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In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
1. GSA Network Year End Evaluation
2. GSA Activist Camp! (Northern and Southern CA)
3. Art for Change: GSA Network Fundraisers (SF and Sacramento)
4. Free Zone 2002 Applications Now Available (Bay Area)
5. Upcoming GSA Leadership Training: SF/East Bay
6. LYRIC Champions Awards Event (SF)
7. LGBTQQ & Straight-Ally Youth Party (Bay Area)
8. Queer Camp 2002 (Santa Cruz)
9. Anti-Racist Action (Peninsula)
10. Women of Color Video Festival (SF)
11. SOUL Training for Trainers Workshop (Bay Area)
12. Y-MAC's Anniversary Celebration (SF)
13. Youth Commission Accepting Applications (SF)
14. NEWS: MOMA highlights teen filmmakers
*********************************************
1. GSA Network Year End Evaluation
Please take a few minutes to fill out GSA Network's Year End Evaluation. Your comments are VERY important to us!
Access the evaluation online: www.gsanetwork.org/yearendeval/
*********************************************
2. GSA Activist Camp 2002! (Northern and Southern CA)
The Activist Camp is FREE, youth-planned and youth-led event that features intensive community building, skill-building, political education, and leadership training for GSA members. Last year's participants had a great experience, and we hope to make this year even better! All youth who will be involved in a high school or middle school GSA next year and who want to develop leadership skills, network with other youth activists, learn a lot, and have a fabulous time are encouraged to apply.
Northern California Camp: August 6-8 in Oakland
Southern California Camp: August 9-11 in Santa Monica
Submit your completed GSA Activist Camp applications to GSA Network by Monday, July 8th.
Apply online at www.gsanetwork.org/camp (will be up and running by the end of the day today). Applications can also be sent via e-mail (copy and paste the application into an e-mail) or by snail mail (print out application and postmark by 7/8) to GSA Network -->
Northern California Camp:
(e-mail) mailto:emilie@gsanetwork.org
emilie@gsanetwork.org
(snail mail) 160 14th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Southern California Camp:
(e-mail) cc@gsanetwork.org
(snail mail) 4477 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 202, Los Angeles, CA 90027
GSA Activist Camp Application:
Name: _________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________
City: __________________________________________
State: _____
Zip: ___________
Phone: _________________________________________
E-mail: _________________________________________
Do we need to be discreet when contacting you? (yes or no)
Name of school you attend: __________________________________________
Name of GSA or LGBTQ-related organization:___________________________________
Current Age: ________
Year in School (for 2002-2003 year): __________________
GSA Network strives for diversity in all aspects of its programs. The
following information is optional but very important to us:
Gender: __________________________________________
Sexual orientation: __________________________________________
Race/Ethnicity: __________________________________________
Please answer the following questions:
1. Describe your GSA experience and how it has been meaningful to you.
2. Describe some of the leadership, organizing, and/or activism experience
you've had, other than through your GSA.
3. What does youth leadership mean to you?
4. What motivates you to be an activist?
5. Share some ways that racism, classism, sexism, and other oppressions
have affected you and your activism.
6. What vision do you have for the future of your school's GSA?
7. What do you hope to get out of the GSA Activist Camp?
8. What would you contribute to the GSA Activist Camp?
*********************************************
3. Art for Change: GSA Network Fundraisers (SF and Sacramento)
art for change: youth art auction and benefit for GSA Network
art for change will benefit GSA Network's Make It Real Project, a youth-led effort to ensure implementation of AB 537, the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, a ground-breaking law protecting students from harassment and discrimination on the basis of actual and perceived sexual orientation and gender identity in California public schools.
$100 - Champion
$50 - Supporter
$35 - Individual Ticket
$10 - Limited income
Free - Youth 18 and under
San Francisco Event:
Saturday, June 8, 7-9 p.m.
Z Center, 2211 Mission St. at 18th St., San Francisco
Program will include youth speakers and performances to be announced.
Sacramento Event:
Monday, June 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Club 21, 1119 21st Street, Sacramento
Program will feature the author of AB 537, Senator Sheila Kuehl, and
Amador High School student Brianna Pulskamp-Lockhart
For more information, call 415.552.4229 or artforchange@gsanetwork.org
GSA Network is still accepting donations of artwork for both of these
events. To submit your work, please contact Jill at 415.552.4229
or jill@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
4. Free Zone 2002 Applications Now Available (Bay Area)
Summer 2002: Make Art. Make Change.
Come out and play!
We are planning an amazing summer of fun, skill sharing, creative expression, and powerful activism. Free Zone 2002 is a collaborative program of GSA Network, LYRIC, and Mission Grafíca. The summer will include training in graphic design and screen printing as well as political education workshops. The program culminates in the creation of a series of political posters expressing the hopes and issues important to the group. In addition to being shown in community venues, the posters will be used in schools by Gay-Straight Alliance clubs and teachers to fight homophobia and other oppressions.
Classes will be held at the Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission St (right off 24th St. Bart) in San Francisco every Tuesday and Thursday, June 18 - August 22, from 3-6:30 pm. No previous experience necessary.
Apply now: www.gsanetwork.org/freezone/application.html
===
Free Zone is an arts for social change collaborative project of the
Gay-Straight Alliance Network and LYRIC (Lavender Youth Recreation and
Information Center). Through arts training and education about social issues,
Free Zone inspires LGBTQQ and straight ally youth to use art as a means
of self-expression, activism, learning, and community-building. The artistic
product created through Free Zone is used as an organizing and curriculum
tool to fight homophobia and injustice in schools. GSAs build youth leadership
capacity as they host the Free Zone product and educate their peers about
homophobia and other injustices. For more info about the Free Zone project,
visit: www.gsanetwork.org/freezone/.
*********************************************
5. Upcoming GSA Leadership Training: SF/East Bay
Wanna meet other people fighting homophobia?
Wanna learn how to improve your GSA?
Wanna become a leader?
*** Join us for our upcoming GSA Leadership Training! ***
Learn how to facilitate a meeting, make your GSA more inclusive, and build coalitions with other students.
All GSA Leadership Trainings are FREE. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
SF/East Bay:
Sunday, June 2 -- 9:30am - 4:00pm
Youth Empowerment Center
1357 5th St., Oakland CA (next to West Oakland BART station)
Co-sponsored by GSA Network and Youth Force Coalition.
For more information about the East Bay Leadership Training, contact
Emilie at 415.552.4229 or emilie@gsanetwork.org.
*********************************************
6. LYRIC Champions Awards Event (SF)
LYRIC's annual Champion Awards Event
May 30th (tomorrow)
6:00pm to 9:00pm
SF LGBT Community Center
FREE for youth, $75 for adults, $25 for Alumni
Awards will be presented to Vanessa Duran, Jordan Green, and The Center
for Young Women's Development.
*********************************************
7. LGBTQQ & Straight-Ally Youth Party (Bay Area)
LGBTQQ & Straight-Ally Youth Party
The Sweet Tooth
"Taste the Rainbow"
Friday May 31st
8pm-Midnight
Outlet / YWCA of the Mid-Peninsula
4161 Alma St, Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 494-0972 x 301
www.ywcamid.org/rcc/Outlet
Free of charge!!
Sponsored by: Outlet @ YWCA
Q-Kids @ Billy DeFrank Center
ááá Gunn High School GSA
á Milpitas High School GSA
*********************************************
8. Queer Camp 2002 (Santa Cruz)
is the camp we always dreamed of!
. It is created for queer teen youth, by youth and their allies
. It will be a safe space for us to have fun and be ourselves
. We welcome Queer, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, questioning, and Queer-friendly
youth
. We will celebrate our diversity - all our flavors, colors, shapes,
sizes,
and ways of expressing who we are!
Check it out!
Singing around the Campfire * Roasting Marshmallows * Starlight Dance * No-Talent Show * Volleyball * Heart Circles * Fun Playshops * Hiking * Mask-Making * Art in the Woods * And whatever else we all dream up!
Save the dates!
Register by June 7th, 2002
Camp happens June 17-21, 2002
(arrive Mon 4-6 pm, leave Fri at 3 pm)
Please plan on attending the entire event!
For More Info: call (831) 335-5861
This event is sponsored by STRANGE, Santa Cruz Area Radical Faeries,
Q-Kids
of the Billy de Frank Center (San José), UCSC LGBTI Resource
Center, the
Santa Cruz Diversity Center, & the ADAM Foundation.
Application
Name _____________________________________
Home Phone_________________________
Address_________________________________________________________
Email Address ________________________
Gender ______ Age ____ T-Shirt Size ______
Parent's Name(s) ______________________
Parent's Work Phone(s)___________________
Assistance
____ Physical Considerations (specify)
______________________________________________
____ Diet Restrictions (specify; meals will be vegetarian)
______________________________________________
____ I need transportation to the event.
____ I need transportation home from the event.
____ I take the following prescription medications:
______________________________________________
Lodging (We will do our best to meet your request)
____ I want to sleep in a cabin/room ____ I want to pitch my
own tent
____ My friends and I want to room together. My friends' full
names are:_____________________________________________________________
Helping Out
____ I want to help out with the camp. Please let me know what I can
do.
____ I would like to present an activity or playshop and am attaching
a
proposal.
____ I can provide transportation to and from the camp for ____
people.
Parent/Guardian Permission
All participants under 18 years of age will need written permission
to
attend.
I, ________________________, am the legal guardian/parent of
_____________________ and I give permission for her/him to attend Queer
Camp 2002 from June 17-21, 2002. In case of an emergency, I authorize camp
organizers to consent to any medical care advised by medical professionals,
and I can be contacted at ____________________.
Parent/Guardian Signature________________________
Date__________
Registration Fees **
The registration fee includes four night's lodging, all meals, and
all
activities at the camp! We have a wide fee range because we want everyone
who wants to come to be able to attend. Pay what you can. We want you
there!
If you need a scholarship please call (831) 335-5861 and leave a message
asking for one.
Registration Fee $40-$60 _______
T-Shirt $10 _______
Donation for scholarships _______
Total Fee Enclosed _______
** If you live in Santa Clara County, the Billy DeFrank Center in San Jose will pay your registration fee! Contact Rick at 408-293-3040 x 111 for more info.
