Civic Engagement New York

Sunday Gathering: Sharing Our Peace Corps Journey–Bringing Our Experiences Home

Matt and Jen Tully spent 15 years living and working overseas in places like Armenia, Cameroon, Myanmar, Nepal and the Philippines. Their journey began as Peace Corps volunteers and has included roles in education and social work both in the US and abroad. Join us as Jen and Matt share about the experiences that led them to feel at home here at our Ethical Culture Society. This Gathering is at the meetinghouse and on Zoom. To receive the Zoom link, please email admin@ethicalfocus.org.

Victory Pints at Wild East Brewing

WEBSITE (http://www.victorypints.com/) TWITTER (https://twitter.com/victory_pints) FACEBOOK (https://www.facebook.com/victorypints) Every Monday we bring some serious board game madness to Wild East Brewing from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. They like board games; we like board games... it's a match made in heaven! WHAT TYPE OF GAMES ARE PLAYED? All types. Real short bluffing games decorated with skulls and flowers. Cooperative games fighting horrible diseases. Classic euro games where you haggle over sheep and wheat. Whether you want to fight unspeakable horrors in Arkham or build railroads across America or rebuild your farm after the black plague (more fun than it sounds) you can probably find a game you would like. Some games you might see are 7 Wonders, Settlers of Catan, Pandemic, Dominion, Dixit, Puerto Rico, Eldritch Horror, Ticket to Ride, Carcasonne among many others. You're also welcome to bring any game you want to play! I DON'T KNOW THESE GAMES? IS IT COOL IF I COME? We're very friendly and if you have no idea what the hell we're talking about just trust us when we say it's ton of fun. We'll have tons of games and we're very happy to show you the rules. Hang out, haves some drinks, and learn a new game. Questions? Comments? Contact us at info@victorypints.com

