‘Sundaze at Kizmet’

New space could provide chance for teens to bring their flavor to the community

By KIMBERLY M. WEYANDT

NARROWSBURG, NY — For many teenagers, life in the Upper Delaware region means not much of a life at all. Lack of public transportation leaves many teens trapped at home. And if they have a means, there is no end. But thanks to one business owner and some forward-thinking teenagers, life is about to get a whole lot sweeter.

“I believe that our culture has teenage discrimination and there’s really no place for them to go and hang out,” said Lisa Gonsalves, proprietor of Kizmet on Main Street. Gonsalves is also a youth coordinator for the Liberty Community Development Corporation.

The space on Main Street itself has been in transformation, operating as a gift shop and a home for community events, such as a once-a-month drumming circle and the recent Bourbon Street benefits, live-music events to support musicians who lost their livelihood in New Orleans.

“The place has been kind of morphing itself into something else because people like the space,” Gonsalves said. The transition began when she stopped looking at what it is and started to see what it could become.

“I lived in Europe for four years and in Europe, there’s a café for everyone. I started thinking it would be neat to have a little teen café here in my town,” she said.

Gonsalves put the word out, and contacted a few teenagers that she had worked with over the years, kids that she remembered as ambitious over-achievers with a good work ethic. She shared her ideas with them, asking, “if I turned this space over to you, what would you do with it? What would you call it?”

“Sundaze at Kizmet,” came the reply.

Working with an increasing number of interested teens, Gonsalves whittled her idea down to the essence of the project. She would change the space from its retail zoning to a cultural-recreation facility that would act as a community center.

“It would basically operate like a coffee bar and we would host different creative, cultural and recreational activities,” Gonsalves said.

Sundays would be for teens. A chance to do what they want: play music, board games, hang out and be treated like adults.

Now that the teens are as excited as Gonsalves, and willing to work, fundraisers are being planned. The first fundraiser is a compilation CD of songs from “Corporate Disguise,” “The Foxy Morons,” and other local teen bands. The CDs will be sold and all proceeds will go into creating the café space. Teens are also working on organizing a battle of the bands barbeque.

A committee of teens will give presentations to solicit supply donations that will help the project. John Roth, a local artist whose work contains traditional games, is interested in hosting a workshop to paint the tabletops that include different-colored game boards.

“It’s their thing,” said Gonsalves. “I’m hoping to maybe create mini-activists and show them that they can make a difference in the community and make decisions.

“I don’t think that’s an opportunity they’re given very often.”

When the space is not operating as a teen haven, Gonsalves hopes to open it up to other groups in the community.

“There will also be time for parents and preschoolers, and I’ll be getting some training and certification from Education Practices in Community Integrated Care (EPIC) for facilitating that kind of thing,” said Gonsalves.

“I have a dance instructor who wants to use the space for belly dance instruction, which I think will be really neat. Penelope Lohr is interested in hosting a theatre group, and maybe we could have a poetry jam,” she said.

“I want the space to be family oriented; I want it to be community oriented. I want everyone to be comfortable here.”

Gonsalves went before the Tusten Planning Board meeting on Monday, March 20 to present her ideas. Although her ideas were met with enthusiasm, the board will need to see drawings from an engineer and address concerns such as the town’s substandard sewage system. Gonsalves will go before the Tusten Planning Board with official plans for her project on April 17.

Gonsalves and the teens remain optimistic about the project.

“It’s just a place for teens to hang out where there’s not alcohol, it’s safe, no one gets hurt, and they won’t have to be around adults all the time,” said Gonsalves.

“If their parents bring them, then maybe the parents will go to dinner down the block or do a little shopping,” she said.

“It’s really exciting and I think it could be really cool.”