Please make your check payable to "The Diversity Center", and mail to
Camp 2002, c/o Dan Driessche, 301 Elm St., Santa Cruz CA 95060 by June
7tht,
2002. A map and a fun list of things to pack will be sent to you when
we receive your completed registration.
*********************************************
9. Anti-Racist Action Network (Peninsula)
Calling all activists on the Peninsula!!
The Anti-Racist Action Network is a non-profit organization that is
dedicated to fighting racism, sexism, anti-gay bigotry, anti-Semitism,
and the
unfairness which is often suffered by the disabled, the youngest, the
oldest, and the poorest of our people. Since 1987, ARA has pushed fascists
out of
music scenes, communities, and cities across the country.
Due to an uprising of racist skinheads, we have started an ARA chapter in San Mateo County/Mid-Peninsula. We need your support!!
Come to our first meeting!
Saturday, June 15, 2002
in Central Park, San Mateo
We'll begin at 12 noon.
For info, directions, etc. email us at: ara_pen@hotmail.com
The four principles of the Anti-Racist Action Network are:
1. We go where they go. Whenever fascists are organizing or active in public, weŐre there. We donŐt believe in ignoring them or staying away from them. Never let the nazis have the streets.
2. DonŐt rely on the cops or the courts to do our work. This doesn't
mean we donŐt ever go to court. But we must rely on ourselves to protect
ourselves
and to stop the fascists.
3. Non-sectarian defense of other anti-fascists. In ARA-NET, we have
lots of groups of individuals. We donŐt agree about everything, and we
have a right
to differ openly. But in this movement an attack on one is an attack
on us all. We stand behind each other.
4. ARA-NET intends to do the hard work necessary to build a broad, strong
movement against fascism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, discrimination
against the disabled, the oldest, the youngest, and the poorest of
our people. We intend to win.
*********************************************
10. Women of Color Video Festival (SF)
1st Women of Color Video Festival
Alliance Building with Film & Video
Friday, May 31 Evening & Saturday June 1st All Day
Victoria Theater, 2961 16th St. (Btw Mission & Capp) SF
Women of color have often taken the lead in building alliances among communities of color. The festival will feature ŇherstoriesÓ that illustrate the revolutionary and political vision of women of color. Join us for film, video, alliance building and critical dialogue. $5 suggested donation (no one turned away for lack of funds) $2.50 for students, low income & disabled.
For more info call Institute for MultiRacial Justice @ 415-701-9502
*********************************************
11. SOUL Training for Trainers Workshop (Bay Area)
SOUL-3 Day Training for Trainers Workshop
Thursday, June 13-15 from 9am-5:30pm each day
In Downtown Oakland-Call for exact location
Designed both for experienced facilitators who want to refine their skills and for beginners who want to develop them. Each participant will receive SOULŐs Political education Workshop Manual, SOULŐs training for trainers handbook, breakfast and lunch for all 3 days, and private follow-up consultation to continue you development as a facilitator. A short application is required. Priced on a sliding scale from $100-$800. No one turned away for lack of funds
To apply, call early @ 510-451-5466 ext.309
*********************************************
12. Y-MAC's Anniversary Celebration (SF)
Come Celebrate with Youth Making A Change!
10 years of Building a Movement: Y-MACŐs Anniversary
Wednesday, June 19th from 6-9pm
First Unitarian Universalist Church
1187 Franklin St @ Geary, SF
Featuring great food, Y-MAC and youth movement history, spoken word
and
great music! Free for all youth, Adults on sliding scale: $5-$100.
For more info or to reserve your spot, call Belinda or NTanya @ 415-239-0161
*********************************************
13. Youth Commission Accepting Applications (SF)
THE SAN FRANCISCO YOUTH COMMISSION IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR
THE
2002-2003 TERM
What's the Youth Commission? We are a city commission made up of 17 diverse young people from the ages of 12-23, charged with advocating for better youth policies in City Hall. We educate youth about how to get involved in city government so that it better addresses our needs. And, we work directly with the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor to advocate for young people's issues. We are the only voter-mandated Youth Commission in the country and we have been going strong for over 5 years!
We are currently recruiting new members for the 2002-2003 Youth Commission
term. To find out more information about how you can become a Youth Commissioner,
call our office at (415) 554-6446 or visit our website at www.sfgov.org/youth_commission
and download the application...but hurry, applications are due by 5pm on
JUNE 8, 2002, so get yours in TODAY!!!
*********************************************
14. NEWS: MOMA highlights teen filmmakers
Friday, May 24, 2002 (SF Chronicle)
MOMA highlights teen filmmakers
Dave Ford, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tons of teens this summer will sit in darkened theaters watching
Spider-man leap across the New York skyline or Anakin Skywalker making
eyes at
Padme Amidala in what only seems like the 957th installment of "Star
Wars."
But some young people would rather do than watch. Among them
are the middle and high school students who created film and video projects
for
"Keeping It Reel," screening today at the San Francisco Museum of Modern
Art.
In addition to the films, the festival will feature spoken-word,
singing and dance performances. Tana Johnson, the museum's coordinator
of school
and teacher programs, said she hopes the festival will help make SFMOMA
"a much more community-oriented space, where teens can feel welcomed and
honored."
Johnson helped organize the first such festival four years ago.
Two years later, she founded the museum's after-school Teen Visionaries
program, in
which high-school students pair with mentor artists.
"Keeping It Reel" was organized by Teen Visionaries members, along with teens from the nonprofit Youth Leadership Institute.
The organizing committee of teens auditioned performers and whittled
45 film entries to 11. Those included "H.P. on Fire," about environmental
challenges facing the Hunters Point neighborhood. It was made by young
people from the San Francisco Conservation Corps' Youth in Action Program.
Another is "As If It Matters," a film highlighting issues affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.
The film, which received a certificate of merit in the Youth
Works category at the recent San Francisco International Film Festival,
traces
the lives of six characters, one of whom is Jen, a girl with two lesbian
moms.
She is played by Eleanor Gerber-Shiff, 16, who actually has two
lesbian moms. She said telling her story in the film -- even a fictionalized
version -- proved more difficult than she'd anticipated.
"It was kind of like being naked, because I had to put things
out there that I wouldn't ordinarily put out there," says Gerber-Shiff,
a sophomore
at San Francisco's Leadership High School who wove her own body-image
concerns into Jen's story.
"Talking about how I feel about my body isn't something I normally talk about to other people," she said. "Putting it on film was even harder."
The film was made by young people from the Lavender Youth Recreation
and Information Center, a gay-youth services provider in San Francisco,
and
from the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, an organization led by young
people that connects school-based gay-straight alliances to each other
and
to community resources.
They were helped by Teaching Intermedia Literacy Tools, a group that pairs established video artists with schools or groups.
Robyn Richardson, the LYRIC arts and media coordinator, says such projects can provide young people with an outlet for their anxieties.
"What's really important is visibility for youths in general
as artists and specifically queer youths," she said. "What's also important
is the
impact that young queer artists can have on other people as educators
and leaders."
Indeed, making an impact is what "Keeping it Reel" is all about,
said Eddie Kaufman, the director of prevention at the
Youth Leadership Institute.
"Having a festival, sponsored with MOMA, gives young people an
opportunity to know that their form of expression is valid and that their
voices need
to be heard," he said.
E-mail Dave Ford at dford@sfchronicle.com.
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
1. *NEW* GSA Network News Improvements
2. GSA Network Year End Evaluation
3. Art for Change: GSA Network Fundraisers (SF and Sacramento)
4. Free Zone 2002 Applications Now Available (Bay Area)
5. Great America's "Gay/Lesbian Night" (Bay Area)
6. Apply for Day of Silence National Student Leadership Team
7. Youth Space Decorating Party @ New LGBT Center (SF)
8. LGBTQQ & Straight-Ally Youth Party (Bay Area)
9. Spoken Word Event (LA)
10. Queer Camp 2002 (Santa Cruz)
11. Youth 2 K II Festival (SF)
12. Youth Link Accepting Applications (SF)
13. Media Training Program for Homeless and Low Income People (SF)
14. Workshop on Talking With Your Children About Sexual Orientation
15. URGENT ACTION ALERT: Juvenile Probation Commission Mtg. (today!)
16. Job Announcements from LYRIC
*********************************************
1. *NEW* GSA Network News Improvements
GSA Network News can now be viewed online!
Check it out: http://www.gsanetwork.org/news/networknews.html.
AND, you can now sign up online to receive GSA Network News. Just visit:
http://www.gsanetwork.org/news/signup.html.
*********************************************
2. GSA Network Year End Evaluation
Please take a few minutes to fill out GSA Network's Year End Evaluation. Your comments are VERY important to us!
Access the evaluation online: http://www.gsanetwork.org/yearendeval/
*********************************************
3. Art for Change: GSA Network Fundraisers (SF and Sacramento)
art for change: youth art auction and benefit for GSA Network
art for change will benefit GSA Network's Make It Real Project, a youth-led effort to ensure implementation of AB 537, the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, a ground-breaking law protecting students from harassment and discrimination on the basis of actual and perceived sexual orientation and gender identity in California public schools.
$100 - Champion
$50 - Supporter
$35 - Individual Ticket
$10 - Limited income
Free - Youth 18 and under
San Francisco Event:
Saturday, June 8, 7-9 p.m.
Z Center, 2211 Mission St. at 18th St., San Francisco
Program will include youth speakers and performances to be announced.
Sacramento Event:
Monday, June 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Club 21, 1119 21st Street, Sacramento
Program will feature the author of AB 537, Senator Sheila Kuehl, and
Amador High School student Brianna Pulskamp-Lockhart
For more information, call 415.552.4229 or artforchange@gsanetwork.org
GSA Network is still accepting donations of artwork for both of these
events. To submit your work, please contact Jill at 415.552.4229
or jill@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
4. Free Zone 2002 Applications Now Available (Bay Area)
Summer 2002: Make Art. Make Change.
Come out and play!
We are planning an amazing summer of fun, skill sharing, creative expression, and powerful activism. Free Zone 2002 is a collaborative program of GSA Network, LYRIC, and Mission Grafíca. The summer will include training in graphic design and screen printing as well as political education workshops. The program culminates in the creation of a series of political posters expressing the hopes and issues important to the group. In addition to being shown in community venues, the posters will be used in schools by Gay-Straight Alliance clubs and teachers to fight homophobia and other oppressions.
