New York Society for Ethical Culture's
Ethics For Teen Leaders Program
Launches SPEED DEED
Ethics For Teen Leaders Program
Launches SPEED DEED
by Audrey Kindred, (Ethical Education Program Developer/Director)
NYSEC's Ethics For Teen Leaders has inaugurated a new program: Speed Deed. Speed Deed is an activism fair where people learn about and participate in various deeds while having fun and building friendships. People are invited to discover their activist leanings, through interactive, grassroots, creative, humanitarian and environmental projects.
At NYSEC, the crowd pot-lucked together among portrait murals by NYSEC teens in a space that doubles as NYSEC's women's shelter. Once fed, with newly budding friendships, they embarked upon deeds. Nine project tables, arranged like rays of sun, housed nine projects. In shifts of three at a time, each deed-leader offered their wisdom about a cause, inviting participation in a DOABLE deed. The first deed introduced was led by a very special teen, Aria Devlin, whom Kindred had taught years earlier when directing children's programs at the Brooklyn Society. Devlin and her friend Lena Gallager interviewed people for a documentary about sexism and feminism. Lena commented, "Speed Deed was a really inspiring experience. This was my first time at NYSEC so to know there is a kind interesting group of people spreading ethical culture was great." Aria expressed that "It was amazing to get to interview such a diverse group of people about something that affected them all in different ways." Her current coming-of-age advisor, Nirvani Bissessar, reflected, "I felt empowered and more powerful tonight. I was really impressed with the young people and their spirit for action. And really touched by the intergenerational experience and love."
The Speed Deed concept was literally dreamed up and scribbled down by NYSEC's youth program developer Audrey Kindred. As the title suggests, there was no sitting still with an idea like this, so a date was made to invite the Ethical community to bring it to life immediately. Speed Deed made it's debut at NYSEC on Friday evening, March 28, 2014. People of all ages, newcomers and old-timers alike, came with a curious and open spirit, making it a great success. "I am leaving this evening feeling I have DONE something, not just talked," expressed NYSEC board member Meg Chapman who attended with Clara her teen age daughter. "The speed Deed program was ABOVE my wildest imagination. It was carefully packaged to have enormously important ethical and social content which was enacted in a very clever way so folks had fun while learning and seriously enacting their speed deeds" said Susan Needles, a NYSEC member.
While a diverse array of Ethical Culture members and leaders from various societies attended the first Speed Deed, it was a first taste of Ethical Culture for several participants. "This was a positive, surprisingly educational experience for our entire family... an ageless group for ethical culture," said Lina Gonzalez, a newcomer who attended with her husband and 12 year old daughter. Her husband, Juan Carlos, shared, "Speed Deed was a magnificent event. Met new friends, shared ideas and expanded insight into contributing to the welfare of all. Time well spent!"
"Deed over creed" is an Ethical mantra. Indeed, DEED is perhaps the ONLY creed of Ethical Culture! At New York Society for Ethical Culture, Ethics For Teen Leaders put this treasured value to action through a new program titled SPEED DEED. Speed Deed is an activism fair where people gather to learn about and participate in various deeds while having fun and building friendships. In this forum, all people are invited to discover their activist leanings, through grassroots, creative, humanitarian and environmental projects.
Other societies are invited to follow suit in creating Speed Deed events. "The program is a model for the movement," said Paulo Ribeira, an AEU Leader in Training who attended the event. As the Speed Deed project continues, it invites activists of every age to create and lead DOABLE DEEDS and have some SERIOUS FUN together. Kindred has created a blog to document the path of the project as it develops: http://speeddeed.blogspot.com/
EthicsForTeens@NYSEC.org.
