INTRODUCING PIE MEDIA LAB: AN OPEN STUDIO FOR DETROIT YOUTH

PIE is thrilled to announce PIE Media Lab: an open studio space to explore and cultivate imagination through fiber arts and media making as a tool for personal and collective liberation.

This offering will occur weekly on Thursdays from 4-6 at 487 West Alexandrine St. from March-June.

What to Expect: 

A youth-centered place to explore art and media making with Detroit-based Teaching Artists Cyrah Dardas and saylem celeste. Special guest teaching artists will come monthly to teach and mentor on specific mediums. Given our current context, we are prioritizing care, mentorship and deep connection- it will be a place to come together and explore freely while getting guidance from experienced artists. Attend as much as you are able. Pre-register here. Intended outcomes include:

• Relationship building ( with self, with land, with non human kin + with other artists)

• Learning about place and the life/ resources / materials that can be explored through a place-based fiber arts practice

• Learning media making skills through play by giving access to tools (i.e. iPads, cameras etc.) and skilled media artist instruction 

• Play + experimentation as a means to foster + protect imagination

• Safety, well-being and healing of all participants

FOR WHO? 

Detroit youth ages 13-17- All are welcome! Those with an interest in media, art, art-based healing and liberation are encourage to join.

WHEN? 

Thursdays from 4-6pm from March to June 2022

saylem making care kits for youth organizers

• March 10 

• March 17 

• March 24 

• April 7

• April 14 

• April 21

• April 28

• May 5

• May 12 

• May 19 

• May 26 

• June 2

WHERE?

487 West Alexandrine St. Detroit, MI .

Thank you to the Chalfonte House and Gallery for hosting us.

Safety: 

This program will take place in-person. To keep all youth and adults safe will be in following this COVID Guidelines: 

• Adult teaching artists will need a negative COVID test on program days 

• Adult teaching artists will be vaccinated against COVID-19 

• All participants will wear and be provided N95 masks 

• All youth will be screened for symptoms, anyone exhibiting symptoms will not be allowed to attend programming

• We will incorporate programming outside in the spring as possible 

• Each session will have a max of 10 students given the capacity of the space

Introducing: Radical Wellness for Education Leaders

APPLY NOW:

Radical Wellness for Education Leaders

We are pleased to announce a new training space: Radical Wellness for Education Leaders*.  This is a transformative and healing space for education leaders that supports their development of more human-centered workplaces and lives. We will be exploring questions like: What does radical wellness mean for education spaces? And what can leaders do to support healing and wellness? Apply now to join our inaugural cohort of Detroit-based educational leaders to deepen your leadership practice at the intersection of individual and collective wellness. 

*Education Leader = Anyone in traditional (i.e. schools) or nontraditional (i.e. afterschool/youth development) education spaces that hold a leadership or administrative position (i.e. principal, dean, Manager, Director etc.) 

Complete this short application by November 12, 2021. 

Details: 

What to expect: 

• Support for those in leadership roles to embrace humanizing and transformational practices in their schools/organizations and their own lives

• Increase the resilience of educators, lowering rates of burnout 

• Deep relationships that will support leaders throughout their career 

• Explore the intersection of power, leadership, and systemic change at the individual and institutional levels

• Support the implementation of a policy, practice or structure that sustains a wellness-centered culture

Commitment and Dates: 

This is an eight month long program from December 2021-June 2022 with monthly meetings (see dates below) in addition to offline readings, reflections and one-one conversations. The majority of meetings will be virtual with potential in-person sessions planned for the spring. Participants will receive a generous stipend and individual coaching sessions. 

Who should apply: 

We are seeking participants that identify as education leaders in the city of Detroit. We define education leaders as anyone in traditional (i.e. schools) or nontraditional (i.e. afterschool/youth development) education spaces that hold a leadership or administrative position (i.e. Principal, Dean, Manager, Director etc.). Applicants should be interested in reflecting on their leadership, reimagining what wellness means and shifting conditions in their education spaces to be more humanizing. If you have any questions, please reach out at pie@alliedmedia.org.  

APPLY HERE BY Nov 12!!

Live Session Program Dates:

• December 4, 2021: 12:00-3:00pm (zoom)

• December 5, 2021: 12:00-3:00pm (zoom)

• January 16, 2022: 1:00-3:00 pm (zoom)

• February  20, 2022: 1:00- 3:00 pm (zoom)

• March 20, 2022: 10:00am-4:00pm (in person)

• April 10,  2022: 1:00- 3:00 pm (zoom)

• May 15, 2022: 1:00- 3:00 pm (zoom)

• June 5, 2022: 11:00am-2:00pm (in person)

It’s Okay to Go Slow

It’s Okay to Go Slow: 

Reflections from Rida 2020

“Empowering, humanizing, deeply moving, doable in the world of 2020 screen time overload!”

— 2020 Rida Participant

Like so much of 2020, the Rida Institute looked and felt different this year. We carried a theme of community care as we ventured to move Rida online. We gathered 24 educators from Detroit and across the country to create a community of support during an uniquely challenging year. The most notable change while moving online was slowing down and spreading the annual intensive retreat across four weekends in the fall instead of one summer weekend. Over those first four months we cared for each other as we managed the challenging beginning and end of the first semester of school during a pandemic.

Reflections from a Facilitation Fellow: 

“As adults we don’t have the luxury to be curious… to stop to ask questions. But real collaboration comes from curiosity ”

— Kiarra, PIE Facilitator

Another major change included hosting our first Rida Facilitation Fellow, Kiarra Ambrose who joined us on the Rida 2020 journey. Kiarra is a Rida alum, educator extraordinaire and Math Training and Support Coordinator at Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD). The goal of the fellowship was to support Rida Institute while investing in and growing the skills of the fellow. After Rida ended, Kiarra reflected that she gained a deeper understanding of humanizing facilitation practices including being more intentional about the ‘what’ and ‘why’, asking powerful questions and prioritizing people being present in the space. Her top lessons include: 

• It’s okay to go slow 

• Less is more 

• Let things unfold by holding space 

• Let people take what they need 

She is bringing her lessons into her work at DPSCD when creating training and development opportunities for math teachers. In particular, PIE’s core practices of connection and somatic centering are now routine in her work in the Math Department. The introduction of these techniques have been impactful and well received among her colleagues. Kiarra has seen more engagement and increased participation with the math teachers she supports. She has received positive feedback from participants who have vocalized appreciation for the shift in the learning environment. Since starting to use these practices, participants have built a stronger sense of community allowing them to be more vulnerable to make mistakes, push each other and change their minds. A radically simple shift continues to have a profound impact within her department. See above for Kiarra’s tips on humanizing adult learning spaces.