Classes will be held at the Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission St (right off 24th St. Bart) in San Francisco every Tuesday and Thursday, June 18 - August 22, from 3-6:30 pm. No previous experience necessary.
Apply now: http://www.gsanetwork.org/freezone/application.html
===
Free Zone is an arts for social change collaborative project of the
Gay-Straight Alliance Network and LYRIC (Lavender Youth Recreation and
Information Center). Through arts training and education about social issues,
Free Zone inspires LGBTQQ and straight ally youth to use art as a means
of self-expression, activism, learning, and community-building. The artistic
product created through Free Zone is used as an organizing and curriculum
tool to fight homophobia and injustice in schools. GSAs build youth leadership
capacity as they host the Free Zone product and educate their peers about
homophobia and other injustices. For more info about the Free Zone project,
visit: http://www.gsanetwork.org/freezone/.
*********************************************
5. Great America's "Gay/Lesbian Night" (Bay Area)
Great America's 2002 Gay/Lesbian Night will benefit GSA Network!
Friday, May 24th.
Park open from 6 p.m. - 12 a.m. Dancing 10 p.m. - 3 a.m.
GSA Network has been designated a beneficiary of Great America's annual "Gay/Lesbian Night" this year.
For more info about the event and ticket prices, visit: http://www.guspresents.com/great-america.shtml
*********************************************
6. Apply for Day of Silence National Student Leadership Team
Are you interested in supporting hundreds of others in your region?
Have you led the Day of Silence in your high school?
Are you an experienced Day of Silence student organizer?
Do you want to share your expertise, ensuring other student organizers
have the tools needed to "Break the Silence" in their schools?
Apply today for the Day of Silence National Student Leadership Team!
DEADLINE: MAY 31, 2002
Check out http://www.dayofsilence.org
*********************************************
7. Youth Space Decorating Party @ New LGBT Center (SF)
All Bay Area LGBTQQ youth and their allies (25 and younger), and LGBTQQ
youth agencies are invited to a party to help decorate the new Youth
Space at the SF LGBT Community Center!á
When: Friday, May 31, 4-6 pm (Come before your Friday night out!)
Where: The Center, 1800 Market St. (on the JKLMN and F lines,
or the
6,7,61, and 71)
What to bring: Your self and your creative decorating ideas!
Donations needed:
Food for the party
Fabric for 10 pillows (the more fabulous, the better!)
2 packs needles
thread
pillow stuffing material
beads/embroidery thread/fringe/tassels
Queer-themed t-shirts to be made into pillows
Materials for window covering (curtains, valence)
Art or collage materials
Music and a boom box (just for the day or for keeps)
For more info, contact: (please let me know if you can bring any donations!)
Anne Tamar-Mattis
Program Director
SF LGBT Community Center
(415) 865-5530
*********************************************
8. LGBTQQ & Straight-Ally Youth Party (Bay Area)
The Sweet Tooth - "Taste the Rainbow"
Friday, May 31st
8pm-Midnight
Outlet @ YWCA of the Mid-Peninsula
4161 Alma St., Palo Alto, CA 94306
FREE!!!!
Ages 20 & Under
For more info:
(650) 494-0972 x 301
http://www.ywcamid.org/rcc/Outlet
Sponsored by:
Outlet @ YWCA of the Mid-Peninsula
Q-Kids @ Billy DeFrank Center
Gunn High School GSA
Milpitas High School GSA
*********************************************
9. Spoken Word Event (LA)
Spectrum is holding a spoken word event to celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Come join us as we highlight API queer history, kick back andáhear some great spoken word,áand help raise funds for Spectrum's Self Expressions Nite for youth!
Thursday May 30th from 7-10:30pm
at Chinatown Service Center's Youth Center
727 N. Broadway #212, L.A. 90012
(Far East Plaza - the one w/ Sam Woo, Wing Hop Fung &áTen Ren)
$2 at the door if you're 21 and under!
$5 if you're over 21!
*Light refreshments will be provided*
Spectrum is a queer and questioning youth group brought to you by Chinatown Service Center and Asian Pacific Health Care Venture!
For more info, contact:
spectrumyouth@hotmail.com
Beváatá213.808.1769
or Xotchil at 323.644.3880 x263
*********************************************
10. Queer Camp 2002 (Santa Cruz)
QUEER CAMP 2002
Santa Cruz mountains
-created for queer teen youth, by youth and their allies
-a safe space for us to have fun and be ourselves
-welcomes queer, lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning, and queer-friendly
youth
-celebrates our diversity - all our flavors, colors, shapes, sizes,
and ways of expressing who we are!
Check it out!
singing around the campfire * roasting marshmallows * starlight dance
*
no-talent show * volleyball * heart circles * fun playshops * hiking
*
mask-making * art in the woods * and whatever else we dream up!
Save the dates!
Register by June 7th, 2002
Camp is from June 17th-21st, 2002
(arrive Mon from 4-6pm, leave Fri at 3pm)
Please plan on attending the entire event.
For more information and to request a registration form, call 831-335-5861.
Registration forms can also be found at the Billy DeFrank Center in San Jose (938 The Alameda).
The event is sponsored by STRANGE, Santa Cruz Area Radical Faeries,
Qkids!,
UCSC LGBT Resource Center, the Santa Cruz Diversity Center & the
ADAM
foundation.
*********************************************
11. Youth 2 K II Festival (SF)
Saturday, May 25
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
free at the door
2050 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Y2K2
YEA presents the 3rd annual Youth 2 K II Festival: A celebration of youth culture. A day party packed with youth performances including DJs, spoken word, theater, breakdance, video, poetry and visual art! A place for young people to learn about colleges, jobs, clubs and summer programs in the arts and social justice. Eat food, win raffle prizes and participate in making a collaborative mural!
All ages are welcome!
For more info:
Sonya 415-970-9797, yea@cellspace.org.
*********************************************
12. Youth Link Accepting Applications (SF)
Youth Link is an after school, multimedia training and arts program for young people ages 14-18 who want to learn how to creatively express themselves in digital medium. Learn how to use technical software like Final Cut Pro (video editing), Dreamweaver, HTML, Photoshop and Flash!
Dates: July 22nd through July 25th 1:30pm-4:00pm (accommodates
summer school)
July 29th through August 22nd 10:00-3:00pm
For more Information: call Sharan White at 415-558-2148 to pick up info packets and applications or visit http://www.bavc.org/training/teens/index.htm.
Students who complete the program will be given a stipend.
*********************************************
13. Media Training Program for Homeless and Low Income People (SF)
Raising Our Voices Training Program
A Project of Media Alliance, Poor Magazine, Street Sheet and Street
Spirit
Raising Our Voices is a creative writing, journalism and publishing training program for homeless and low income people. In collaboration with Street Spirit, Street Sheet and Poor Magazine, Media Alliance teaches participants creative writing, investigative journalism and electronic publishing in 8 -16 week sessions.
Raising Our Voices breaks through media myths and distortions about poverty by training poor people to strengthen existing radical publications, create their own media, and inject new voices into the public discourse. Training includes basic skills, hard-hitting investigations generated by participants and performances.
What We Require:
Some writing or computer experience, a commitment to exploring ways
to build the movement for justice through media work, and a strong commitment
to participate for the entire program.
For class listings, application form, or more information, call (415)
546-6334 x 310 or visit http://www.media-alliance.org/voices/street/
*********************************************
14. Workshop on Talking With Your Children About Sexual Orientation
LGBT Families: Talking With Your Children About Sexual Orientation (all ages)
Thursday, July 25,
7:00 -8:30 p.m.
Led by Pnina Tobin, MPA
Are your children uncomfortable, or do they get teased because you are lesbian and gay? How should you come out to your kids? Discussion to share experiences and learn strategies.
$20 per person
Pre-registration is required for all groups. Your space will not be guaranteed until your completed registration form and full payment is received.
Parents Place services are available on a sliding scale.
For further info or to register, please call Peninsula Parents Place
AT 650-688-3040 or email ParentsPlacePeninsula@jfcs.org
*********************************************
15. URGENT ACTION ALERT: Juvenile Probation Commission Mtg. (today!)
The Center for Young Women's Development has spent over a year conducting a community organizing campaign to protect the rights of incarcerated youth in San Francisco's detention facilities. This campaign arose from the concerns of youth themselves, and youth have been at the forefront of this campaign every step of the way.
We have focused on the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQQ) youth, due to the almost constant harassment and discrimination they face while incarcerated. We worked with the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights and the National Center for Lesbian Rights to draft a model anti-discrimination policy that would protect not only LGBTQQ youth, but also all youth from harassment and discrimination on the basis of gender, sex, sexuality, race, ethnicity, religion, ability or class status. This policy would be the first of its kind in the nation, and a model for other cities and counties who want to protect youth while they are in custody. While this policy will not, by itself, end discrimination, with proper implementation it will be a big step in the right direction.
In March 2002, The Center received verbal commitments
from San Francisco's Juvenile Justice and Probation Commissions to work
with us to
strategize the implementation and oversight of this policy. Since then,
we have met numerous times with representatives from City agencies and
community allies. We have engaged in this effort with good faith, and
expected that our policy would be ratified by this summer. We have been
willing to compromise on many points: we were willing to allow the
Ombudsperson at San Francisco's Youth Guidance Center to have jurisdiction
over complaints that fall within policy areas, rather than an independent
Equity Coordinator; we agreed to allowing the Juvenile Justice Commission
to
oversee the implementation of the policy with community representation,
rather than an independent body; and we have worked hard to ensure that
the
language of the policy does not conflict with existing City policies.
While we have been successful in addressing all of the Juvenile Justice
and
Probation Commissions' concerns, the City Attorney is not willing to
hold staff in youth detention facilities accountable for discriminatory
behavior.
They are proposing that the policy be changed to address youth to youth
harassment only. We cannot accept this. We need to hold staff who are
charged with the welfare of our youth accountable when they inflict
harassment and abuse on those they are charged with protecting.
On Wednesday, May 22 the Juvenile Probation Commission
is holding a closed door meeting to discuss this issue at 5:30 pm at the
Visitacion
Valley Community Beacon, 450 Raymond St. Please attend and join us
in letting the commission know how important the implementation of the
anti-discrimination is to the community.
- Center for Young Women's Development.
For more information, call Jessica at (415) 345-0264.
*********************************************
16. Job Announcements from LYRIC
Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (LYRIC) is a non-profit organization providing educational, recreational and peer-leadership development activities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth under 24 years of age.
