Fall 2026
September 13 - December 13
All programs are held at The Banyan Treehouse at 2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA.
Sunday
Root to Rise | 10:30AM-12PM | 5-12 years old
The Root Club (5-8 year olds) and The Rise Club (9-12 year olds) are weekly clubs for young people to build lifelong friendships, and explore their South Asian identity through cooking, arts & crafts, games & sports, family history, and more. All programs are secular and inclusive, exposing kids to a wide range of religious, regional, and human experiences.
Hindi + Urdu | 1:30-2:30PM | 5-12 years old
Learn the conversational skill of Hindi/Urdu in our beginner/intermediate class. This class will gradually grow to include reading and writing, as well as cultural exposure through the language.
Seed Fellowship | 1:30-3PM | 7th-8th grade, woman/non-binary/femme-identified youth
The Seed Fellowship is a 4-year program that supports teens through the journey into adulthood with a peer group that embodies belonging, cultural pride, critical thinking, global awareness, and self-knowledge. We create a space for South Asian youth of all backgrounds to build bridges within our community, and around it.
Seed Fellowship | 4-5:30PM | 9th grade, all genders
The Seed Fellowship is a 4-year program that supports teens through the journey into adulthood with a peer group that embodies belonging, cultural pride, critical thinking, global awareness, and self-knowledge. We create a space for South Asian youth of all backgrounds to build bridges within our community, and around it.
Tuesday
Tabla | 4-5PM, 5-6PM, 6-7PM | All Ages
Learn Tabla with master Tabla teacher, Prafulla Athalye. We have 3 cohorts from 4-5PM, 5-6PM, and 6-7PM. Once you indicate your interest in learning Tabla, we will help you find the right batch for your level and age.
Thursday
Seed Fellowship | 5-6:30PM | 10th+ grade, all genders
The Seed Fellowship is a 4-year program that supports teens through the journey into adulthood with a peer group that embodies belonging, cultural pride, critical thinking, global awareness, and self-knowledge. We create a space for South Asian youth of all backgrounds to build bridges within our community, and around it.
Friday
Bollywood & Bhangra | 4-5PM, 5-6PM | 5-12 years old
Our Bollywood & Bhangra program is a fun, skill-based class that concludes in a performance at the end of the semester, and a showcase at the end of the year. 4-5PM is 5-8 year olds, 5-6PM is 9-12 year olds.
Register for Fall 2026.
Register for Fall 2026.
Root to Rise
For 5-12 year olds. Root to Rise is a weekly club for South Asian youth, designed to give kids a strong group of friends they can grow up with over the years, caring mentors who they can relate to, and confidence in their identity through their formative years.
We bring stories of South Asian history to life in a secular, inclusive environment, through hands-on activities across art, cooking, sports, STEM, and so much more. We also organize optional social gatherings and field trips for the whole family. Each semester, we create a finale showcase & multimedia magazine together so your kids can display their discoveries through the program.
Participants are grouped into cohorts by age, and take on challenges suited to their developmental stage. 5-8 year olds are together, and 9-12 year olds are together.
We strongly recommend all Banyan Tree participants signup for a cohort of Root to Rise, as the friendships and learning kids experience here build the foundation of all our other classes and programs!
When & Where
The Banyan Treehouse, 2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, 10:30-12PM on Sundays
The Seed Fellowship
The future is created by the seeds you plant today.
The Seed Fellowship is a program for teens to plant seeds for the future of their life, their community, and their world. Our Seed Fellows learn about South Asian history and culture, while growing their team building, organizing, leadership, and storytelling skills. Through the program, they will get to:
Create a community project that is rooted in their passions, purpose, and family history
Volunteer with the Banyan Tree to support local issues
Lead sessions in our youth development program (Root to Rise) after getting trained in facilitation
Write a family history that they can publish in a multimedia magazine for South Asian youth
Build lifelong friendships, find mentors, and form a supportive community to guide them through the ups and downs of school, and the journey through college / finding a job.
The Banyan Tree house
2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA (inside the YWCA Berkeley/Oakland)
Register for Fall 2026.
Register for Fall 2026.
The Details
Dates
Our program runs from September 13 to December 13, 2026.
We will not have programs on the following days:
Sunday, October 11 for Indigenous People’s Day
Monday, November 23 to Friday, November 27 for Thanksgiving Week
Dropoff & Pickup
Participants can be dropped off and picked up 10 minutes before/after the start/end time of the program.
We are working on arranging a carpools to make it easier for families to bring their kids to our center.
Snacks
We have juice and a snack available to kids during our programs to make sure they are healthy and happy. Snack examples include strawberries, masala popcorn, carrots and hummus, etc. Snacks are always nut-free and vegetarian. We can accommodate other dietary restrictions and allergies.
Pricing
Payments can be completed:
Monthly
Full Fall Program (10% discount)
10% off if you sign up for 2 or more classes (including siblings)
Except Tabla, all classes are priced at $27/hour, and are sliding scale. We will never turn anyone away because of cost.
Tabla classes are $45/hour
Cancellation Policy
Monthly Payments: You can cancel at any time. If you cancel mid-month, we will cancel your payments starting the following month, but will not be able to provide a prorated refund.
Full Payments: We do not provide prorated refunds on payments in full, but we will work with you on a case by case basis if something unexpected emerges!
What about Spring 2027?
Spring class schedules will be announced in October 2026, and will be similar to the fall class schedule - with classes added and removed based on community demand
Register for Fall 2026!
Once you submit your registration form, we will respond to you within 24 hours to confirm your spot, answer any questions, and send you the deposit payment link!