Reuse, Rebuild, Reimagine

FOR TEENS: Teens Building the Future Together Program

Are you a teen interested in engineering, building, sustainability, and community? Would you like to learn about these topics with experts and receive a stipend to build a mobile classroom and share the knowledge you gain?

Teens Building the Future Together is a two-part program taking place over the 2024-25 school year: 

  • In the Fall of 2024, participants will work together on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons with KoKo NYC Teaching Artists to build a Tiny House from found, recycled, and repurposed building materials. 
  • In the Spring of 2025, participants will learn about engineering and sustainability with industry experts, and develop workshops that participants will lead in their own communities with the Tiny House on Saturdays.
  • Teens are REQUIRED to participate in all sessions during both seasons. There is a minimum 80% attendance expected.

Participants in this program will also be eligible to become paid Counselors-in-Training (CITs) in our Summer 2025 workshops for kids at The Lot.

Who: Teens ages 13-17

When: Fall Wednesdays and Thursdays, 3:30pm – 5:30pm (Sept) / 5:15pm (Oct) / 5pm (Nov). (Since this program is outside, we end earlier as the sun sets earlier. The program runs rain or shine, unless there is a thunderstorm or other severe weather warnings.)
Fall program sessions running 9/25/24 – 11/21/24 (see below for more info)

Where: The KoKo Lot (440 19th Street (between 8th Avenue and Prospect Park West) Brooklyn, NY 11215)

Compensation: $200 (Fall) + $150 (Spring). Teens are REQUIRED to participate in all sessions during both seasons. There is a minimum 80% attendance expected.

More details:

In Teens Building the Future Together (TBFT), a FREE two-part program beginning in the fall of 2024, teens will develop technical skills while building a Tiny House, broaden their knowledge of potential career pathways connected to engineering and sustainability, and help teach kids how to build through free Tiny House building workshops in their own neighborhoods. 

This program will also prepare participants to be a part of the paid Counselor-in-Training (CIT) opportunity in our Summer 2025 workshops for kids at the Lot.

Through TBFT, teens will build their skills, learn about a variety of career paths, and gain the opportunity for paid employment in the future through a two-part program:

  • In the fall of 2024, participants will learn technical building skills while building a Tiny House.
  • In spring 2025, participants will learn about different careers and build skills by participating in 4 weekend workshops with industry experts. They will also lead 4 weekend workshops with the Tiny House in their community.
  • Teens will receive a stipend for their participation in the fall ($200) and spring ($150) seasons. The following summer, all teens who successfully completed the TBFT program will be eligible to participate in KoKo’s existing CIT program at the KoKo Lot.

Teens are REQUIRED to participate in all sessions during both seasons! (Minimum 80% attendance expected.)

Registration priority will be offered to participants from:

  • Park Slope Collegiate (Middle or High School)
  • John Jay School for Law
  • MS 88
  • City-As-School
  • Sunset Park High School
  • other teens with demonstrated economic need

This program is funded by The Pinkerton Foundation.

Fall 2024 Program dates:

  • Program days: Wednesdays and Thursdays
  • Program dates: 9/25, 9/26, 10/2, 10/9, 10/10, 10/16, 10/17, 10/23, 10/24, 10/30, 11/6, 11/7, 11/13, 11/14, 11/20, 11/21
  • NO program sessions will be held on: 10/3, 10/31
  • 16 sessions total

Fall 2024 Program Timing:

For the Fall, we will have staggered dismissal times as sunset gets earlier.
Program session times will be:

  • September, 3:30PM – 5:30PM
  • October, 3:30PM – 5:15PM
  • November, 3:30PM – 5PM

Program Info:

Teens will work under the supervision of Teaching Artists to design and build the Tiny House. Our Teaching Artists represent a variety of arts experiences and backgrounds. Teens will lead the construction of the Tiny House while getting a front row seat to learning how our Teaching Artists guide, support, and work with kids. 

The fall season will focus on designing and building the Tiny House. Each week we will tackle a new element. Throughout, teens will be asked to consider architectural design and engineering questions about doors and windows, adjusting with each building challenge encountered. After the Tiny House is built, we will move on to painting and adding fun features like shelves and cabinets.

In the spring season, we will bring in special guests to discuss careers that benefit from the skills being taught by KoKo NYC, which may include: architecture, engineering, sanitation and recycling, or renewable energy. From construction workers to architects, the participants will learn how all professions can benefit from a skill set that prioritizes critical thinking, perseverance, collaboration, and confidence.

On Saturdays in the spring season, we will bring the completed Tiny House to the communities that teens live in to provide free workshops for families led by the teens themselves, with support from KoKo teaching artists. 

Questions? Please ask.