Comida y tierra is a conversation series that takes place in restaurants and green spaces across Kingston, NY. Participants eat a meal together and discuss topics centered around local land use initiatives, traditional ecological knowledge, and ways of relating to land that are relevant to Spanish-speaking Kingston residents.
Language Level: Participants identify their level of Spanish fluency and then join a table according to their level (beginner, intermediate, advanced).There is also a Q’eqchi language table, with interpretation into Q’eqchi often provided. Guest speakers present topics in an array of languages, with Spanish being the common language for facilitation and interpretation.
Cost: The event is free and open to the public, but we do suggest a donation of $30 from attendees who are joining us as Spanish-language learners. Your donation supports the sustainability of this program.
If you are interested in helping with our event series, through flyering, event support such as tabling, interpretation or translation support please visit our volunteer page and complete our volunteer interest form.
In between events, you can use our Comida y tierra Facebook page as forum to organize English or Spanish language meet-ups or exchanges, or post language resources for the community.
The dinners range from 30-50 attendees, and anyone with a basic level of Spanish can attend. All Latin American diasporic languages are welcomed and honored. Spanish-language learners frequently attend as a way to practice conversational Spanish and get to know their neighbors.
Each Comida y tierra has a different theme around which the conversation will be centered. Previous themes include topics about outdoor space for recreation, wildlife and plant identification, and the cultural and scientific relevancy of saving seeds. Facilitators may present information of interest or an activity to the whole group. Each table has conversation questions printed in Spanish to prompt conversations among attendees.
As part of the Comida y tierra series, the Kingston Land Trust produced outreach and informational materials in Spanish about previous Kingston Greenline projects and the City of Kingston’s Open Space Plan in order remove the language barrier that often discourages the hispanic population of Kingston from participating in public process.
Comida y tierra is building a base of trust and new cross-cultural relationships. Through this effort, the Kingston Land Trust has identified volunteer interpreters to attend relevant public meetings so that those who speak Spanish as their dominant language (15% of the population of Kingston) can participate. In addition to learning from our growing and diverse base, we will be able to engage the Comida y tierra attendees in public input into future Kingston Land Trust projects, as well as our board of directors
- Visit the various Latin American restaurants in mid-town Kingston and continue to engage with the neighborhood's vibrant and friendly Spanish-speaking community.
There is a Comida y tierra Facebook page that allows participants to stay in touch with each other and post resources in between events, as well as a place for the Kingston Land Trust to provide Spanish-language outreach on other initiatives and events in Kingston.
Other Kingston Land Trust events are bilingual, with Spanish interpretation available, and are advertised as such.
Volunteer for a local org that teaches English to speakers of other languages (see resources)
The program was launched in the Spring of 2017 as a joint initiative of the Kingston Land Trust, led by Julia Farr, and the YMCA Farm Project, led by KayCee Wimbish. During the first year, Comida y tierra events were monthly and took place as community picnics in addition to restaurants.
Sign up for the KLT newsletter, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or check our website to receive announcements about our upcoming events. We will announce the location and date of the next Comida Y Tierra as soon as possible through all of these outlets and share a ticketing link. Reserving tickets ahead of time is helpful for us to plan the meal accordingly,but you can also donate and register at the door.
