BARN project is engaging youth in community-based creative programs (CAFE-047)

In this 30-minute podcast conversation, we learn about ideas and strategies to enable participants of all ages to make the most of the remarkable new creative space for artisanry, learning, making and doing, called Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN).

We meet Catherine Camp, the board member and vice president for operations at BARN, who introduces us to the new BARN project for engaging local youth in the activities and programs of BARN.

With her in the studio are three local high school and college students who share their thoughts on the great value of having an all-ages creative space for learning and mentoring. Those podcast participants are:

Maya Nathan: a Bainbridge High School senior, who is this summer's BARN intern; Finn Mander: a Bainbridge High School senior who is a long-time volunteer at BCB (which is soon to be part of BARN), and who is also a leader of the 2-year-old BHS Radio Club. In the coming school year, Finn will be a leader of the new student club for video news production, called Spartan News. Madeline Corbin: who is going into her junior year at Seattle University, having graduated from Bainbridge High School two years ago. As a BHS senior, Madeline had served as editor in chief of the Spartan Standard newspaper at BHS.

The podcast conversation explains some of the activities being pursued with BARN Youth Engagement project funds granted by Bainbridge Community Foundation. For example, we hear explanations of the upcoming Teen Camp and the fledgling Youth Council.

The Teen Camp is scheduled for August 15th to 19th (six hours per day), and is open to teens age 14 to 18 who would like to experiment with glass, fiber, metal, wood and food. It's an exciting week of activities designed to explore the breadth of hands-on crafts available at BARN. It meets at the 2,500 square foot interim BARN facility in Rolling Bay.

Meanwhile, construction is underway on a 25,000 square foot two-story BARN center for craft and invention, just 10 minutes walk from Bainbridge High School, which is expected to open before next Spring.

Credits: BCB host: Barry Peters; BCB audio editing: Madeline Corbin and Barry Peters.