Welcome to the first issue of ROCA, the newsletter of the Maya Gold Foundation. You are receiving this because you provided your email address as a volunteer, donor, or when you ordered a ticket. Please know that we do not sell or lend any email addresses to third parties. Your address will only be used by us for this occasional newsletter and to contact you regarding events. You may unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of this email.
The name "ROCA', comes from a story told by Ana Alexander on October 4, 2016:
"On one level or another, we can all find something that connects us. Many of us are feeling the same hurt and overwhelming emotions, so today and in the days to follow, when feelings are being exchanged and you’re at a loss for words, say Roca and give ’em a smile."
PASS IT ON....SHARE OUR WORK....MAKE THE MISSION REAL....FORWARD THIS EMAIL
Ana's October 4 story in full.
Our Core Purpose in three simple words.
NATALIE MERCHANT TO HEADLINE OCTOBER BENEFIT CONCERT
BY MATHEW SWERDLOFF
On October 22, 2016, Natalie Merchant will be performing at the Studley Theater at SUNY New Paltz. The concert will serve as a fundraiser for the Maya Gold Foundation. All proceeds from the concert will support programs for teens in New Paltz and the surrounding areas, and be used to provide education and essentials to young people in Nepal. Please join us for this benefit concert featuring Natalie Merchant and a select group of musicians accompanying her. Confirmed artists joining Natalie include:
Tickets are available for balcony seating ($40.00), orchestra seating ($50.00) and premiere seating ($80.00). Tickets sold at the door on the day of the event receive a $10 surcharge. We recommend you purchase online in advance.
Doors open at 6:30 PM, the show starts at 7:00 PM.
If you own a business and are interested in sponsoring this event, please email info@mayagoldfoundation.org for a Sponsor Packet.
If you would like to volunteer to help make this event happen, complete this form.
Natalie Merchant will perform at the October 22 benefit concert.
THE CANDLE AND THE HEART FUNDRAISER AND FOUNDATION KICK-OFF A SUCCESS
BY MATHEW SWERDLOFF
On April 17, over six hundred people gathered to attend an afternoon concert to support the Maya Gold Foundation. The concert, entitled “The Candle and the Heart”, was our first major public event and fundraiser. Kim and Reggie Harris headlined the show along with Tom Chapin. Also performing were Simi Stone, Bill and Livia Vanaver, Evan Stover, Steve Bernstein, John Medeski, and Joanna Teters. Local teens performed with the Paul Green Rock Academy Show Band and the Vanaver Caravan Youth Dance Company. Rabbi Jonathan Kligler emceed the over two-hour long show, and it was a beautiful day in New Paltz. Volunteers included local teens, staff of the New Paltz Central School District, and community members. The event raised approximately $20,000, all of which will go to programs that support teens in New Paltz and young people in Nepal. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to our business and individual sponsors, our Concert Steering Committee, and of course the generous artists that donated their time and talent.
Teens from New Paltz, Woodstock and Stone Ridge performed at the concert.
The finale at the Candle and the Heart on April 17, 2016.
TEEN ADVISORY BOARD NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
BY MATHEW SWERDLOFF
Essential to our work is close involvement with teens and adults in our community, and stakeholders in Nepal. To facilitate this, we rely on a trusted Community Advisory Board, a Teen Advisory Board, as well as our Board of Directors. The purpose of the Maya Gold Foundation is to help teens thrive and therefore we need the ongoing input of the Teen Advisory Board to accomplish this goal in a way that speaks directly to all teens:
· The Teen Advisory Board is a group of teens that offers guidance and insight to our full Board.
· The Teen Advisory Board meets with a Board liaison throughout the year to assist in planning and implementing events and programs, offering feedback to the Foundation, and generating ideas for new initiatives.
· The Teen Advisory Board offers youth the opportunity to lead and to participate and grow through service.
