Blog
The holiday season was a busy time in the Zone, in the kitchen, and out in the community!
Festivities started early in December with our Six Days of Holiday Cookies workshops. Youth got involved making recipes from peanut blossoms to sugar cookies to sweet and spicy Korean-inspired caramel gochujang! One young person with a penchant for baking helped with every workshop.
One of the best parts about the holiday season is LIGHTS! Staff accompanied youth zone members to the Phipps Holiday Magic Show at Pittsburgh’s famous Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens where they got to experience the magic of the season and a Pittsburgh landmark.
Youth got to show off the fruits of their labor in the kitchen to everyone who visited the cookie table during our Holiday party! Cookies were paired perfectly with a hot chocolate bar where youth could choose between whipped cream, caramel and chocolate sauce, and candy toppings to customize their own warm treat. Many games were played including a special winter version of bingo, reindeer antler ring toss, and a Youth Zone favorite, the saran wrap ball game. During the game youth take turns donning big oven mitts while trying to unwrap a huge ball of plastic wrap filled with different prizes and treats. Of course, our big celebration wouldn’t have been complete without a visit from Santa and the Grinch!
As always, we decked out the Zone in decorations recognizing the many holidays that fall in the winter season, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, Bodhi, and Kwanzaa. We know the holidays can be a difficult time for some and hope to be a safe space for those who celebrate and those who don’t. As youth zone member Poetic put it “even though the holidays can be tough for us, it’s nice to have a community where we can come and celebrate and have holiday spirit.” It sounds like we are doing just that.
Overall, we had a lovely, cheerful December with our youth. Our young people know that when the weather outside is frightful, the Youth Zone is so delightful!
Festivities started early in December with our Six Days of Holiday Cookies workshops. Youth got involved making recipes from peanut blossoms to sugar cookies to sweet and spicy Korean-inspired caramel gochujang! One young person with a penchant for baking helped with every workshop.
One of the best parts about the holiday season is LIGHTS! Staff accompanied youth zone members to the Phipps Holiday Magic Show at Pittsburgh’s famous Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens where they got to experience the magic of the season and a Pittsburgh landmark.
Youth got to show off the fruits of their labor in the kitchen to everyone who visited the cookie table during our Holiday party! Cookies were paired perfectly with a hot chocolate bar where youth could choose between whipped cream, caramel and chocolate sauce, and candy toppings to customize their own warm treat. Many games were played including a special winter version of bingo, reindeer antler ring toss, and a Youth Zone favorite, the saran wrap ball game. During the game youth take turns donning big oven mitts while trying to unwrap a huge ball of plastic wrap filled with different prizes and treats. Of course, our big celebration wouldn’t have been complete without a visit from Santa and the Grinch!
As always, we decked out the Zone in decorations recognizing the many holidays that fall in the winter season, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, Bodhi, and Kwanzaa. We know the holidays can be a difficult time for some and hope to be a safe space for those who celebrate and those who don’t. As youth zone member Poetic put it “even though the holidays can be tough for us, it’s nice to have a community where we can come and celebrate and have holiday spirit.” It sounds like we are doing just that.
Overall, we had a lovely, cheerful December with our youth. Our young people know that when the weather outside is frightful, the Youth Zone is so delightful!