April 2023 Organization Pending Newsroom Upper Arlington, Ohio
Welcome to Organization Pending's Newsroom, April 2023: Getting Warmer edition.
This month, we'll be taking a look at community events and new ways to explore Columbus this summer, and prepare for summer parenting with a book and podcast recommendation for "The Millennial Parenting Whisperer," Dr. Becky Kennedy, with her discussion on how to refocus goals to heal generational cycles. Last month, we announced a partnership to support kids' creativity and sustainable fashion efforts in our community - don't miss our deep dive into Talkingfashion's Columbus Fashion Academy, and how this news benefits our clients in the Community Recommendation highlight!
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Warming Up to Summer
National Library Week is April 23-29, highlighting the many offerings of libraries beyond books with the theme "There's More to the Story". Stop by the Upper Arlington Public Library and wish them a happy week at one of their many daily free events for all ages, including National Poetry Month activities available daily in April, or stop by the Columbus Metropolitan Library and say hello at one of their free programs.
Join the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) for four days of hands-on science during their COSI Science Festival May 3-6. Wednesday-Friday will feature community events around Central Ohio, with Saturday, May 6 completing the festival with the Big Science Celebration on-site at COSI. Learning Lunchboxes will be distributed where each community believes they will make the most impact - these interactive science kits have all the supplies needed for five STEM activities, plus additional resources. Kits include the themes of engineering, water, nature, energy, and more, starting at $35 for year-long learning opportunities.
Want a creative summer project? Save boxes and recycling items to create a DIY doll house, as seen on WhatsUpMoms. I love how easy it is to create or replace rooms and objects without creating waste. For children interested in the construction side of the project, head over to the library to learn more about blueprints and architecture! Does summer taste like fresh foods and make you want to experiment with seasonal flavors in the kitchen? The Upper Arlington Farmers Market opens May 17, offering local fresh fruits, vegetables, pasta, artisan bread and more, every Wednesday, 4-7pm, until October 25 in the Tremont Pool parking lot at 2850 Tremont Road. Take a look at other local community farmers markets in Hilliard, Clintonville, Dublin, New Albany, Bexley, German Village,and others for additional offerings and open days of the week, or join Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens June 7 - September 27 on Wednesdays for farmers, bakers, artisans, crafters, musicians and more.
Want to try your hand at growing your own fresh foods? Join The Columbus Gardening School at the Upper Arlington Public Library on Thursday, May 11 at 6:30pm for a discussion on Edible and Ornamental Container Gardens. This hour-long presentation will include tips on potting soil, watering and fertilizing, and what edible plants do best in container gardens. No registration is required.
Look forward to adding this option in the next few years! Upper Arlington City Council starts construction this month on a much requested Community Center, tentatively opening Spring 2025. This plan with five floors includes three gymnasiums, indoor pool, event/party/meeting spaces, walking/running track, esports room, senior lounge and child watch area, along with program classrooms.
Expecting guests over the summer? Whether they're originally from the area, or visiting for the first time, Columbus has several opportunities for experiencing the city in new ways! Concerned about accessibility options for your guests? Take a look at Experience Columbus' options for hotels, transportation, and attractions, based on accessibility needs.
Need a hotel? Booking through Experience Columbus offers complimentary tickets to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, or Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, automatically building in a fun activity.
Or take a look at the Columbus Attractions Pass options for one or three days, offering admission to the Zoo and Conservatory, as well as the Columbus Museum of Art, and National Veterans Memorial and Museum. A one-day Attractions Pass is $24 ages 3-12, $32 ages 13+; a three-day Attractions Pass is $35 and $45, respectively.
Find Prepaid Experience Passports to each of the options in the Attractions Pass for a specific adventure, as well as SegAway, walking, and food tour options. Take a city tour, or river and bridges tour with SegAway for $59 each. Use walking tours to explore Franklinton, Grandview, German Village, Old Worthington, and the Brewery District, or taste your way through the Short North Food Tour for $65.72 per tour, or Taco Truck Tour of five stops for $62.29.
Take a look at the Free Experience Passports as well, featuring the Columbus-Style Pizza, Coffee, Distillery, Live Music, Outdoor Trails, Short North Art, and CBUS Soul® Sculpture Trails.
Don't miss out on the Art Spot Cbus self-guided tour around downtown Columbus - this temporary public art installation explores themes around climate change and conservation, featuring 13 installations from 14 artists until June 30.