(MM)🌟 CO-CREATIVITY WITH AIR! 🌟 NYC's Liberty Living Wall Tour | Lily Turner

**CALLING ALL PLANETARY FLIGHT CREWS!** * **Join us for our 3rd Annual month-long October E-STEAM Playtime Co-Creativity with Air activities.** * * 📍***WHERE:*** On Saturday, October 3, the first October weekend, we will begin in New York City, on [Lily Turner’s Liberty Park Living Wall Tour](https://site.pheedloop.com/event/EVENVEBCKWHKA/sessions/SESMVKF4VXZR20B0S), and share this experience throughout our October activities in Denver. * * 👤***FEATURED EDUTAINER:*** [Lily Turner](https://site.pheedloop.com/event/EVENVEBCKWHKA/speakers/SPERSZBSYNT) owns[ Lily Scott Designs](https://www.lilyscottdesigns.com), which creates custom-built living plant walls and preserved moss installations for commercial and residential spaces nationwide. Lily Turner is also the Chairwoman of the organization [Green Roofs for Healthy Cities](https://www.greenroofs.org). * * 🚀 ***WHAT:*** For happy playtime transportation, urban Co-Creativity with Air needs more connections, with the [biology of urban precipitation cycles](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pvqiR8XGRhnZmzhIPBGoozVeKn-Ki2dr/view?pli=1). E-STEAM Playtime edutainers, Fran and Richard Rew, will be attending [Lily Turner’s Liberty Park Living Wall Tour](https://site.pheedloop.com/event/EVENVEBCKWHKA/sessions/SESMVKF4VXZR20B0S), to witness this inspiring manifestation of urban co-creativity with air. * * This remarkable living wall at Liberty Park is 336 feet long, and 25 feet high. It overlooks the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan. This large-scale green infrastructure project was designed and installed using [Sempergreen](https://vimeo.com/1174376074?fl=pl&fe=vl)'s outdoor system. It features more than 25,000 plants woven into a highly engineered hydroponic living wall. As E-STEAM Playtime attendees, we'll have the opportunity to explore how this innovative system creates a resilient and sustainable urban landscape, while serving as a serene natural backdrop within one of New York City’s most meaningful public spaces. * * As [E-STEAM Playtime Planetary Flight Crew](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zV0E2Wu2pm2dy4bHhlMrPkErHeqABkAX/view?usp=sharing) members, we are all like the astronauts, on the International Space Station (ISS), checking out our Environmental Control and Life-Support System (ECLSS). * * This Liberty Living Wall represents an urban ECLSS, which supports the [biology of urban precipitation cycles](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pvqiR8XGRhnZmzhIPBGoozVeKn-Ki2dr/view?pli=1) * * In this YouTube link, to the ISS astronaut [Commander Chris Hadfield](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo) playing his guitar and singing "Space Oddity" on the ISS, his team's ECLSS is fully functional. Good urban ECLSS makes playtime happier anywhere! * * This Living Wall tour is scheduled, on the last day, of the [CitiesAlive 2026, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities](https://site.pheedloop.com/event/EVENVEBCKWHKA/home) conference. Richard and Fran will only be going to this tour, not the entire conference. Registration is required for this 2-hour tour. This tour's ticket price is $49 per person. * 🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸 * **"We are the Universe becoming conscious of itself."** * \- a quote by Ron Garan\, spacewalker\, astronaut\, on the International Space Station\, in his BigThink video titled\, “[I went to space and discovered an enormous lie](https://bigthink.com/life/overview-effect/)." 🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸 * 🤝🌱🧑 ***CO-CREATIVITY PARTNERS:*** * * **E-STEAM Playtime Edutainers** [Fran and Richard Rew](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b4Ni0i4mDmdPBFCbQtR3TanDzXop5HXh/view) are co-founders of the [E-STEAM Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAa47BJ3OTU) channel on YouTube. On Friday, October 2, Fran and Richard will be Co-Creativity Partners, with the rest of the visitors, on a [FREE tour, of New York City's Little Island](https://partiful.com/e/dXHcZXgSC99z8AyPc3Mu), led by the Little Island's Landscape Architect Signe Nielsen, and Architect of Record Fabian Jabro. * * Richard and Fran will be co-hosting the rest of October's month-long activities in Denver, Colorado. These activities and locations will be announced, on the collaborative [Museum Muser](https://www.meetup.com/museummuser/) calendars. * * 🌱🌍🛠️ ***CO-CREATIVITY CONNECTIONS*** * **New York City's, and Denver, Colorado’s "urban living skin,”** at its best is mostly like the temperature regulating living hair follicles, on our skin. The surrounding rural areas are more like Earth's actual "living skin." * * Next Friday (10/9/2026), we'll explore the possibilities for vertiports as a part of NU-GRIPs (Neighborhood Urban Green Roof, intergenerational, interdisciplinary, Public-Private-Partnerships), to improve our urban-and-rural co-creativity connections! It is the rural (not urban) “skin” that’s packed full of the biology of air. Our urban “living skin” needs to share strong biological conscious co-creativity connections with our rural “living skin.” Our rural and urban “living skins,” are currently packed full of increasingly disconnections, from our biologically “conscious co-creativity connections!” * * **The [2026 calendar for the full month of October's E-STEAM Playtime Co-Creativity with Air](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X1Y7k__IPM97GOC1WplB6CiRMF-7GlcF/view?usp=sharing)** activities will be linked, in the video descriptions, of the 2024 and 2026 annual October event videos, on the [E-STEAM Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAa47BJ3OTU) channel on YouTube. The 2nd weekend of October’s Denver, Colorado, locations include Forney Transportation Museum (Friday, 10/9), CSU Spur (Saturday, 10/10), and the One Sky One World International Kite Fly for Peace, in the Sloan’s Lake Park (Sunday, 10/11). * 🔸🔹 **THE EARTH LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEM MISSION** 🔸🔹 * **Our Planetary Flight Crew's playtime** mission is to connect with our conscious love for co-creativity, with Nature's life-supporting designs. \* With this connection, our **E-STEAM Playtime Power** will grow a co-creativity resilience, for balancing E-STEAM’s [Life-Supporting Biology of Precipitation Cycles](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pvqiR8XGRhnZmzhIPBGoozVeKn-Ki2dr/view?pli=1) \* * **"E" = Economics,** of Nature's living-energy-resource-balancing economics. This is the first "E" in "E-STEAM." This includes the balancing science of living-energy-resource systems, in our Earth’s atmosphere of air. * * **"dash" = Conscious Co-Creativity Connecting** the living and non-living-resource economics, balancing between Nature and Humanity. * * **"STEAM" = Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and** **Math**, of Humanity’s non-living-resource-balancing economics, through our Art of choices, for STEAM designs.

Casual Drinks, Conversations, and Trivia

Join me for casual drinks and conversations, and a couple rounds of trivia. This is an event where people from around the neighborhood just meet and talk. Talk about your day, talk about your life, talk about the weather, talk about your hobbies. Anything and everything is welcome! Then, at 8pm, we can join the rest of the bar in a round of Trivia where we can test our repitoire of all-important knowledge. Hopefully we can make meaningful connections and turn strangers into friends.

