NYC Kids Project

Welcome back to Inclusive Language Basics, where we share small things you can do to build your inclusive vocabulary!

You're probably already familiar with the concept of drag performance, but did you know the art of drag goes way beyond what we see in pop culture and on shows like "Ru Paul's Drag Race?" All performances of identity are drag - when you don a skirt and blouse to go into the office, add a new tattoo to your collection, or select a colorful suit to attend a party, you're dressing in drag. Drag Performance, then, is drag as entertainment, either onstage or at events like brunch or storytime for kids.
It's important to note that, though many drag performers' personas are a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth, that does not mean that all drag performers are transgender, though some may be. Generally, a person whose persona presents as feminine is a drag queen and someone who has a masculine persona is a drag king. A common misconception is that only cisgender men can be drag queens, and only cisgender women can be drag kings, but this is also not true.

For more info, check out this great Vogue article that interviews drag performers about what drag means to them!
https://www.vogue.com/article/drag-performers-portfolio-pride-2023

Inclusion in the News!
In May, Syracuse, NY opened the Carrier Park Superfield of Dreams, which is now the largest ADA-compliant sports complex on the East Coast. This complex is the home of the Syracuse Challengers, a baseball league for kids and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities. Executive Director Dom Cambareri, whose son is now on the adult team, said of the new complex “The Superfield of Dreams is more than a baseball field. It’s a permanent home where every child, regardless of ability, has the chance to compete, belong, and shine.” Read more about the Challengers and their new sports complex at the link below!

East Coast’s Largest ADA-Compliant Field for Challenger Baseball Opens With seven turf fields, the Superfield of Dreams at Carrier Park is the largest ADA-compliant athletic complex on the East Coast.

Mindy and Cecilia had a great time meeting new friends during last Tuesday's Museum Mile Festival!
Our puppet friends were out and greeting attendees, spreading the magic of inclusion, empathy and respect with NYC Kids Project's signature flair. Thanks to the institutions of Museum Mile for having us as a part of the community partners team this year!

This week we're reading: Lumberjanes by Shannon Waters, Grace Ellis, ND Stevenson, and Gus Allen

At NYC Kids Project, we love a good graphic novel, and when one comes across our desk that brings together complex female characters and fanciful world-building, we're all in! This volume is just the first installment, so if you love this one, check out the rest of the collections in the Lumberjanes universe!

Here's a blurb from the publisher: "Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp...defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons...what's not to love?! Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together...and they're not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! LUMBERJANES is Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake. And with the talent of acclaimed cartoonist ND Stevenson, talented newcomer Grace Ellis writing, and Gus Allen on art, this is going to be a spectacular series that you won't want to miss."

As always, NYC Kids Project is a Bookshop.org affiliate and may receive a small portion proceeds from purchases made through this link.

Lumberjanes Vol. 1 Check out Lumberjanes Vol. 1 - Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp...defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons...what's not to love?! Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer toge...

Our SEL Tips series may just feel like fun games and activities that can be turned into learning opportunities - and they certainly are - but they're built on evidence-based techniques and state benchmarks that help track healthy childhood development. As your young folks journey through their early childhood years, we suggest keeping a firm eye on NY State's SEL Benchmarks recommendations, to make sure your young learner is on track for their age group. If you find your kid is struggling to reach benchmarks, early intervention can be essential for making sure they have the resources they need to be successful in school and participating in their communities.
https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/student-support-services/sel-benchmarks.pdf

Looking for more ways to help your young folks develop their social-emotional skills at home? Scroll through our profile for more SEL Tips and bring the skills kids learn in our programs outside of the classroom. Empathy, kindness, and community-building are best enjoyed when we share them with everyone!

Inclusion in the News!
This week's IitN comes courtesy of one of our favorite organizations, EPIC Players, who are currently presenting a new staging of RENT with their company of almost entirely neurodiverse and disabled actors. Don't miss your chance to see this production! RENT will be running for just a few more days, through June 20th at A.R.T./New York Theatres.
Get your tickets at the link below!

EPIC Mainstage Gallery: Past Mainstage Productions — Epic Players Mainstage EPIC is a theatre company with a mission to elevate the voices of neuro-diverse artists. We produce a minimum of two professional, neuro-diverse productions per year on New York City stages. Since our inception, EPIC has produced ten neuro-diverse productions at venues across the city, inc...

Welcome back to Inclusive Language Basics, where we share small things you can do to build your inclusive vocabulary!

It's Pride Month, so today we're kicking off a full month of Inclusive Language Basics, Pride Edition! You may already be familiar with the terms we're going to be covering, but if not, this Basics series will introduce you to some common terms in the LGBTQIA+ canon.

Roughly 1% of US adults identify as Transgender, but we suggest taking that statistic with a grain of salt. Gen-Z (youth and adults between the ages of around 15-30) has the highest percentage of individuals who identify as Trans, coming in at up to 5% in some studies. This generation has grown up in the most accepting time in our cultural history, and even now there are still many communities where people are unlikely to feel safe coming out. It's likely that this 5% statistic is more representative of how many individuals in previous generations would identify as Trans, were it safe to do so, and that the real percentage is even higher. "Transgender" simply means a person who identifies as a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth. It's an umbrella term, and encompasses many different identity descriptors, most commonly Trans Man and Trans Woman. These are Binary transgender identities, meaning that their transition falls along a gender binary (Man to Woman or Woman to Man), but since gender is a spectrum, the term Transgender also encompases Non-Binary identities; a few common ones are Genderfluid, Two-Spirit, and Genderqueer.
It is common for Indigenous cultures to recognize multiple genders. In many of these, Transgender and Non-Binary folks are highly-respected in their communities, and occupy important spiritual and cultural roles.

Looking for something to do this evening?
Join us at the Museum Mile Festival!

Check out a museum for free, learn more about cultural initiatives in the neighborhood, and participate in activities set up by community partners like NYC Kids Project! Our puppets can't wait to meet you, so come by to take in the block party atmosphere and enjoy the best of what NYC has to offer!

Find us tonight from 6-9pm on 5th Avenue between 105th and 106th streets.

Welcome back to Inclusive Language Basics, where we share small things you can do to build your inclusive vocabulary!

It was second-wave feminists in the 1970s who first challenged the use of "girl" to refer to a grown woman. They argued that, since no one would reasonably call a grown man "boy," the same should apply to women. Though generally a successful campaign (popular terms like "office girl" became obsolete), it's still relatively common for adult women to hear themselves referred to as such. A "girl" is a child, and using it for adult women is disrespectful, especially in the workplace. Conversely, teenage girls are sometimes inappropriately aged up in popular culture and the news. A general rule, whenever possible, is to avoid using gendered terms entirely. "Office assistant" is a gender-neutral alternative to "office girl," going out with "the girls" swaps smoothly with "my friends," and "teenage girl" can easily be adjusted to simply "teenager."