Who We Are
Roles
At the heart of Side Quest are the Questers. We want to give them an experience that will be inviting, fun, interesting, and social. A space where they are the creators of their own day and are able to share it with their friends.
Our adult advisors will help guide kids, providing necessary connection or intervention when a Quester is stuck or overly frustrated. All advisors will complete Social Competency Model training to facilitate organizing and interpreting thoughts and emotions by problem solving and making decisions to meet social goals.
Our older teens and young-adult coaches will help create opt-in activities during our camps. Striving to foster the kids’ interests, our coaches will help pivot projects, provide brain breaks, and be an extra-set of hands in the makerspace.
Visiting mentors may stop-in to provide any training or education based on interests of the group, or to provide inspiration for new avenues of exploration.
ALL ADVISORS HAVE BACKGROUND CHECKS RUN AND ARE CPR-CERTIFIED.
Bethanie Omiecinski (Advisor) is the driving force behind Side Quest Social Club. She has honed her passion for kid- and family-oriented programming and community events by teaching Tinkergarten classes for toddler and preschool aged kids in outdoor/nature settings, leading a family scouting group based in Logan Square and Humboldt Park, and serving as an elected Co-Chair and Secretary for the Unity Park Advisory Council to organize and execute Chicago Park District events.
Her Fine Arts Degree in Graphic Design from Savannah College of Art and Design gave her a deep appreciation for art to be used as a form of communication, connection, and pure enjoyment.
Current creative outlets include weaving, crocheting, sewing, drawing, paper-crafting, letterpress printing, playing guitar, and playing games (board and video). She is most looking forward to learning more about modeling software for 3D Printing.
Natalie Gardner (Advisor) is a CPS teacher and life-long learner with a strong interest in supporting open-ended play, creativity, and independence in the lives of children. She holds a Master’s degree in Education as well as an LBS1 endorsement for working with students with special needs. She loves to support programs like Side Quest that truly value child-led exploration. She has served as board president for Hoyne Street Playgroup Co-op, run a Friday makerspace program in her classroom, and is a founding board member of Wonder Woods, a nonprofit forest school in Chicago. She is also the mom to a non-binary tween.
Natalie’s creative interests run wide. She grew up playing the violin and had an early interest in the puppet arts. In the past few years she has enjoyed gardening, cooking, learning to sew, and tending to her backyard chickens. She especially loves to imagine new uses for discarded materials, and cardboard is her favorite makerspace material! She first discovered its magic when she was tasked to use it to design and build useable furniture in a 3D art class at Indiana University. Since then she has marveled at how this particular medium is like an invitation to process play for kids of all ages. She is looking forward to exploring mosaic art and learning new skills from the successes and failures of fellow makers!