KoKoNYC
Kids are natural inventors. Through the process of making and tinkering, they build Imagination, turning trash into treasure. KoKo encourages kids to take risks, collaborate and problem solve to become independent learners.
Koko NYC is the brainchild of Monika Wuhrer, who in 2007 was raising three young boys whom she’d often take to explore the urban outdoors. Walking by discarded household items on city streets, her boys made her see trash in a new light as objects that could be repurposed with just a small bit of imagination and ingenuity. Her kids were also obsessed with cars, and after speaking to an engineer friend about the idea of making vehicles out of trash, she landed on the Soap Box workshop that was to become an annual summer offering as one of the centerpieces of Koko. But the name ‘Koko’ wasn’t born until Monika invited a small group of children to take a ‘build & create’ class in her home and to come up with a name for their program. The kids liked the sound of ‘Koko’ and went on to design a logo and tee-shirts that launched what was to become a kid-centered, inventive and accessible program throughout NYC.
Today Koko services 8,000 children across five boroughs. The organic nature of Koko’s foundations is key to how the program views education: at the heart of Koko’s mission is empowering kids to build a world of their own making, from the ground up.