BRONX volunteers needed

Desert and food events for low income families in the Bronx, and other recipients that need help throughout NY. Every Thursday - Saturday during January and February. Welcome Tasters and Admin assistance. For your help, you will be treated too! RSVP via meetup for location and further information before spots fill up!

Grand Central Murder Mystery & Scavenger Hunt (+ After Party)

**\*TO ATTEND GET TICKETS AT:** [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grand-central-murder-mystery-scavenger-hunt-tickets-1039615376577?](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grand-central-murder-mystery-scavenger-hunt-tickets-1039615376577) (This is co-organized by 30+ groups so don't go by RSVPs you see here. We'll have a good # attending. Must prepay to attend.) You don’t need any special skills — just a sense of adventure and curiosity! This unique scavenger hunt is all about connecting, uncovering history, exploring Grand Central and solving a mystery. Join us for a fun, social adventure at our Grand Central Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt. Get ready to have a good time making new friends and solving a mystery. Plus, you'll find out things about Grand Central you never knew before! How It Works: * **When you arrive we will put you on teams - if you don’t already have one (90% of those attending will not have a team).** * **Each team will be given a list of clues and 75 minutes to head to Grand Central to uncover the mystery of Mary’s demise. The team with the most points wins.** * **Once everyone is back we'll safely socialize where you can share your experiences with the others.** The Theme: Meet Up Mary is a regular on the social circuit in New York. You'd probably know her if you've been out before. She was very personable, friendly and bubbly! Unfortunately Mary met a horrific end at Grand Central and the police need you help to solve her case! Join us for this fun and educational night where you will get to explore every corner of the NYC Landmark in ways that you never have before! (If you have participated in our other Grand Central Hunts no worries as this is a completely different experience) FAQs: **Can I come alone?** Yes about 90% will attend on their own. **What's dress code?** Wear what you had on at work. It's casual and comfortable. **What are the ages?** 21 and over. We'll have a good mix of ages. **How much to attend?** $25 (goes to $35 as event gets closer). **Do I have to buy in advance?** Yes. Space is limited and this will sell out. To find more fun events follow: [https://www.eventbrite.com/o/new-york-city-social-events-10797526283](https://www.eventbrite.com/o/new-york-city-social-events-10797526283)

Bike with Samara Community School students at Van Cortlandt Park!