LYRIC currently has the following job openings:
Art and Media Program Coordinator (this staff person collaborates with
GSA
Network staff on Free Zone, the GSA Network/LYRIC arts
for social change
program) - Apply by June 1st
Kickin' It Project Coordinator - Apply by June 1st
Young Women's Program Coordinator - Apply by June 1st
Outreach Intern - Apply by May 27th
To receive the full job announcements and descriptions, please e-mail
Tracy Boggs, LYRIC program director: tracy@lyric.org.
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
1. Art for Change: GSA Network Fundraisers (SF and Sacramento)
2. Upcoming GSA Leadership Training: East Bay
3. Free Zone 2002 Applications Now Available (Bay Area)
4. Free Tickets for Great America's "Gay/Lesbian Night" (Bay Area)
5. Poster Available From LYRIC
6. History Exhibit at Hormel Center (SF)
7. Premiere of Film that Explores Hawaiian LGBT Issues (LA)
8. Horse Latitudes - Play at Jon Sims Center (SF)
9. ACLU Summer Trip - Focus on Immigration (Northern CA)
10. HIV Speaker Series (LA)
11. Smoking Cessation Program for Youth (Orange County)
12. Job Announcements: Californians For Justice
*********************************************
1. Art for Change: GSA Network Fundraisers (SF and Sacramento)
art for change: youth art auction and benefit for GSA Network
art for change will benefit GSA Network's Make It Real Project, a youth-led effort to ensure implementation of AB 537, the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, a ground-breaking law protecting students from harassment and discrimination on the basis of actual and perceived sexual orientation and gender identity in California public schools.
$100 - Champion
$50 - Supporter
$35 - Individual Ticket
$10 - Limited income
Free - Youth 18 and under
San Francisco Event:
Saturday, June 8, 7-9 p.m.
Z Center, 2211 Mission St. at 18th St., San Francisco
Program will include youth speakers and performances to be announced.
Sacramento Event:
Monday, June 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Club 21, 1119 21st Street, Sacramento
Program will feature the author of AB 537, Senator Sheila Kuehl, and
Amador High School student Brianna Pulskamp-Lockhart
For more information, call 415.552.4229 or artforchange@gsanetwork.org
GSA Network is still accepting donations of artwork for both of these
events. To submit your work, please contact Jill at 415.552.4229
or jill@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
2. Upcoming GSA Leadership Training: East Bay
Wanna meet other people fighting homophobia?
Wanna learn how to improve your GSA?
Wanna become a leader?
*** Join us for our upcoming GSA Leadership Training! ***
Learn how to facilitate a meeting, make your GSA more inclusive, and build coalitions with other students.
All GSA Leadership Trainings are FREE. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
East Bay:
Sunday, June 2 -- 9:30am - 4:00pm
Youth Empowerment Center
1357 5th St., Oakland CA (next to West Oakland BART station)
(co-sponsored by GSA Network and Youth Force Coalition)
For more information about the East Bay Leadership Training, contact
Emilie at 415.552.4229 or emilie@gsanetwork.org.
*********************************************
3. Free Zone 2002 Applications Now Available (Bay Area)
Summer 2002: Make Art. Make Change.
Come out and play!
We are planning an amazing summer of fun, skill sharing, creative expression, and powerful activism. Free Zone 2002 is a collaborative program of GSA Network, LYRIC, and Mission Grafica. The summer will include training in graphic design and screen printing as well as political education workshops. The program culminates in the creation of a series of political posters expressing the hopes and issues important to the group. In addition to being shown in community venues, the posters will be used in schools by Gay-Straight Alliance clubs and teachers to fight homophobia and other oppressions.
Classes will be held at the Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission St (right off 24th St. Bart) in San Francisco every Tuesday and Thursday, June 18 - August 22, from 3-6:30 pm. No previous experience necessary.
Apply now: http://www.gsanetwork.org/freezone/application.html
===
Free Zone is an arts for social change collaborative project of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and LYRIC (Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center). Through arts training and education about social issues, Free Zone inspires LGBTQQ and straight ally youth to use art as a means of self-expression, activism, learning, and community-building. The artistic product created through Free Zone is used as an organizing and curriculum tool to fight homophobia and injustice in schools. GSAs build youth leadership capacity as they host the Free Zone product and educate their peers about homophobia and other injustices. For more info about the Free Zone project, visit: http://www.gsanetwork.org/freezone/.
*********************************************
4. Free Tickets for Great America's "Gay/Lesbian Night" (Bay Area)
Great America's 2002 Gay/Lesbian Night will benefit GSA Network!
Friday, May 24th.
Park open from 6 p.m. - 12 a.m. Dancing 10 p.m. - 3 a.m.
GSA Network has been designated a beneficiary of Great America's annual "Gay/Lesbian Night" this year. And along with receiving a donation for every ticket sold, we also have some free tickets to give away to GSA members!
Please read the following guidelines carefully:
1. The tickets are for GSA members only! Please don't request them if you're not in a GSA.
2. We have a 4 tickets per GSA limit.
3. If your GSA is interested in going, please email emilie@gsanetwork.org
by Monday 5/20 at 9:00 a.m. with the following info:
- your name and mailing address (so we can send the tickets to
you)
- name of your school
- number of tickets you are requesting (up to 4)
4. How recipients will be selected: On Monday morning the names of all
GSAs that requested tickets will be entered into a drawing and selected
at random until the tickets are gone. We will only include ONE entry per
GSA, so you won't be more likely to get tickets if more than one person
from your club requests them. We will notify folks by e-mail about
the results of the drawing, and mail out tickets on Monday afternoon.
*********************************************
5. Free Poster Available From LYRIC
"We all count" posters from LYRIC
LYRIC, the Lavender youth Recreation and Information Center (http://www.lyric.org), has a poster with the words "We all count - We all make a difference. We're your teachers, neighbors, doctors, aunts, parents, firefighters, friends and we're gay and lesbian."
Available FREE. Contact Lena Turner, Outreach Coordinator, LYRIC: Lena@Lyric.org
or call 415-703-6150 x 18
*********************************************
6. History Exhibit at Hormel Center (SF)
"Opening the Closet Door: Photographs of the Early Gay Civil Rights Movement by Kay Tobin Lahusen"
On view from May 20 through July 15, 2002
Hormel Center's exhibit space
third floor of the main library, SF - 100 Larkin St. at Grove (at the
Civic Center BART/MUNI stop)
Kay Tobin Lahusen, activist and photographer, is the co-author, as Kay
Tobin, with Randy Wicker of the pioneering 1972 book, The Gay Crusaders.
She and her partner, Barbara Gittings, have been on the forefront of the
struggle for lesbian and gay civil rights since the mid-1960s. These black
and white images from east coast depict the personal and political commitment
of this inspiring pioneer.
*********************************************
7. Premiere of Film that Explores Hawaiian LGBT Issues (LA)
"Ke Kulana He Mahu: Remembering a Sense of Place"
Hawaii-based independent film company, Zang Pictures, will be screening their latest digital documentary "Ke Kulana He Mahu: Remembering a Sense of Place," a unique film about colonization, sexuality, and homophobia in the land of "aloha."
Los Angeles premiere
DAVID HENRY HWANG THEATRE (120 Judge John Aiso Street)
Monday, May 20, 7:00 PM 2002
"Ke Kulana He Mahu" not only displays the beauty and hope of Hawaii's indigenous people but also the importance of land and identity (sexual, spiritual, or social) which comes into direct conflict with impending globalization in the name of progress.
As the Kanaka Maoli (indigenous Hawaiians) attempt to regain what has been lost through years of cultural genocide, the public may learn by their example the true meaning of unconditional love and community solidarity despite the popular trend of homophobia and the intentional revision of Hawaiian history and culture which has been propagated by the missionary/businessmen of the past
http://www.zangpictures.net/Projects/KeKulanaHeMahu.html
*********************************************
8. Horse Latitudes - Play at Jon Sims Center (SF)
The Alchemy Program for Emerging Playwrights
at the Jon Sims Center presents
HORSE LATITUDES
by Nicola Harwood Directed by Tracy Ward
With Tessa Koning-Martinez, JanLee Marshall, Nicola Fordwood, Karen
Hirst,
Kirsten Kammermeyer, and Henry Perkins.
A white archeologist and her teenage daughter encounter a Native American mother and daughter on reservation lands in the early 1970's. As the two mothers battle to define the very ground they stand on, the daughters form a romantic bond that serves as a land bridge between their lives.
May 10-12, 17-19, 2002
$8-$15 sliding scale
No one turned away for lack of funds
All shows start at 8:00 pm
The Jon Sims Center for the Arts
1519 Mission @ 11th
SF CA 94103
For reservations and information, call 415.554.0402
or log on to http://www.jonsimsctr.org/calendar.html
*********************************************
9. ACLU Summer Trip - Focus on Immigration (Northern CA)
Immigration Unplugged
August 11-17, 2002
The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California is looking for 25 high school age youth to take on a trip for seven days in August to explore in-depth the varied issues related to immigration and the resulting erosion of individual rights.
The trip is free to all northern California high school youth. We will choose 25 youth to take on this trip. All you have to do is fill out the online application form by June 7, 2002. Priority will be given to those who get their applications in early, who have demonstrated commitment toward social justice issues, and who plan to be in northern California for the following school year.
Come see how immigration plays out in our society. Explore how immigrant youth are affected by immigration policies and exploitative work conditions, how the treatment of immigrants has changed since September 11, the realities and limitations faced by immigrant workers, the medical needs and limitations of immigrants, particularly pregnant women and children, and the fears of undocumented immigrants, particularly the youth.
For more info and to access the application form, visit:
http://www.aclunc.org/youth/trips_des.html
*********************************************
10. HIV Speaker Series (LA)
H I V MATTERS - Part II
Lipodystrophy and other Metabolic Complications
Speaker: Rick Stryker, MD
Tuesday, June 11, 2002
6:30 PM Reception and Dinner
7 to 8:30 PM Presentation
THE VILLAGE AT ED GOULD PLAZA
1125 N. MC CADDEN PLACE
LOS ANGELES, CA 90038
(Parking Available across the street after 6:00 PM)
FREE EVENT
Call for reservations 213.201.1529
This event is a collaboration between AIDS Project Los Angeles and Being
Alive
*********************************************
11. Smoking Cessation Program for Youth (Orange County)
STAND OUT
Smoking Cessation Program for queer youth and their supportive allies
at the Orange County Youth Drop In Center in Garden Grove.