Membership is open to young people aged 13-18 from New Paltz and surrounding areas, but 60% of the Teen Advisory Board seats are reserved for New Paltz residents. We seek a diverse Board and encourage all interested young people to apply.
Selection is made using a two-step process. Applicants should complete the form below. All applications will be reviewed "blind", without the name of the applicant. Then ten finalists will be selected to meet with the Board liaison for a brief screening interview.
All selected candidates will attend a Board Orientation session in the fall of 2016.
COMMUNITY SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP OFFERED
BY MATHEW SWERDLOFF
The Maya Gold Foundation is pleased to offer two Community Service Scholarships in support of the mission of the Foundation. A group of Board members, as part of the Scholarship Task Force, met over the last few months to design the scholarship initiative.
The scholarships are intended for New Paltz sophomores and juniors who are committed to participate in a community service project or service initiative aligned to the mission of the Foundation. The goal is to support two students in realizing this commitment with a $500.00 cash scholarship per student.
FOCUS GROUPS OF LOCAL TEENS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SUNY STUDENTS, NEW PALTZ YOUTH CENTER, AND THE GREATER NEW PALTZ COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
BY LYNN BARTLETT
In early April, Elise and I teamed up with several SUNY New Paltz students from Jessica Purcell’s psychology class. This meeting was designed to brainstorm the ways in which the college students could facilitate focus groups with teens at the New Paltz Youth Center, under the direction of Jim Tinger.
At our initial meeting, we discussed some of the issues relevant to teens, including social media, peer pressure, cyberbullying and “healthy” relationships. The cohort used these topics as a springboard from which to derive their questions. The SUNY students, with guidance from Jim, Elise and I, agreed to meet with the teens on April 27 to conduct their first round of focus groups. Marina Krupp, our SUNY liaison and a local resident, reported that the groups went well and that she and her classmates will compile the data and share it with us shortly.
We look forward to hearing the results, and we hope to apply their input to our future work with these students as well as teens in the future.
SUNY New Paltz students worked to develop and implement several teen focus groups in May.
THE WORK WE ARE DOING IN NEPAL
BY PAUL ALEXANDER
Maya was a young woman who cared deeply about other people, animals and many social issues. She had, at a young age, already chosen Nepal as the place she planned to go, right out of high school, to help orphans in any way she could. The Foundation has now taken on this work.
About two months ago the Nepal Task Force of the Maya Gold Foundation set out to research several aid organizations and to select which one would best meet our needs as a new foundation. We wanted an organization that could embody Maya’s vision of helping orphans in Nepal, that gets very impressive results in the field, and where a large percentage of the funds raised go directly to programs, not to administrative expenses. We also needed to select a group that was quite large and well established so we could select from a choice of programs that our donation would fund. We wanted our donation, during this first round of funding at least, to directly affect young girls in Nepal.
We finally settled on the Nepal Youth Foundation, and have already made a donation to support two specific programs. This donation will cover all costs for one year to support a young girl at the K House orphanage in Kathmandu. All food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education will be provided. In addition, we will fund one year of college level education for two recently freed Kamlari girls. The practice of Kamlari is a centuries-old system of indentured servitude embedded in the culture of rural Nepal. The Nepal Youth Foundation has been a driving force in outlawing this practice, but much needs to be done still.
The Nepal Youth Foundation’s mission in Nepal is closely aligned with ours in terms of helping young people with basic needs of education, clothing, shelter, and healthcare. They are committed to the rescue of girls who had been sold into slavery and to abolishing the practice of Kamlari going forward. More than 12,000 girls, some of whom had been enslaved since the age of six, have been rescued. They have been returned to their home communities, though many of them are now deeply wounded and lacking any education.
One of our board members, Kaline Kelly was in Nepal in May and did get to visit the orphanage and meet with staff members.
The Foundation is very excited to make a difference in three girls’ lives right now, and many more in the near future. We will keep you posted on future developments in Nepal.