(MM)🌟 CO-CREATIVITY WITH AIR! 🌟 Guided Little Island Tour | Nielsen & Jabro

**CALLING ALL PLANETARY FLIGHT CREWS!** * **Join us for our 3rd Annual month-long October E-STEAM Playtime Co-Creativity with Air activities.** * * 📍***WHERE:*** On Friday, October 2, the first October weekend, we will begin in New York City, on a FREE [Archtober Guided Tour, of Little Island,](https://partiful.com/e/dXHcZXgSC99z8AyPc3Mu) led by none other than the Little Island's Landscape Architect Signe Nielsen, and the Little Island's Architect of Record Fabian Jabro! * * For those who will not be just picking up, and going to New York City for a weekend, your co-creativity partners will be coming back to Denver, for the rest of our October activities to share this wonderful experience with you. (Also, I can only use the MDT time zone, on this Meetup announcement, but this tour is from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EDT.) * * 👤***FEATURED EDUTAINERS:*** **Fabian Jabro**, Architect of Record, with [Standard Architects](https://www.standardarchitects.com), and **Signe Nielsen**, Landscape Architect with [Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, P.C.](https://www.mnlandscape.com) transformed a beautiful co-creativity dream, into a beautiful co-creativity reality! * * 🚀 ***WHAT:*** Signe and Fabian are excellent members of Earth's Planetary Flight Crew! * From birth, each of us is a co-creativity edutainer. All you have to do is notice all the YouTube videos of babies' first expressions to know - "Yup!" there's another featured co-creativity edutainer! \* When these two co-creativity edutainers grew up, and became senior members of our Planetary Flight Crew's Co-Creativity with Air, their combined conscious, and intentional co-creativity helped to design a little piece of heaven, here on the urban Earth of New York City! * The [CBS Sunday Morning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ6kxYxyvI4) video on YouTube introduced us to the billionaire named Barry Diller, who connected these two co-creativity edutainers, with his shared vision for a beautiful new reality of a socially and environmentally vibrant Little Island. This Little Island is taking the place of what once was a beaten up Pier 54. On April 11, 1912, the brand new "unsinkable" Titanic, which was built in [Belfast, Ireland](https://www.titanicbelfast.com/history-of-titanic/titanic-stories/titanic-s-maiden-voyage-the-queenstown-connection/), left from Ireland, expecting to arrive at New York City's Pier 54. Instead, on April 18, 1912, an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people arrived at this port to welcome the return of the 712 survivors of the sunken Titanic. The Bowery Boys Podcast story "[The Fate of Pier 54](https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2023/04/the-titanic-and-the-fate-of-pier-54.html)" shows this Little Island standing like a gravesite memorial, not just for the estimated lost 1,500 passengers, but for the lost dreams of co-creativity connections between continents. This Little Island has become an intentional site for global life-supporting co-creativity connections. \* * [The Little Island's online announcement](https://littleisland.org/event/archtober-guided-tour-of-little-island/2026-10-02/2/) of this tour says that RSVPs are not required. However, you have the option of RSVPing for event updates, and social connections, through the [Partiful database](https://partiful.com/e/dXHcZXgSC99z8AyPc3Mu). On behalf of Denver's annual October E-STEAM Playtime Co-Creativity with Air activities, Fran and Richard RSVP'd, and also shared this activity, on our collaborative Meetup Museum Muser calendars. * 🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸 * **"We are the Universe becoming conscious of itself."** * \- a quote by Ron Garan\, spacewalker\, astronaut\, on the International Space Station\, in his BigThink video titled\, “[I went to space and discovered an enormous lie](https://bigthink.com/life/overview-effect/)." 🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸 * 🤝🌱🧑 ***CO-CREATIVITY PARTNERS:*** * * **E-STEAM Playtime Edutainers** [Fran and Richard Rew](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b4Ni0i4mDmdPBFCbQtR3TanDzXop5HXh/view) are co-founders of the [E-STEAM Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAa47BJ3OTU) channel on YouTube. * * Richard and Fran will be co-hosting the rest of October's month-long activities in Denver, Colorado. These activities and locations will be announced, on the collaborative [Museum Muser](https://www.meetup.com/museummuser/) calendars. * * 🌱🌍🛠️ ***CO-CREATIVITY CONNECTIONS*** * **New York City's, and Denver, Colorado’s "urban living skin,”** at its best is mostly like the temperature regulating living hair follicles, on our skin. The surrounding rural areas are more like Earth's actual "living skin." * * Next Friday (10/9/2026), we'll explore the possibilities for vertiports as a part of NU-GRIPs (Neighborhood Urban Green Roof, intergenerational, interdisciplinary, Public-Private-Partnerships), to improve our urban-and-rural co-creativity connections! It is the rural (not urban) “skin” that’s packed full of the biology of air. Our urban “living skin” needs to share strong biological conscious co-creativity connections with our rural “living skin.” Our rural and urban “living skins,” are currently packed full of increasingly disconnections, from our biologically “conscious co-creativity connections!” * * **The [2026 calendar for the full month of October's E-STEAM Playtime Co-Creativity with Air](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X1Y7k__IPM97GOC1WplB6CiRMF-7GlcF/view?usp=sharing)** activities will be linked, in the video descriptions, of the 2024 and 2026 annual October event videos, on the [E-STEAM Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAa47BJ3OTU) channel on YouTube. The 2nd weekend of October’s Denver, Colorado, locations include Forney Transportation Museum (Friday, 10/9), CSU Spur (Saturday, 10/10), and the One Sky One World International Kite Fly for Peace, in the Sloan’s Lake Park (Sunday, 10/11). * 🔸🔹 **THE EARTH LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEM MISSION** 🔸🔹 * **Our Planetary Flight Crew's playtime** mission is to connect with our conscious love for co-creativity, with Nature's life-supporting designs. \* With this connection, our **E-STEAM Playtime Power** will grow a co-creativity resilience, for balancing E-STEAM’s [Life-Supporting Biology of Precipitation Cycles](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pvqiR8XGRhnZmzhIPBGoozVeKn-Ki2dr/view?pli=1) \* * **"E" = Economics,** of Nature's living-energy-resource-balancing economics. This is the first "E" in "E-STEAM." This includes the balancing science of living-energy-resource systems, in our Earth’s atmosphere of air. * * **"dash" = Conscious Co-Creativity Connecting** the living and non-living-resource economics, balancing between Nature and Humanity. * * **"STEAM" = Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and** **Math**, of Humanity’s non-living-resource-balancing economics, through our Art of choices, for STEAM designs.