Sessions Start: Thursday, May 23, 6-7 pm
For more information call 714.590.3140
*********************************************
12. Job Announcements: Californians For Justice
Californians for Justice Education Fund Hiring Organizers, Fundraisers, and Senior Positions
Californians for Justice is a statewide grassroots membership organization
working to advance racial justice and human rights in California. We have
launched a 5-year campaign to organize youth, parents, and allied organizations
for racial justice in education, linked to prisons, poverty and power in
California.
Organizer: 2 positions, hiring in San Jose and Long Beach; accepting applications for Oakland and San Diego as well.
Organizers work with CFJ on our local and state campaigns on public
education. The responsibilities of organizers include:
1) recruitment of youth and adult volunteers and members,
2) leadership development and training,
3) organizing campaign actions and activities
4) building alliances with otherorganizations, and
5) grassroots fundraising and other organizational support.
Requirements include a strong commitment to racial, economic and social
justice and at least one year's organizing experience. Bilingual a plus
(esp. Vietnamese or Spanish in San Jose).
CFJ provides a competitive salary and excellent benefits.
Development Associate: 2 positions, San Jose and San Diego are preferred locations; we will accept resumes for Oakland and Long Beach as well.
The Development Associate works with CFJ to raise foundation grants
and individual gifts. The responsibilities of development associates include:
1) maintaining foundation systems, including research, tracking, meetings,
etc.
2) preparing letters of inquiry, proposals, budgets, and grant reports
to foundations,
3) coordinating major donor fundraising drives,
4) coordinating membership recruitment drives,
5) coordinating other grassroots fundraising strategies, and
6) providing support to CFJ organizing and organizational development
as needed.
Requirements include a strong commitment to CFJ's mission and strategies,
strong written and verbal communication skills, previous work experience
in a non-profit or social justice organization. Previous fundraising experience
is a plus, but not an absolute necessity. CFJ provides a competitive salary
and excellent benefits.
Senior Organizer: Oakland is preferred location; will accept resumes for San Jose.
The Senior Organizer works with CFJ to develop andimplement local and
statewide campaigns. The responsibilities of the Senior Organizer include:
1) supervision of Northern California organizing staff in all areas
of work,
2) campaign development, including research and overall strategy,
3) development of alliances,
4) grassroots and foundation fundraising, and
5) direct community organizing of youth and adults in CFJ's campaigns.
Requirements include a strong commitment to CFJ's mission and strategies
and demonstrated experience in supervision and in effective campaign development
and implementation (suggested 5 years of previous organizing experience).
CFJ provides a competitive salary and excellent benefits.
Operations Director: Oakland.
The Operations Director works with CFJ to develop and implement all our administrative and operational systems. The responsibilities of the Operations Director include: 1) supervision of part-time operations staff, 2) financial management and planning, 3) personnel systems and staff development systems, 4) technology planning and oversight, 5) general administration, including managing contracts, leases, major vendors, and 6) general support to program, fundraising and other staff. Requirements include a strong commitment to CFJ?s mission and strategies and demonstrated experience in organizational administration, including finance and/or technology. CFJ provides a competitive salary and excellent benefits.
Fresno Intern: Fresno
We are looking for 1-2 energetic, community-minded people who would
like to help spread the word in Fresno about a statewide mobilization,
happening in June, at the Board of Education in Sacramento. The intern(s)
would distribute flyers, speak to organizations and activists, and participate
in the mobilization itself. This would be a part-time commitment that is
ideal for a college student or someone seeking a part-time project (anticipate
10-15 hours/week, $10/hour). Qualifications: committed to social justice,
energetic, well-organized, and a good communicator, with some Fresno community
experience
(could include volunteer, church or school experience). Bilingual in
a relevant language (i.e. Spanish, Lao, etc.) and access to a car are preferable,
but not required.
To apply for any position:
Please send a resume to jobs@caljustice.org
Attach a resume and cover letter. In the subject line, please include the
position and the city in which you would like to work. Applications for
positions in all cities can also be sent by mail to Abdi Soltani, Californians
for Justice Education Fund, 1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 317, Oakland,
CA 94612. Resumes for relevant positions will then be forwarded to other
CFJ offices for review.
CFJ is an equal opportunity employer; people of color and women are
strongly encouraged to apply.
May 8, 2002
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
1. Art for Change: GSA Network Fundraisers (SF and Sacramento)
2. Free Zone 2002 Applications Now Available (Bay Area)
3. Apply for the GSA Network Youth Council
4. Gay Day at Great America (Bay Area)
5. girls being girls conference (SF)
6. Deep Green Global Training (Bay Area)
7. Gay Prom (Bay Area)
8. Genderqueer Readings/Performances (SF)
9. Sheila Kuehl Performing With the Cast of Cootie Shots (LA)
10. Queer Youth Theater Performance (LA)
11. Tolerance Play to Tour High Schools (NorCal)
12. George Choy Memorial Scholarship (Bay Area)
13. Youth Commission Applications (SF)
14. Job Announcement: Youth Services Coordinator (SF)
15. ACLU Action Alert: Oppose Federal Funding of Abstinence-Only Education
16. NEWS: Lessons about sensitivity handed down with pride
*********************************************
1. Art for Change: GSA Network Fundraisers (SF and Sacramento)
art for change: youth art auction and benefit for GSA Network
art for change will benefit GSA Network's Make It Real Project, a youth-led effort to ensure implementation of AB 537, the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, a ground-breaking law protecting students from harassment and discrimination on the basis of actual and perceived sexual orientation and gender identity in California public schools.
$100 - Champion
$50 - Supporter
$35 - Individual Ticket
$10 - Limited income
Free - Youth 18 and under
San Francisco Event:
Saturday, June 8, 7-9 p.m.
Z Center, 2211 Mission St. at 18th St., San Francisco
Program will include youth speakers and performances to be announced.
Sacramento Event:
Monday, June 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Club 21, 1119 21st Street, Sacramento
Program will feature the author of AB 537, Senator Sheila Kuehl, and
Amador High School student Brianna Pulskamp-Lockhart
For more information, call 415.552.4229 or artforchange@gsanetwork.org
GSA Network is still accepting donations of artwork for both of these events. To submit your work, please contact Jill at 415.552.4229 or jill@gsanetwork.org
*********************************************
2. Free Zone 2002 Applications Now Available (Bay Area)
Summer 2002: Make Art. Make Change.
Come out and play!
We are planning an amazing summer of fun, skill sharing, creative expression, and powerful activism. Free Zone 2002 is a collaborative program of GSA Network, LYRIC, and Mission Grafíca. The summer will include training in graphic design and screen printing as well as political education workshops. The program culminates in the creation of a series of political posters expressing the hopes and issues important to the group. In addition to being shown in community venues, the posters will be used in schools by Gay-Straight Alliance clubs and teachers to fight homophobia and other oppressions.
Classes will be held at the Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission St (right off 24th St. Bart) in San Francisco every Tuesday and Thursday, June 18 - August 22, from 3-6:30 pm. No previous experience necessary.
Apply now: http://www.gsanetwork.org/freezone/application.html
===
Free Zone is an arts for social change collaborative project of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and LYRIC (Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center). Through arts training and education about social issues, Free Zone inspires LGBTQQ and straight ally youth to use art as a means of self-expression, activism, learning, and community-building. The artistic product created through Free Zone is used as an organizing and curriculum tool to fight homophobia and injustice in schools. GSAs build youth leadership capacity as they host the Free Zone product and educate their peers about homophobia and other injustices. For more info about the Free Zone project, visit: http://www.gsanetwork.org/freezone/.
*********************************************
3. Apply for the GSA Network Youth Council
GSA Network is now taking applications for our regional Youth Councils. If you're interested in being on the Youth Council for the upcoming term (now through the end of the '02-'03 school year), apply now!! We will be accepting applications on an ongoing basis, but the sooner you apply, the better.
Questions about the Youth Councils??
Northern CA - contact Emilie: 415-552-4229 or emilie@gsanetwork.org
Central CA - contact Diana: 559-442-4777 or diana@gsanetwork.org
Southern CA - contact CC: 323-662-3160 or cc@gsanetwork.org
You can also get a Youth Council application at http://www.gsanetwork.org/about/apply.html.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Youth Council Description: The GSA Network Youth Council is a diverse group of youth leaders who care about fighting homophobia in schools. There are 3 Youth Councils: Northern California, Central California, and Southern California. Each Youth Council is responsible for making decisions about and guiding the programs of the GSA Network in their region. Youth Council members will represent the needs of GSAs and youth activists from their geographic region as well as set goals and establish priorities for the entire GSA Network.
Schedule: The Youth Council meets once a month, generally on a Saturday. Meetings will take place in each office of the GSA Network, in Northern, Central, and Southern California. Typically, Youth Council members are also involved in planning and/or implementing other trainings and conferences, most of which happen on weekend days as well.
Job Responsibilities
Each Youth Council member is expected to:
1. Make a one-year commitment to serve on the Youth Council.
2. Represent your region as fully as possible.
3. Prepare for and attend monthly meetings of the Youth Council.
4. Participate in setting goals and making decisions about the
programs of the GSA Network.
5. Identify needs of GSAs and LGBTQ youth and straight allies
in schools and guide the direction of the GSA Network activities accordingly.
6. Help plan and/or conduct workshops at GSA Network trainings
and conferences.
7. Help coordinate youth involvement in events such as National Day
of Silence.
8. Be a resource to new and/or struggling GSAs in your region.
Skills/Requirements:
1. Willing to commit to serve on the Youth Council for one year.
2. Interested in developing and suggesting ideas to strengthen the
GSA Network.
3. Committed to creating change for LGBTQ youth and fighting homophobia
in schools.
4. Be able to work well in a group.
YOUTH COUNCIL APPLICATION FORM:
RETURN TO:
E-mail:
Northern CA: emilie@gsanetwork.org
Central CA: diana@gsanetwork.org
Southern CA: cc@gsanetwork.org
Other:
Northern CA: 160 14th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, fax: 415.552.4729
Central CA: 4403 E. Tulare Ave., Fresno, CA 93702, fax: 559.453.9060
Southern CA: 4477 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027, fax: 323-662-3167
Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone Number (home):
(alternate):
Email:
Do we need to be discreet when contacting you?
