NextGen Green stitch Program by Cory van Gelder Reflections from Greenstitch Alumni (Part III) I’m excited to share the final part of this series featuring Greenstitch Alumni reflec- tions on how their time with Greenstitch has shaped their lives. Greenstitch Youth Climate Action focuses on creating community events that bring climate education to life through art, creativity, and hands-on experiences. Greenstitch Youth Climate Action started as a component of the Community Center’s NextGen program in 2019. I hope you enjoy these hopeful testaments about how their experiences are rippling out into the world.
for the environment by working as a kayak guide in San Diego while also attending school. I don’t know where my career will take me but Greenstitch left me with an underlying love for climate activism that will guide my future jobs.
Julia Ng-Heth
Greenstitch taught me that you can find empowerment just by being around moti- vated, big-thinking young adults. It’s been five years since I participated in the pro- gram and I still have honestly never felt more inspired, optimistic and capable, in regards to facing the climate crisis. Brainstorming with Cory about ways to involve the arts, and appeal to people’s pathos to get them to pay attention to the crises we
Ben de Andrade
Last year, I graduated from the NYU Tisch school of the arts, with a BFA in dance. Even after many years away from the program, my time with Greenstitch has driven how I think about dance and activism. Particularly when we were creating the
are facing and the opportuni- ties we have to address them, are moments that guide me when I’m feeling apathetic, unmotivated or helpless. Earlier this year Cory gifted me a copy of All We Can Save by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, the hope and community reflected in that book acts like a little portable source of Greenstich inspiration that has provided me with much need- ed empowerment in recent times. I’ll always be grateful for the feeling of capability that Greenstitch gave me, and that it guided me to stick with the environmental path through college. I am a senior at The University of Vermont in Burlington soon to be graduating with a degree called Sustainability, Ecology and Polic
Greenstitch mural, I really saw this deep connection that art has with the earth. In NYC, where it is a lot harder to be in connection with the nature around me, dancing has allowed me to nurture a connection to the earth. One great example of the union of nature, art and architecture is an artifi- cial forested area off one of NYC’s piers named Little Island. Concrete posts lift out of the sea and converge into a beautiful park with an amphitheater that hosts many different types of per- formances ranging from music concerts to dance performances. It is a place that reframes the things around us and gives us a chance to have a different perspec- tive on our relationship with nature. For me, watching something on an out- door stage brings everything together. Even if what is on stage isn’t directly referencing the surrounding environ- ment, the breath of the space allows the audience to connect to the art. The rus- tling of leaves in the air, the sensation of the wind, and the sound of lapping water all contribute to the audience being able to open up to the message that the art is giving to them.
Ané Pallman
When I got into UC San Diego I changed my major 4 times. I didn’t know what I wanted to study. Then I thought back to what learning experiences I enjoyed most in high school. I loved my environmental science class and government and litera- ture, but what I loved most about my high school experience wasn’t a class at all but my internship with Greenstitch. Greenstitch turned my love for the natural environ- ment into a love for climate activism. Through Greenstitch I found my environmen- tal studies minor. Since I graduated from Greenstitch I’ve been continuing my love
Climate Fest is happening on Sunday, April 19th!
Change Project for the Planet by Ocean Ely 8th Grader at Lagunitas Community School
I am hosting a clothing swap and movie night at the Community Center with Greenstitch for my Change Project actions. The clothing swap will be on Saturday, March 14th, 2026. It will be a community-wide event encouraging everyone to bring pre-loved clothes to swap. There will be a Repair Fair with a mending bar presented by the Reuse Alliance, and food and drinks to refresh. The impact is not only the clothes saved from the landfill — it’s the awareness and experience that people will take away. The movie night will be Saturday, April 4th, 2026. It will be an indoor event fea- turing the film Do I Need This? , made by a local woman, Kate Shurmerhorn, on the topic of overconsumption. It will be a cozy, one-hour film from 7:00 p.m.– 8:00 p.m.; doors will open at 6:00 p.m. for pizza, popcorn, drinks, and desserts. Our goal is to spread awareness in a fun and interactive way, with a community environment. Our impact will be measured by the amount of support and enjoy- ment, with the little wins like fixing a shirt or swapping out jeans. Every little thing helps, and that is the only way to make a change.
I’m in 8th grade at Lagunitas Middle School. One of our big focuses this year as eighth graders is our “Change Proj- ect,” which centers on taking action around a topic we are passionate about. I am working on the problem of overcon- sumption and its effects on the planet. All my life I have cared deeply about the planet and the environment, and after learning about the amount of waste
that humans carelessly produce and consume without regulation, I knew this was important to me — and I instantly knew what my Change Project would be on. I have been working with Greenstitch and the San Geronimo Valley Community Center to make my actions happen. They have been extremely helpful in all of my interactions, and I am extremely grateful for getting to work with all of the lovely people in those organizations.
SGV Community Center Stone Soup Page 5
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