Gathering: How to be a Happy Skeptic

[Massimo Pigliucci](https://figsinwintertime.substack.com/), philosophy professor at City College of New York, will discuss the way to a meaningful, happy life through the power of curiosity and doubt, with the ancient Roman public advocate, orator, statesman, and thinker Marcus Tullius Cicero as his guide. Cicero lived in turbulent times at the end of the Roman Republic. Though he mostly lived as a Stoic, Cicero also followed Plato’s Skeptical Academy, believing a spirit of inquiry and an open-minded attitude were the secrets to living well. Weaving Cicero’s biography with deep investigations of his published works, Massimo will explore the foundations for a good life: from how to formulate our values to how to nurture friendships; from being a good citizen and fighting for social justice to handling grief, pain, and even death. Taking a page from Cicero’s book, we, too, can adopt a practical philosophy of reason and common sense. This talk is at the meetinghouse and on Zoom. To receive the link, please email [admin@ethicalfocus.org](mailto:admin@ethicalfocus.org) by noon on Friday.

Sunday 7:15am @ Murray Playground (7v7 x 90 min)

Paint In Central Park (Bucket List Event)

**\*TO ATTEND GET TICKETS AT:** [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paint-in-the-park-tickets-1984990444855](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paint-in-the-park-tickets-1984990444855) *(This is a prepay event and only way to attend is to get ticket in advance at link above. Our events are co-organized by multiple groups so don't pay attention to the RSVPs. These events are consistently well attended.)* CELEBRATE SPRING AT ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR MEETUPS - A PICNIC 'N PAINT IN CENTRAL PARK! Come join us in a relaxed, creative and social setting. No experience necessary. So grab your picnic basket and enjoy wonderful paint event in Central Park! Included: a pre-sketched canvas, unlimited painting materials (brushes, acrylic paints etc.) and a take home bag. No smocks so please dress appropriately. Please bring something to sit on. What to expect: **• Step-by-step, group-oriented painting instruction, which is designed to simultaneously entertain and enlighten our members.** **• We'll have a professional artist guide you through a featured painting that is yours to keep and proudly display. And don’t worry — no experience is necessary.** **• 2 hour course lead that teaches you the art of mixing colors, blending and painting techniques.** **• All supplies provided - 12x16 pre-sketched canvas, unlimited acrylic paint (water based), brushes, and aprons.** DIRECTIONS TO FIND GROUP: We are located in a cul-de-sac at PINETUM EAST. We will be behind this row of benches (right under the trees). If you are coming from the east side you can find us by entering Central Park on East 84th street. Walk up the ramp, cross over the road and head west. If you are traveling from the west side we are east of the basketball courts. FAQs: What if it rains? We will email attendees a rain date. Can I still attend If I don't know how to paint? Yes, there's no experience necessary. Can I come alone? Yes, about 80% come on their own. Is this age specific? No, all are welcome. Cost? $35-$45, price goes up as the event date gets closer. This event will sell out. Can't purchase at the door. For more fun events follow: [https://www.eventbrite.com/o/new-york-city-social-events-10797526283](https://www.eventbrite.com/o/new-york-city-social-events-10797526283)

Young Ethical Explorers

**Newcomers are always welcome!** To join, please RSVP to Youth Programs Director Audrey Kindred at [ethicalfamilies@nysec.org](mailto:ethicalfamilies@nysec.org). For more information about our youth and family programming, please visit [ethical.nyc/youth](http://www.ethical.nyc/youth). **About Young Ethical Explorers** YEE is our Humanist Sunday school, designed for youngsters from ages 4 to 13, and takes place concurrent with our Sunday Platform meetings. Sessions raise issues of personal identity and integrity, appreciation and respect for others, and knowledge of religions, philosophies, and social concerns. Topics are explored in an age-appropriate way through discussion, storytelling, dramatization, music, art, games, and field trips. RSVP is essential to guarantee your place and for planning purposes. If you are enrolled for the season or are members of Ethical NYC your spot is guaranteed. To RSVP as a guest, become a member, or enroll in season, please contact Audrey at [ethicalfamilies@nysec.org](mailto:ethicalfamilies@nysec.org). Newcomers and visitors are always welcome!