School Info:
School You Attend:
Name of GSA or LGBTQ-Related Group:
The GSA Network strives for diversity in all aspects of the organization. Please provide the following information about yourself:
What's your age?
What year in school are you?
Gender:
Sexual Orientation:
Race/Ethnicity:
Anything else you'd like us to know about you:
Reference:
Please provide contact info for a reference who knows about your work
with a GSA or LGBTQ youth group and/or can attest to your abilities as
a youth leader. It can be a peer, friend, teacher, or anyone else.
Name: ________________________________________
Relationship to You: _________________________
Phone: _______________________________________
Email: _______________________________________
Open-Ended Questions:
1. Please describe your involvement and experiences with the LGBTQ
movement and any other movements or anti-oppression work you have been
a part of.
2. Why are you interested in serving on the GSA Network Youth
Council?
3. What would you be able to contribute to the Youth Council?
4. In your opinion, what are the greatest challenges facing GSAs
and youth fighting homophobia in schools?
5. Share some ways that racism, classism, sexism, and other oppressions
have affected you and your activism.
*********************************************
4. Gay Day at Great America (Bay Area)
Great America's Gay Day on May 24, 2002 will benefit GSA Network!
This year, Gus Presents and Paramount's Great America will make a contribution for each ticket sold to GSA Network. Visit http://www.pgathrills.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
*********************************************
5. girls being girls Conference (SF)
girls being girls - do you know what's up?
sex * relationships * activism * gender identity * homophobia * self-expression * drugs * body image * butch/femme * spirituality * sexism * racism
girls being girls: A free conference for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning young women, and trans-gender-queer youth, 25 & younger.
Saturday, May 18th
10am - 7pm
@ Columbia Park Boys & Girls Club
450 Guerrero St. in San Francisco
(BART: 16th and Mission, MUNI: 14, 22, 26, 49, 33, & J)
sponsored by LYRIC
to register, present a workshop, or volunteer, please call Phoebe @ 415-703-6150 x12 or e-mail phoebe@lyric.org.
*********************************************
6. Deep Green Global Training (Bay Area)
The Deep Green Global Training is a conference focused on youth environmental and social justice activism.
The Training is a three day sleepover event, May 17 - 19
Headlands Institute - Sausalito.
Keynote speakers include Julia "Butterfly" Hill, Van Jones, Sat Santokh, and Ocean Robbins. There will be workshop sets throughout the conference ranging from creative activism to the prison-industrial complex to Gay-Straight Alliances and anti-homophobia activism in schools.
For more info visit http://www.acterra.org, and follow the Deep Green link.
*********************************************
7. Gay Prom (Bay Area)
BAY AREA GAY PROM coming June 8, 2002!! This year's theme: FANTASY - See the Truth Beyond the Rainbow.
Lambda Youth are proud to present the EIGHTH annual GAY PROM, on Saturday, June 8, 7-Midnight, at Centennial Hall in Hayward CA! Dress: formal or fantasy. Cost: $20/advance or $25/door. Call 510/247-8200 to buy advanced tickets.
All LGBTQ youth and allies, ages 25 and under are welcome. King King Queen Queen contest, raffle prizes, light food and beverages. Music: DIVERSE, from hip-hop and latin beat through deep house and trance.
Check out http://www.gayprom.org for more details and directions to Centennial Hall.
*********************************************
8. Genderqueer Readings/Performances (SF)
JON SIMS CENTER FOR THE ARTS presents LIT:
AN EVENING OF READINGS BY STORM FLOREZ AND KRISTI BRUCE
Thursday, May 9th at 8 pm
Jon Sims Center - 1519 Mission Street (between 11th St. and South Van
Ness).
The reading/presentation will be followed by questions and answers with the audience, and then a reception for the artists.
Admission is $5-10 sliding scale.
For more information and reservations, please call 415.554.0402.
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Storm Florez moved to the Bay Area five years ago only to find that s/he is not really a butch rock star, but a fire-walking sensitive new age guy trapped in a lesbian's body. Storm is known for her musical performances and recordings. In May of 2001 s/he released his solo album, STANDING BETWEEN THE DAY AND NIGHT. The CD blends various folk rock styles with dreamy tales of love, death, romance, and basic scorpionic woes. Tonight Storm will lay down his guitar and share her writings: her life as a boy seeking truth through spiritual quests and high school survival strategies for queer Catholics. Storm has performed in the Bay Area and across the country at various bars, clubs, bookstores and LGBT Pride events. Events and venues include the National Queer Arts Festival: Intercourse 2001, San Francisco Public Library: High School Survival Strategies for Poets and Queers, Albuquerque, NM Pride 2001, and CBGBs Gallery, NYC.
Kristi Bruce was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1976. She moved to the Bay Area in 1998 to join the fledgling movement against the genital mutilation of intersex infants. Since then she has conducted numerous trainings and consciousness raising sessions on the specific plight of intersexed individuals and the infinitely unique paradoxes that intersex infants and youth are often placed within. She is co-founder of Dragracer Messenger Collective based in San Francisco and now works at an independent bookshop in Berkeley. She will be reading from recent writings that speak to the general absence of self-determination and abuses of power frequent in gender ambiguous contexts.
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9. Sheila Kuehl Performing With the Cast of Cootie Shots (LA)
Senator Sheila Kuehl will be performing with the cast of COOTIE SHOTS!
May 18th
2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
at the Century City Playhouse
The 2pm matinee has already sold out.
Tickets are still available for the 4pm show, but CALL SOON!
To make reservations, call Sharon Hearn, Children's Book World: (310)
559-2665
Reservations are required but all seats are FREE!
WHAT IS COOTIE SHOTS?
"Cootie Shots: Theatrical Inoculations Against Bigotry for Kids, Parents and Teachers" is a unique assortment of plays, songs and poems that promote tolerance and celebrate diversity by presenting role models of many different races, cultures, classes, genders, abilities, sexual orientations, religions, ages and appearances. Playwright David Henry Hwang says "'Cootie Shots' sets children on a fun-filled journey to discover the values and identities for the 21st century."
Created by Fringe Benefits Theatre, COOTIE SHOTS has had over 100 performances, mostly in elementary schools throughout California, reaching over 25,000 youth, parents and teachers.
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10. Queer Youth Theater Performance (LA)
"Return to Familiar"
Date: May 16th
7 pm at the Scene Dock Theatre on the USC campus.
Free.
Parking is $3
(you must mention the performance to get that price).
"Return to Familiar", is a student produced mixed media presentation that primarily looks at queer youth in Los Angeles. The performance delves into topics ranging from family relations with queer relatives to living with AIDS. A little bit of humor is tucked within these serious topics. What these youth are presenting is a work revealing how extraordinary their seemingly mundane lives can be.
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11. Tolerance Play to Tour High Schools (NorCal)
The Other Side of The Closet, a tolerance play for youth presented by
the New
Conservatory Theatre Center, is available to tour to high schools all
over
Northern California from October 22 - December 13 2002.
This is a hard hitting play that tells the story of five teens who are
dealing
with issues of homophobia, violence, tolerance, peer pressure and identity.
A
great way for your GSA to sponsor an event at your school that will
promote
acceptance and understanding.
For booking information, contact YouthAware Programs at (415) 861-4914
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12. George Choy Memorial Scholarship (Bay Area)
Sponsored by the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) .
Here's some info:
The purpose of the George Choy Memorial / Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to LGBT Asian and Pacific Islanders currently in or planning to enter postsecondary education. The maximum grant award is currently $1000.
You can apply for this scholarship if you:
- are self-identified as an Asian/Pacific Islander (at least 25% API
ancestry) - priority will be given to those self-identified as lesbian,
gay, bisexual or
transgender, or involved in the LGBT community
- are in the process of applying to, or are currently attending, a
post-secondary institution (college, university, or vocational school)
- are living in one of the nine-Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra
Costa,
Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano)
- have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or better.
Additonal info and the scholarship form can be downloaded from the GAPA website: http://www.gapa.org
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13. Youth Commission Applications (SF)
The San Francisco Youth Commission is pleased to announce that applications
for the 2002-2003 term are now available!!! You can get your application
by
calling the Youth Commission Hotline at (415) 554-6464 Ext. 1 or download
a copy from the Youth Commission website at
http://www.sfgov.org/youth_commission
...but hurry, applications are due by 5:00pm on June 8, 2002...so get one
today!!!
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14. Job Announcement: Youth Services Coordinator (SF)
YOUTH SERVICES COORDINATOR
(COORDINATOR OF QUEER YOUTH PROGRAM)
Job Description
Work as part of a team to coordinate existing youth programs as well
as develop new programs at Richmond Village Beacon's Washington High School
site. Serve as adult advisor for the go program- on and off campus
programming for lgbtqq and straight ally youth (www.gopride.org). Work
directly with youth in the Teen Center and in various other youth development
programs. Collaborate with school clubs, student government and faculty
to help promote Beacon activities and implement new projects. Participate
in trips, special events and community service projects. The Youth Services
Coordinator should be willing and able to work a flexible schedule that
includes evenings and weekends when necessary.
Other Duties Include
Manage small budget and do some fundraising/grant writing
Write program reports
Supervise youth leaders
Develop partnerships with community agencies
Participate in community and city-wide youth services initiatives
Assist with other Beacon programs as needed
Qualifications
Bachelors Degree preferred
At least 2-3 years direct work experience with teens
Experience working with lgbtqq youth and/or issues
Outstanding interpersonal skills and good team attitude are a must
Good writing and computer skills
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, be flexible, and multi-task
Strong desire to work in a diverse environment
LGBTQQ people and people of color especially encouraged to apply.
Salary : $28-$32K per year DOE, plus excellent benefits
Start date negotiable.
To Apply: Please send resume and cover letter to:
RICHMOND VILLAGE BEACON - ATTN. MEREDITH FENTON OR BRIANA VISSER
600 32nd Avenue - #T5
San Francisco, CA 94121
415-750-8554
(No Faxes Please)
posted 5/6/02
About the Beacon: The Richmond Village Beacon is a program of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center (RDNC) The Richmond Village Beacon provides a wide range of services for youth and adults at Washington High School and Presidio Middle School. The Richmond Village Beacon is part of a city-wide initiative to create youth and community centers in our schools and is one of 8 Beacon Centers in San Francisco. The Richmond Village Beacon is a project of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center.
