“Staying Gold” is an arts-focused, chaperoned day trip to New York City for high school and rising 9th grade teens with follow-up programming.  To prepare for the trip, teens will be encouraged to read The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton and/or Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Ysef Salaam.  Both of these novels are examples of authors influenced by their own human experience: The Outsiders is a novel about class discrimination written by a teenage girl who lived it, and Punching the Air is co-written with one of the Exonerated Five.  This extraordinary day trip experience will include:

A viewing of The Outsiders on Broadway.

A guided visit to Central Park’s “The Gate of the Exonerated,” which commemorates the struggle of individuals wrongly convicted.  Teens will consider how this artistic expression was influenced by the experience of the Exonerated Five, the culture in Harlem, and the experience of Black and Latino New Yorkers.  They will have an opportunity to express their thoughts through journaling, art and discussion while visiting the gate.

A teen-led walk through Central Park to consider it through the lens of history, design and landmarks and evaluate the park’s success in achieving its mission to bring peace, health and nature to all New Yorkers regardless of race or class.

Reflection, back home the following week through teens’ preferred art medium, including but not limited to visual art, digital art, theatre or podcasting.

A final showcase designed by teens in which they will share with the community their response to the stories of the Exonerated Five and The Outsiders.

Contact Laurie Doan to apply or know more about the trip Ldoan@ccls.org

This project is made possible by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries  with additional support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, individual donors and other funders.

Special Thanks to the Friends of Tredyffrin Library for additional support