Board member Kaline Kelly visited with the residents of K House in Kathmandu and met Som Paneru, Nepal Youth Foundation President to discuss our organizational partnership.
OUR FIRST TEEN PROJECT IN NEW PALTZ
BY ELISE GOLD
At the Foundation’s first board meeting, one board member suggested that we fund a project where teens engage in making art. “Let it be a piece in which the teens could express their voice through creativity, perhaps something with a social message. Let them put the Foundation’s mission into action through a creative process”. We envisioned that this work of art would be big, include as many teens as possible, and that with motivation and planning, perhaps the piece (whatever it was) could be installed at the “Candle and the Heart” concert. The hope was to empower teens to take this project on.
With the guidance of a few adults, five teens got together for an initial planning session. After much brainstorming and collective soul searching, they decided to create a piece that was based on nature. The theme of the seasons was explored, and then was transformed into a solitary tree. Their vision was guided by Maya’s love for nature. The group scheduled several days to create the piece. Given space constraints, the number of artists involved in the project needed to be limited. The original five teens invited a few other teen artists to join. In addition, a group of teen artists from a local studio, “Roost” participated. In total, about fourteen young people contributed to the mural.
With everyone’s busy schedules and balancing many commitments, the project start was challenging. Once the work began though, the energy was infectious. During the very first evening of painting, one artist thought of the idea of using her hands instead of a brush or roller. Brilliant! It was contagious. Everyone was painting one another's hands, and putting their prints on the canvas. Music was on, painting and dancing occurred simultaneously! Percussive drumming\painting was a new discovery.
I was only there for a short time each session, but what I witnessed was so very intimate. here's something very tactile, sensual, and primitive about painting with hands. Applying paint to one another's hands, lots of contact, and laughter gave the process an interactive element that could not have been planned. A glow emanated from the artists. They were having fun, and all were engaged. Our mission at work!
Sharyn, Lucy, and Marcy, the adult leaders, were amazing throughout the process. They provided some structure, and a very safe space for creativity. They helped to guide when needed, but really, they put the project in the artists’ "hands". The Foundation provided materials by funding the purchase of canvasses, paints and other supplies. The teens took initiative with the design and the process. So when I say that "it has unfolded into something ever so beautiful," I'm not just speaking about the mural itself.
The mural was on display at the concert. The three panel tree design was a magnificent backdrop for the performers. It is currently on exhibit at the Unframed Artists Gallery on Huguenot Street. We are not sure about its next stop, but based on the requests expressed from the teen artists involved, we hope that there will be more opportunities for creativity to come with the Maya Gold Foundation’s support.
By the way, the 10’ x 16” triptych needs a new home. If you know of a display space that can accommodate this beautiful work, let us know at info@mayagoldfoundation.org.
New Paltz teens Chloe, Danielle, Hannah, and Janelle working on the mural in early April.
The finished mural on display at the Candle and the Heart concert.
PLANNING IS UNDER WAY FOR A FALL SPEAKER SERIES
BY MATHEW SWERDLOFF
The New Paltz Programs Committee of the Maya Gold Foundation has begun to plan a fall speaker series. The series is designed to provide adults and teens with information that might be useful to them in the areas of emotional self-regulation, adolescent brain development, and social media use.
BOARD STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT TAKES PLACE AT OMEGA INSTITUTE BY MATHEW SWERDLOFF
The Board of the Maya Gold Foundation met for three days in late May on the grounds of the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. The Foundation received a grant from generous Omega that covered all expenses for the "Service Week" retreat. Our focus was on developing a Strategic Plan for the organization, and putting in place well defined procedures and practices for our work going forward. We accomplished so much, and really bonded as a board. Tangible outcomes include Core Values, a Purpose Statement, a Ten-Year Goal, One-Year Goal, and individual 90 Day Goals for Board members.
Our ten-year and one-year goals, developed during three days at Omega.
Bread Alone Bakerysupports the invaluable work of the Maya Gold Foundation.