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15. ACLU Action Alert: Oppose Federal Funding of Abstinence-Only
Education
Oppose Federal Funding of Abstinence-Only Education!
On April 9th, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) introduced HR 4122, a bill that authorizes the continued use of federal funds for "abstinence-only" programs. By law, any program that also teaches about contraception use or STD prevention is not eligible for these funds.
The overwhelming weight of evidence suggests that programs that include messages about both abstinence and contraception are most effective in delaying sexual activity among young people. Despite this evidence, opponents of "comprehensive" programs argue that that they do nothing but encourage promiscuity. This is inaccurate since comprehensive programs appropriately stress abstinence as the only foolproof way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Because of an increased focus on abstinence-only education, comprehensive and medically accurate sex education is becoming the exception rather than the rule. As a result, more students lack basic information that they need to protect their health.
Take Action! Abstinence-only programs endanger the well-being of youth and must not be given the support of federal funding. You can read more and send a FREE FAX to your Representative, asking that they oppose HR 4122 from our action alert at:
http://www.aclu.org/action/abstinence107.html
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16. NEWS: Lessons about sensitivity handed down with pride
Lessons about sensitivity handed down with pride
By David E. Early
San Jose Mercury News, Monday May. 06, 2002
When I was growing up, those tiny, mom-and-pop neighborhood markets were called "Jew stores."
Well, that's what every kid I knew called them. No malice. No enmity. No forethought. It was just a name. Until the day I used the term while talking to my mom. That day something important happened.
"What did you say?" My mother asked, lips curled, eyes aimed like arrows. When I repeated it, she cut me off. "Don't you ever," she growled, "let me hear you say anything like that again."
Once she realized I had no idea what the problem was, she sternly explained the bigotry involved in the name I called the store, and how it flowed from the poisonous, racist concepts. And from that day, whenever necessary, my mother instructed me and my siblings about all kinds of prejudice and about how much of it is expressed through verbal garbage words uttered by thoughtless people.
But of all the times she talked to me of such things, that first time was the most precious. I was still a young boy, and that episode forced open an early awareness I've tried to use all my life.
Those memories flooded back to me several weeks ago while I witnessed the Gay-Straight Alliance Day of Silence at Los Gatos High School. About four dozen students attempted to spend an entire school day without speaking, to pay sad homage to the silence forced upon so many gays not free to be who they really are.
Although many of the participants said they were gay or bisexual, most were still in the closet with their families. A number of students said they were not gay, but participated in the event because they strongly believed in the value of educating themselves and others against such bigotry.
Like my mom, those students, and the administrators who paved the way for the event against vocal protests, understood that nothing should stand in the way of instructing young people against bigotry whenever possible.
Only good can come from teaching young people to encounter the complexities of life using fairness, decency, humanity and good judgment as personal directives. No harm can come from making youngsters more aware and thoughtful when negotiating the many difficult human issues wrapped up in everything from cultural diversity to sexual preference.
Some years ago my teenage son and I picked up a nephew of mine at the airport and gave him his first tour of San Francisco. All went well until we drove near the Castro district and my nephew, without hesitation, blurted out his disgusted amazement about seeing so many openly gay men walking around.
When he used a crude epithet for homosexuals, I glanced into my rear-view mirror and saw the look of utter dismay on my son's face.
After driving through a number of other scenic neighborhoods in the city, we headed back to San Jose, but all night my nephew's words burned my head and my heart.
A few days later, I told my nephew I had something important to talk to him about. Recalling my mother's style, I spoke to him firmly but with an open heart. We discussed ignorance and bigotry, and words as nectar vs. words as poison.
In the end I told him, he'd never want to look back and realize he had used a word like the ones he'd uttered. When he promised "never again," it felt like one of my finest moments as a grown-up.
The only thing better -- the moment when I looked into the rear-view mirror and saw the upset those ugly words had etched on my teen son's face. Long before that night, my son had learned from me lessons about sensitivity, the ones first taught on the sidewalk outside a small, neighborhood grocery store.
Contact David E. Early at foreveryoung@sjmercury.com
or (408) 277-3777.
In this issue of GSA Network News, you'll find:
1. Apply for the GSA Network Youth Council!
2. Youth Space Opening at Pacific Center (Berkeley)
3. GSA BBQ! (San Jose)
4. LGBT Prom (LA)
5. LGBTQ Youth Conference (San Diego)
6. Destiny Arts Youth Performance (Oakland)
7. Rally to Protest Budget Cuts in Education (Sacramento)
8. CFJ Eyes on Education Rally (San Jose)
9. Boston Public to Address Gay Youth Issues
10. NEWS: SF Chronicle Article About As If It Matters
*********************************************
1. Apply for the GSA Network Youth Council!
GSA Network is now taking applications for our regional Youth Councils. If you're interested in being on the Youth Council for the upcoming term (now through the end of the '02-'03 school year), apply now!! We will be accepting applications on an ongoing basis, but the sooner you apply, the better.
Questions about the Youth Councils??
Northern CA - contact Emilie: 415-552-4229 or mailto:emilie@gsanetwork.org
Central CA - contact Diana: 559-442-4777 or mailto:diana@gsanetwork.org
Southern CA - contact CC: 323-662-3160 or mailto:cc@gsanetwork.org
You can also get a Youth Council application at http://www.gsanetwork.org/about/apply.html.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Youth Council Description: The GSA Network Youth Council is a diverse group of youth leaders who care about fighting homophobia in schools. There are 3 Youth Councils: Northern California, Central California, and Southern California. Each Youth Council is responsible for making decisions about and guiding the programs of the GSA Network in their region. Youth Council members will represent the needs of GSAs and youth activists from their geographic region as well as set goals and establish priorities for the entire GSA Network.
Schedule: The Youth Council meets once a month, generally on a Saturday. Meetings will take place in each office of the GSA Network, in Northern, Central, and Southern California. Typically, Youth Council members are also involved in planning and/or implementing other trainings and conferences, most of which happen on weekend days as well.
Job Responsibilities
Each Youth Council member is expected to:
1. Make a one-year commitment to serve on the Youth Council.
2. Represent your region as fully as possible.
3. Prepare for and attend monthly meetings of the Youth Council.
4. Participate in setting goals and making decisions about the
programs of the GSA Network.
5. Identify needs of GSAs and LGBTQ youth and straight allies
in schools and guide the direction of the GSA Network activities accordingly.
6. Help plan and/or conduct workshops at GSA Network trainings
and conferences.
7. Help coordinate youth involvement in events such as National Day
of Silence.
8. Be a resource to new and/or struggling GSAs in your region.
Skills/Requirements:
1. Willing to commit to serve on the Youth Council for one year.
2. Interested in developing and suggesting ideas to strengthen the
GSA Network.
3. Committed to creating change for LGBTQ youth and fighting homophobia
in schools.
4. Be able to work well in a group.
YOUTH COUNCIL APPLICATION FORM:
RETURN TO:
E-mail:
Northern CA: emilie@gsanetwork.org
Central CA: diana@gsanetwork.org
Southern CA: cc@gsanetwork.org
Other:
Northern CA: 160 14th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, fax: 415.552.4729
Central CA: 4403 E. Tulare Ave., Fresno, CA 93702, fax: 559.453.9060
Southern CA: 4477 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027, fax: 323-662-3167
Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone Number (home):
(alternate):
Email:
Do we need to be discreet when contacting you?
School Info:
School You Attend:
Name of GSA or LGBTQ-Related Group:
The GSA Network strives for diversity in all aspects of the organization. Please provide the following information about yourself:
What's your age?
What year in school are you?
Gender:
Sexual Orientation:
Race/Ethnicity:
Anything else you'd like us to know about you:
Reference:
Please provide contact info for a reference who knows about your work
with a GSA or LGBTQ youth group and/or can attest to your abilities as
a youth leader. It can be a peer, friend, teacher, or anyone else.
Name: ________________________________________
Relationship to You: _________________________
Phone: _______________________________________
Email: _______________________________________
Open-Ended Questions:
1. Please describe your involvement and experiences with the LGBTQ
movement and any other movements or anti-oppression work you have been
a part of.
2. Why are you interested in serving on the GSA Network Youth
Council?
3. What would you be able to contribute to the Youth Council?
4. In your opinion, what are the greatest challenges facing GSAs
and youth fighting homophobia in schools?
5. Share some ways that racism, classism, sexism, and other oppressions
have affected you and your activism.
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2. Youth Space Opening at Pacific Center (Berkeley)
Come celebrate La Luna, the new youth space at the Pacific Center!
"Heaven": A special opening event
- performance at 8pm - open to all
- youth party to follow (25 and under)
Saturday, May 4th (starting at 8pm)
2712 Telegraph at Derby
We have an indoor space with TV, VCR, DVD, Playstation II, computer,
youth line, comfy chairs and snacks! Also, we have an outdoor space
with a new redwood deck with a small wading pool and patio furniture!
Email if you have any ?'s: Kari Kruse, kari@pacificcenter.org
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3. GSA BBQ! (San Jose)
Prospect GSA would like to invite you to a GSA BBQ!
Saturday May 25th, 1-5 pm
John D. Morgan Park, Area A - San Jose
(540 W. Rincon Avenue in Campbell)
We will supply all of the food and drinks except for whatever meat or vegetables you would like to BBQ. It should be a lot of fun!
Please RSVP by May 15th with the number of people you are bringing so we can make sure there is enough food. Since we are running on a negative budget at this time we will be accepting $2 donations per person to cover the cost of food and supplies.
Hope to see you there!
- Prospect High School GSA
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4. LGBT Prom (LA)
LGBT Prom, sponsored by Friends of Project 10
Friday, May 17, 2002
8 pm to midnight
Rooftop Garden at the Sheraton Universal Hotel
The prom is open to youth ages 14 to 23 years old. Reduced price tickets are $25 which includes a light dinner, unlimited soft drinks, parking and an evening of dancing to the music of DJ Rick Dominguez. Tickets must be purchased before May 12th and paid for by money order or cashier's check. No personal checks or credit cards accepted. You may purchase tickets at the door with cash for $35 the night of the prom. Prepaid tickets can be picked up at the door the day of the event. Sorry, no refunds can be made.
