Programs at Our Place at Ben Washer Park

At Our Place at Ben Washer Park, Bridge Kids International hosts a variety of community-building programs and events that promote African heritage culture, build creative confidence, and help us live full, powerful, joyful lives. We offer experiences all year long. Whether it’s a short skill-building series, a regularly scheduled gathering, a curated one-time experience, or an annual event, we hope you join in a program that enriches your life!

Learn About Upcoming Events

African Heritage Culture/ Identity

Group of children and adults smiling and holding handmade African culture-themed puppets, holding a colorful banner that reads 'Welcome! 7 Generations, African Heritage Culture Camp 2023.' An indoor setting with windows and posters in the background.

Brown Girls LOL (Living Out Loud)

girls ages 10-15 years old of African Heritage (African-American,  African, Caribbean, etc.)  meet monthly in a safe and creative space for activities outdoors and a variety of new experiences to promote sisterhood, joy and adventure and to Live Out Loud

7 Generations African Heritage Culture Camp

summer day camp explores and celebrates African heritage culture, history and family through arts, STEM, sports, field trips and more as strategies to support children's educational attainment, build relationships and develop positive self-image

African Heritage Culture Project

explores positive social/cultural practices, processes and values that have sustained people of Africa and the African Diaspora and adapts them to a local U.S. context to address some of the current challenges we face in our communities 

African Heritage Festival

An annual celebration of unity, culture, art and history across the African Diaspora featuring food, music, dance, sports, fashion, cultural demonstrations, children’s activities, resources for healthy living and so much more.

A young boy and a girl at an outdoor craft or activity table, with the boy working with a power tool and the girl watching, surrounded by other people and tables in a grassy area.

We Made It Sewing

Intergenerational series teaching basic sewing skills including machine and hand sewing and quilting

We Made It Miniatures

Storytelling, crafting, photography, videography and more using 1/6 scale dolls and action figures

Art in the Park

Series designed for the public to engage with visual, music, dance, and performance art inside Our Place and in Ben Washer Park

Celebration of Black Art

Our Place Ben Washer Park showcases the work of Black artists through rotating exhibits, artists talks and artist-led classes/demonstrations

We Made It

Intergenerational program that teaches design and fabrication skills while participants create with their hands, learning to work with different materials and fabricate with tools, unleashing their imagination and building creative confidence

Arts

A woman and a man at a counter with boxes, assisting a young boy in an orange shirt with education supplies.

Financial Wellbeing

Kizazi Fund

BKI’s child-focused, culturally-based, community-centered system for generational wealth building in Black families

Kizazi Fund Community Education

Education across the life span to increase financial health and knowledge among African American families, teach valuable skills, promote prosperity and equip families to build generational wealth

Group of women smiling and posing outdoors in a park with trees and a tent in the background.

Community Project Planning & Support

Human and material resources to help individuals and groups design and implement projects to solve community challenges

Internships

Opportunities for individuals to build social entrepreneurship skills while contributing to the work of BKI in the areas of Marketing/Communications, Programs/Events, Sustainability, Community Development, and Financial Wellness

Apprenticeships

Short-term opportunities to work with BKI staff while gaining valuable knowledge, with a special focus on entrepreneurship

Social Entrepreneurship

A group of children and an adult in a classroom using a microscope for a science activity, with colorful nature-themed murals on the wall.

STEAM Club

STEAM Chemist Jerald Smith leads sessions on science, technology, engineering, art, and math.  Some examples include: states of matter, material science, conductivity, soldering, engineering & DesignArt-chitecture, biology, simple machines, carpentry, multimedia, mosaics, mass mathematics, and thermodynamics

STEAM

A group of five children, wearing yellow shirts, are gathered around a large leafy vegetable in a garden, observing it closely. One child is holding the vegetable.

WELL Building

Using Our Place at Ben Washer Park to educate about WELL Building features - air, water, light, nourishment, fitness, comfort and mind and how design can promote human health

Fishing & Outdoor Adventures

Exploring the natural environment through activities such as fishing, hiking, camping and more

Limerick Community Garden

In partnership with the Limerick Community Garden and the Limerick Neighborhood Association, Chef Mark teaches gardening techniques and how to prepare the fresh produce grown in the garden.

Urban Ecology

Exploring the natural environment in Ben Washer Park and the surrounding neighborhoods and learning how we can live in harmony with nature and animals that share the space

Sustainability/ Nature

A family in a kitchen with a woman holding a young child, a boy eating from a bowl, and a man cooking with a spatula.

Wellness

Cooking with Kin

Chef Mark leads fun and practical cooking classes for children, families and friends with an educational emphasis on health, frugality, and applicability to the average home kitchen. 

Health & Fitness

Improving our physical and mental health through activities such as tai chi, yoga, walking and much more