Consider ending the day with reservations at one of the Experience Columbus' recommendations for rooftop restaurants and bars to reflect on your explorations with your companions.
Does your teen need a volunteer opportunity this summer? Each branch of the Upper Arlington Public Library will be looking for extra hands to help their youth staff for: Summer Reading, the Book Buddies program, and Teen Service Club. More information is coming this month at teenvolunteers.ualibrary.org.
Columbus Fashion Academy: Community Recommendation Highlight
Continuing our discussion on taking advantage of green(er) opportunities in the community, Organization Pending is partnering with Community Recommendation Columbus Fashion Academy (CFA), the educational branch of Talkingfashion Inc., to offer free donation pick up of items this organization uses to bring the love of self, Earth, and fashion to local children. Dana Thomas, journalist and author of Fashionopolis: The Prices of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes, says that worldwide, the average garment is worn as little as three to seven times before throwing it away. Left unchecked, earthday.org predicts that fashion production will account for 26% of all carbon emissions by 2050, making the sustainable fashion conversations and skills offered through the Academy imperative for all generations.
Founder Priscila Teixeira's love of fashion and expression started in Sáo Paulo, Brazil, as a young child creating costumes for her favorite singer, Rita Lee, sketching paper dolls, creating multi-media collages, and doing improv plays from her grandmother's beauty salon window. At 12, this creativity took an unexpected turn, expanding into her own fashion accessories manufacturing and distribution company by age 20.
"I went to Catholic schools, and I couldn't stand the fact we all had to look the same - we are all different and unique. I started piling up on jewelry (it all started with these seven bracelets on each wrist so it created this funk cuff look) to express myself first. Everyone asked about the jewelry." -Priscila Teixeira, Founder, Talkingfashion Inc.
After moving to the United States, Teixeira volunteered her talents at the Columbus Museum of Art, getting her Master's online and continuing her education through classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parson's and Sotheby's in New York City, and Columbus College of Art and Design. Officially reopening Talkingfashion Inc. in 2005, by 2009, they were holding monthly sold-out events promoting art and fashion, including hosting visual artist Paul Richmond, a FAM-OH-RAMA runway featuring intergenerational models, and a kids only fashion show during HighBall Halloween 2010.
After remarrying and becoming a mother of now three, Teixeira took a step back, finding her next creative endeavor when the Wickliffe Progressive Elementary School PTO reached out in 2017 to run an afterschool class. Although she didn't have a background in education, she knew how to teach fashion as a language to empower kids, "I know when you wear what you love, you stand taller and bullies will be less likely to go after you." Fashion Runway Production started with 2 students in 2017, producing 11 fashion shows in 2022, connecting with over 200 families between afterschool programs, camps, and workshops in Upper Arlington and Columbus.
As the current Senior Marketing and Communications Manager for a local nonprofit, Teixeira's love and passion for children, education, diversity, and social justice combine to advance educational justice for refugee and immigrant youth, providing support and resources to those who need it most. "As an immigrant myself, I'm passionate about empowering others and ensuring that every child has access to the educational opportunities they deserve." And it's this passion that fuels the foundation of Columbus Fashion Academy.
The Four Pillars of Columbus Fashion Academy: Our vision is for everyone to experience Columbus as an authentic global fashion capital, a place where people of all ages, styles and backgrounds are empowered and applauded for being themselves.
education - Stay curious, just keep learning.
people - It's about people, always.
planet - Sustainability. The fashion industry is the #2 factor in polluting our landfills, killing animals and wildlife. We want kids to have a full circle learning, opening their minds to recycling and upcycling, slowing the environmental and human damages fast fashion is causing.
artistic freedom - A human right. Our classes are not about perfection at all, it's about empowering the kids and pushing them to create. We teach fashion as a language of self-discovery, self-respect, self-love and self-confidence.
"Talkingfashion loves working with all people. We are 100% inclusive of all and we love to have a diverse bunch of human beings with us, we don't know another way. Our team and our clients range from ages 10-100 years old, of all genders and expressions, from all over the globe."
Columbus Fashion Academy ensures students experience full circle learning, talking about the values of recycling, upcycling and sustainability, encouraging students to create pieces that become part of their everyday clothing options, reducing waste and the environmental impact of the fashion industry.