To purchase tickets, send $25 per ticket (money order or cashier's check only) to:
Friends of Project 10
PO Box 39552
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Please be sure to indicate the number of tickets you are purchasing and the name under which the ticket(s) should be held.
We hope you can join us for an unforgettable evening!
More info: http://www.modelsofpride.org/ or call (323) 692-9320.
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5. LGBTQ Youth Conference (San Diego)
Generation Q: My Time, My Movement
Saturday, May 4, 2002
UCSD campus
Queer People of Color (QPOC) and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
Resource Office (LGBTRO) at UC San Diego are proud to host our third annual
conference for queer youth and their allies, Generation Q: My Time, My
Movement. This event will bring together students, youth, scholars,
and various organizations from all over the San Diego area. Our goals
are to prioritize the needs of youth, encourage youth activism, and to
provide queer youth with community resources and services. We hope
to offer a safe space for youth to
come together, and to increase awareness of diversity within the queer
community.
Check out our website (http://lgbtro.ucsd.edu/genq) for updated information about Generation Q, a registration form, and directions. Please also feel free to contact us by email: qpocatucsd@yahoo.com, or phone: (858) 822-3493. Thanks!
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6. Destiny Arts Youth Performance (Oakland)
Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company presents their 9th annual production...
"The Beat on Both Sides... A cry for freedom!"
When: Friday, May 10, 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 11, 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 12, 3:00 pm
Where: McClymonds High School, Oakland
2604 Myrtle Street (near 26th
St. and Market)
Tix: Adults $13 in advance, $17 at the door
Youth 17 and under $8
Advance tickets only from Destiny Arts Center.
Open 10 am-5 pm M-F.
Group rates available by calling Destiny Arts
Center. (510) 597-1619
For more information: (510) 597-1619
Sounding out their latest high energy production "The Beat on Both Sides... a cry for freedom", the acclaimed Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company sets their creativity free on stage, creating a united cry for freedom that breaks chains, dissolves bars and tears down walls. This multicultural group creates a rhythm expressing the heartbeat of youth living on both sides of the juvenile "injustice" system. Eloquent vignettes switch between the harsh reality of prisons (through the poetry of incarcerated youth) and young people who are free but continue to encounter social constructs that imprison their potential. The pieces together ask what it takes to be free in this society.
The Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company
is a talented group of young community activists and artists, under the
direction of Naomi Bragin and Rashad Pridgen, who form part of Oakland's
Destiny Arts Center, a non-profit arts education and violence-prevention
center whose mission is to inspire Peace and De-escalate Violence among
our Youth. In the Company's long-running history, its members have transformed
stages throughout the Bay Area with their unique
combination of dance forms - modern, hip hop, jazz, West African, samba
& aerial - along with theater & spoken word. Come see what has
made Destiny Arts' nine years of annual performances something to talk
about!
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7. Rally to Protest Budget Cuts in Education (Sacramento)
=========================
No Budget Cuts in Education!
Rally, Wednesday, May 8, Capital Steps in Sacramento
510.654.8613
=========================
On Wednesday, May 8, 2002, students, teachers, community members will mobilize to the Capitol Building in Sacramento to protest budget cuts in education. A call to action is bellow. Buses will be leaving from Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. To reserve a free bus space call the District hotline at 510.879.8736. Buses will begin loading at 8AM at the Oakland Coliseum (Parking Space A), other meeting spot in North Oakland (TBA)
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 11AM-2PM, Youth and Teacher Training for May 8 (community
members are also invited) Youth Empowerment Center, 1357 5th Street
Come and learn how to lobby, how to relate to media, the history of education
funding, make puppets and art-work, discuss direct action and more. Join
other youth and teachers as we discus our vision for May 8 and beyond.
To RSVP, offer art-work help, materials or a training please call Ingrid
at 510.654.9214
CALL TO ACTION: MOBILIZE TO PROTEST BUDGET CUTS ON MAY 8, 2002
Despite the fact that California is the nation's richest state, it continues to spend near the least on education per capita. Ignoring the ACLU lawsuit against the state of California for inadequate education facilities in its inner city schools, Governor Gray Davis has cut over 800 million dollars to education spending over the next year and will cut more if we don't speak out. Meanwhile, Davis has cut less then 10 million dollars from prison spending in a state that spends the most per capita on prisons, in a country that spends the most per capita on prisons. A recent report released by Californians for Justice shows a continued state of segregation in California's schools. Davis' budget cuts will most drastically affect California's inner-city schools, such as Oakland's.
We, as a community, are outraged. The Oakland Unified School District has unanimously passed a resolution to assist students, teachers and community members to protest this policy on May 8 at the capital building in Sacramento. We will demand that education be made a priority in our state, and that educational standards begin to meet and exceed those in other states. We know that no amount of high stakes testing will make up for a severe lack of funding and support that our schools receive. It is time that the state's government addresses the lack of funding for education in our state in a real way.
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8. CFJ Eyes on Education Rally (San Jose)
Dear friends and allies,
Student leaders of Californians For Justice met with Superintendent of the East Side District, Joe Coto, recently to present the campaign demands to him and get him to commit to them. The three main demands were:
* Bilingual Certification
We're proposing an innovative Bilingual certification program for our district that would be the first such program in the country. It would value and celebrate students language skills, promote students maintaining & improving their home language.
* Anti-Racist Teacher Training
To have at least 20 percent of teachers go through multicultural competency and anti-discrimination trainings along with voluntary student evaluations of teachers
* Path to College
To develop an individualized 4 year plan for every student so that they can go on to college and hire 10 counselors over the next 2 years that will adequately serve students
Mr. Coto agreed with every issue and also agreed to work towards making each one happen!
Now we have to make sure Superintendent Coto keeps his promises, so join us.....
CFJ Eyes on Education Rally
Thursday, May 9, 5:00-6:00pm
East Side School District offices (830 N. Capitol at Mabury)
...to let him know there ain't no runnin' from the power of the students!
Questions? Call CFJ at 408-292-9476
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9. Boston Public to Address Gay Youth Issues
Boston Public
Monday, May 6 at 8pm pacific time on FOX.
Story line: A gay high school teenager fights against teachers and
peers for
his right to be who he is.
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10. NEWS: SF Chronicle Article About As If It Matters
Focus on movies by teens S.F. Film Festival to air locally produced shorts
Janine DeFao, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 1, 2002
The movie is subtitled in English, but it's not a foreign film. In fact, "Everyday Eastlake" couldn't be more homegrown.
It's the work of nine Oakland teenagers who set out to tell their story. They found that it was best told not only in English but also in Vietnamese, Spanish and slang -- the everyday language of the streets in their diverse and changing neighborhood east of Lake Merritt.
"It's about building a voice for teens from the inner city," said Kevin Chan, an adviser at Streetside Productions, the youth program that made the film. "They have so much to say, but they get shut out of the mainstream media, the political process."
The teenage filmmakers have scored a coveted screening of "Everyday Eastlake" at the San Francisco International Film Festival. The film is one of five shorts by young artists, chosen from 18 entries, to be shown on the final day of the festival Thursday.
Other films in the "Youth or Consequences" category include movies from New York, Los Angeles and New Mexico, and "As If It Matters," a look at gay issues in high school by a group of San Francisco and Bay teenagers.
As digital technology has improved and become more affordable, more teenagers are turning to video to present their view of the world. "Every year, we're blown away. What they're able to do improves dramatically," said Joanne Parsont, the festival's children's film program consultant. The films are "more ambitious and more elaborate than they have been in the past."
"Everyday Eastlake" and "As If It Matters" weave together a series of fictional vignettes based on the teenagers' life experiences. The Oakland teenagers interviewed merchants, neighbors, family members and others as the backbone for their script. The nine-member San Francisco group simply shared tales from their own lives.
"Our stories were really similar. That was really empowering," said Vanessa Duran, 17, a Berkeley High senior who worked on "As If It Matters" in San Francisco last summer through a joint program of the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, Gay-Straight Alliance Network and Teaching Intermedia Learning Tools.
The 25-minute film follows characters that include a bisexual girl who is turned down by another girl for being too fat, an African American basketball player who fears coming out as a lesbian because "the world will view me as some kind of freak" and an Indian boy whose mother won't accept that he's gay.
So far, the film has been distributed to 250 schools throughout the state, along with a curriculum guide to discussing gay issues. Duran, a self-described queer youth activist, has presented the film at several local high schools. "I think it really connects with people. It touches them when they see someone else their own age" and aren't just discussing the issues in the abstract, she said.
"Everyday Eastlake," 38 minutes long and also made last summer, presents a day in the life of residents in the area, where Asian and Latino immigrants mix with longtime residents and hip, young newcomers. Several teenagers in the program are immigrants themselves.
One character, a young African American, sums up the trend borne out by census figures that show the area's black population declining as the number of Asian and Hispanic residents continues to grow.
"It used to be all on the brothers, you know what I'm saying?" he asks. "Now, the 'hood has migrated, man . . . . The faces done changed around here."
Other characters include the silent "can lady," an Asian woman in a conical straw hat who makes her living picking up cans for recycling, a Vietnamese music store owner with a gambling debt, four rave-attending teenagers and a Mexican restaurant employee who finds an old computer in the street, touching off a series of events that tie the characters together.
"We just wanted to show everyday people," said Cherri Saephan, 16. "Eastlake had a bad reputation, but from our interviews, it was really improving." But the teenagers didn't sugarcoat reality. The film includes an armed robbery and hints of racial tension.
Streetside Productions, a program of the East Bay Asian Youth Center, based in Oakland, also includes NeXGeneration, a glossy 100-plus page magazine that covers topics from the war on terrorism to gambling in Oakland to junk food.
The video and magazine jobs are considered internships, and students are paid $1,000 each for their three-month stints, funded by federal education and county probation grants. The filmmakers write scripts, shoot film, edit and star in their own productions. It's not an easy program.
"I wanted to quit -- it was so much stress, and we worked so hard," said Araceli Ramos, 17. But the teenagers are proud that their hard work has been validated by their film festival selection.
David Kakishiba, executive director of the East Bay Asian Youth Center, holds an even loftier goal for their work. "There's a real fear of teenagers and immigrants and poor families," he said. "Through these stories, we hope to build bridges, understanding and a stronger sense of community."
Films in the "Youth or Consequences" program will be shown at 1 p.m.
Thursday at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres, 1881 Post St., San Francisco.