ASCENDTIALS COMMUNITY EVENTS
Mini ASCENDkemet Earthkeepers Teach Us (MAET)
MAET transforms our certified farmers’ markets and waterfront parks into early learning ecosystems for BIPOC youth ages 3–17 — where children explore nature and science through activities that protect and preserve the earth and humankind, powered by community.
Powered by the Build My Spirit framework and rooted in African heritage and environmental stewardship, MAET blends ecological science with ancestral wisdom — guiding young people to see themselves as earthkeepers and stewards of their communities.
Through gardening, beach cleanups, storytelling, astronomy, Kemetic yoga, and traditional drumming, children build scientific literacy alongside cultural identity and emotional resilience. At the farmers’ market, youth reinforce what they learn through a dedicated learning station focused on monthly curriculum content.
Program Details: Open to youth ages 3–17 (core 3–12; Youth Vendor track 10–17).
Monthly sessions plus a learning station every market day — City Heights / Wightman St (Saturdays 10 AM – 2 PM) and Marina District / Broadway Pier (Fridays 3 – 7 PM).
Free, donation-based, no registration required. SNAP/EBT, WIC, and SFMNP accepted.
WHAT YOUTH EXPERIENCE
Hands-on learning where the classroom is outside — and it belongs to everyone.
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Garden-Based Learning
Ecological science exploring energy, materials, life, and change through hands in the soil.
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Kemetic Yoga
Movement and mindfulness rooted in ancestral practice and cultural identity.
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Cultural Storytelling
Ancestral stories and traditional drumming that connect youth to where they come from.
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Beach Cleanups & Water Science
Stewardship in action while learning the science of our coasts and waterways.
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Astronomy & Night Sky
Eyes on the stars — connecting cosmic cycles to ecological and cultural knowledge.
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Cultural Food Education
Connecting ancestral foods to nutrition, community, and the markets youth help run.
SIGNATURE FEATURE · AGES 10–17
Youth Vendor Pathway
Youth ages 10–17 who complete a full program cycle become Youth Vendors at our certified farmers’ markets — growing produce, crafting goods, and sharing their earthkeeping journey with the public. Under staff supervision, they practice public speaking, financial literacy, and community building. Grow it, make it, bring it to market.
For Schools & Educators
PARTNER WITH MAET
MAET is actively building school partnerships through California's Farm to School program. Aligned with CDFA and CDE pillars, we help San Diego schools bring culturally rooted environmental education to their students — at whatever level fits your classroom.
FOUR WAYS TO PARTNER
Start small or go all in — every level is a step toward earthkeeping education.
Night sky youth camp
As part of this program, we also offer separate Night Sky Sessions for Youth during night sky viewing gatherings at Oak Oasis Park. These evening sessions extend the same curriculum through astronomy-based learning and reflection, giving children another opportunity to connect with the universe, cultural wisdom, and their role as young earthkeepers and stewards.
Upcoming Overnight Camp program!
Activities will include: night sky viewings, bonfire, learning herbs and healing methods, Kemetic yoga, day/night hikes, tree planting, scavenger hunts!
ASCENDtials is partnering with Pepper Grove Park for our Park Takeover series!
Join us Wednesday April 22nd at 5pm for free Kemetic Yoga sessions and other hoolistic education tools!
Interested in learning more about our youth programs or want to enroll your child? Please reach out — we’d love to help!
bUILD mY sPIRIT
Build My Spirit is a before and after school program for low-income BIPOC youth (ages 5-17) in San Diego. The program seeks to provide children in our community with activities that support them spiritually, mentally, and physically. The key to all this is empowering the disadvantaged, and dismantling the unseen barriers of inequality.
To protect our youth is to protect our future.
