. It was a very fun experience to work with other people,” said Marcus.

At the end of the program, the children come away with useful information. “They leave with a foundational knowledge of what it takes to survive in a wilderness setting, a bunch of new games, and a heightened awareness and respect for the world around them,” explained Fisher, referencing the important bond between man and nature. “I think we are all experiencing a bit of separation anxiety in regards to our relationship with nature. People want to feel safe in the natural world and these classes help them feel a little more prepared.” The program ends with a skills-based competition and awards ceremony.

First 24

The First 24 is a one-day program featuring primitive and modern skills to help you survive within the first 24 hours of being lost in a wilderness situation. The hands-on program is geared to adults and youths (minimum age 10). “This course is designed for people who spend some time in nature, whether it be hiking, backpacking or for work,” said Fisher. Families who are outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to attend. Some of the games and demonstrations include map, trail and compass reading; making a survival kit; building a debris shelter and fire structures; lighting techniques; how to communicate if lost; and water filtration and disinfection. 

As an adult attending the program, Milton Roman, of Yonkers, appreciated Fisher’s knowledge and experience. “He’s compassionate and willing to let you express yourself. What was nice was it was generations working together to divide the skills. It was a group experiential activity and more exciting. It has a process and an end result,” said Roman. “With the guidance of Zach, your view becomes wider and this gives them [kids] an opportunity to see what nature is like. You see the world in a different perspective.” At the conclusion, participants have many take-aways. “They’ll have an advanced understanding of what to do if they get lost in the woods, a new set of skills, and hopefully a respect and reverence for the natural world,” said Fisher.

Overall the classes encourage participants to expand their world. “I try my best to get people to go outside of their comfort zone, to get dirty, hands-on, to ask lots of questions and be involved in the process,” he said. “I try to create the feeling of community, which I think is one the most essential parts of life.”

Registration begins March 12. For more information and to register online, visit mynewcastle.org or call the Town of New Castle Recreation & Parks at (914) 238-3909.