Dedicated to empowering the next generation of fashion enthusiasts and sustainability advocates, their Summer Camp 2023 is a great opportunity for kids 5-12 to learn about the fashion industry, sustainability, and creativity through week-long or single-day classes on designing and creating your own headwear, handbags, resin jewelry, and more. During June, the camp will be held at the Hastings Art Room, with a one week August camp at Amelita Mirolo Barn. There are only a few spots left - make sure to sign up now!
Drop in between 11am-2pm on April 29 for Columbus Museum of Art's Art in Bloom Open Studio Blooms Family Event - Teixeira will be leading floral accessory making activities! No registration is required, and the cost is included with admission. And don't miss out on her full-day Fashion Accessories Workshop on May 2 at the Amelita Mirolo Barn!
Visit the Columbus Fashion Academy website for ready-to-wear accessories and kids' jewelry making supplies - 100% of the proceeds help fund their youth educational programs. Keep an eye out for unique sustainable handmade pieces coming soon! Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.
Free donation pick-up of the following items is available when hiring Organization Pending for in-person services:
-everything related to sewing projects, from portable sewing machines to dress forms
-jewelry making tools and supplies
-accessories: scarfs, handbags, hair accessories, perfect or broken jewelry
-valuable accessories with historic value for collectors can also be donated - these items will be kept intact and sold through the Talkingfashion website, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Columbus Fashion Academy's youth educational programs
How to find Columbus Fashion Academy:
Website and Blog: Columbus Fashion Academy Email: info@columbusfashionacademy.com
Facebook: Columbus Fashion Academy Instagram: Columbus Fashion Academy
LinkedIn: Columbus Fashion Academy
Book and Podcast Recommendation of the Month
Tabi Berkey
Summer can be a joyful, but stressful time with everyone at home, breaking the normal routine. We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle talked to clinical psychologist and mom of three, Dr. Becky Kennedy, named "The Millennial Parenting Whisperer" by TIME Magazine. Join Doyle, her wife Abby Wambach, and Dr. Becky for Breaking Cycles & Reparenting Yourself with Dr. Becky Kennedy, and How to Raise Untamed Kids with Dr. Becky Kennedy, for discussions on how to break familial cycles, resilience building, how and why our children can trigger us, why the traditional reward and punishment systems fail, how to build better connections with our kids, and how to reparent ourselves to become more like the parent we're trying to be. Take a deep dive into these parenting techniques with Doyle's podcast episodes, and Dr. Becky's weekly podcast, Good Inside with Dr. Becky, as well as her 2022 book release, Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be. Or take a look at her workshop offerings for specific issues - visit goodinside.com for member and non-member offerings.
"Understanding that we're all good inside is what allows you to distinguish a person (your child) from a behavior (rudeness, hitting, saying, 'I hate you'). [...] So many of us had parents who led with judgment rather than curiosity, criticism instead of understanding, punishment instead of discussion. [...] As a result, many parents see behavior as the measure of who our kids are, rather than using behavior as a clue to what our kids might need. What if we saw behavior as an expression of needs, not identity?" -Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
Approaching behavior as a symptom, and not an indication of who a child is, leads the adults in that child's life to "sit on the bench" with them, reframing difficult moments as learning opportunities, helping build life-long skills. Showing curiosity about how they are feeling, and modeling curiosity about your own feelings in the moment helps children have the framework to know and trust themselves as they grow to adulthood. These key moments help us, and them, create realistic expectations of ourselves in the world, experiencing all of the emotions available to us, instead of focusing on happiness.
Kennedy is open about the fact she started her practice by suggesting traditional reward and punishment systems, like sticker charts. She quickly realized that these types of methods might create behaviors that are easier to deal with in children, but as they aged, their parents were left wondering why their children were more susceptible to peer pressure, and not always able to establish boundaries with romantic partners.
"When we sacrifice relationship building in favor of control tactics, our children may age, but in many ways, they developmentally remain toddlers, because they miss out on years of building the emotions regulation, coping skills, intrinsic motivation, and inhibition of desires that are necessary for life success. When we are busy exerting extrinsic control over our children's external behavior, we sacrifice teaching these critical internal skills." -Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
"How our caregivers responded to us becomes how we in turn respond to ourselves, and this sets the stage for how we respond to our children." Kennedy assures us it's never too late to work on our relationship with ourselves or our children, no matter the age - neuroplasticity allows everyone a chance to rewire, rebuild and heal.