From: Martin Rafferty - martinrafferty@gmail.com
Subject: Care About Youth in Our Community?
It's time to come together to support the youth of our community.
If you support or work in the youth service field you should come to see this
elaborate event. Fully created and lead by youth and funded by multiple
organizations this will be a great opportunity for networking and
community building.
If you cannot make it to this May 9th Hearts of Youth Gathering,
Please .. pass this letter along to someone who can!
Our Youth know what is happening in our community and have fresh ideas to
address social issues. Eight groups of youth allied with community
organizations have prepared presentations on solutions to social
issues in our community.
Please come take part in this unique opportunity to hear from proactive
young leaders. The Youth Empowerment Summit (YES) is an opportunity for
youth to create change by presenting to community decision makers on
youth identified community issues.
YES is a youth led event which is designed to stimulate awareness by
giving voice to youth as they speak about issues of oppression and create
positive community solutions.
Where:
The Shedd Institute for the Arts
868 High St. (Use High St. Entrance)
Eugene, OR 97401
When:
Friday, May 9th 2008
12:00 - 7:00pm (breakout sessions from 1:40pm to 4:30pm)
Lunch will be provided at noon.
Schedule for the day:
12:00 - Lunch
12:30-1:30 - Opening Presentation
1:40-3:00 - First Breakout Session
- Juventud FACETA
- Youth Council
- LGBTQ Issues
- Sexual Health
3:10-4:30 - Second Breakout Session
- Communities Empowering Youth (CEY)
- Oregon Family Support Network (OFSN) And MindFreedom International
- ACT-SO : Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, & Scientific Olympics
- Student Peace Alliance
4:30-5:00 - Closing Presentation
5:00-7:00 - Networking Opportunity and Open Mic Celebration
Please RSVP to Cheryl Bondy by May 2nd, 2008 !!!
RSVP by Phone : 541-682-2331
RSVP by Email :
cheryl.bondy@co.lane.or.us
If you need a translator, sign language interpreter, large print material,
or other accommodations, please call or email Cheryl Bondy.
Take a Look at the YES Presenters and Choose which presentations you would like to see!
- Looking Glass - Communities Empowering Youth (CEY)
This presentation was created by youth who care about the issues of
homeless youth. Most of these youth have been homeless or at least in extreme
poverty most of their lives. This presentation will work to end the
stigma of homelessness and show common members of the community what it's
really like to be homeless. The workshop will feature a video created by youth,
followed by an interactive audience discussion.
- Student Peace Alliance
This program will talk about creating a culture of non-violence
through the creation of a multi-cultural center downtown. A coalition of community
organizations have been working on this project for over a year.
Come see how you can help create a more vibrant and welcoming downtown!
- ACT-SO : Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, & Scientific Olympics
ACT-SO is a year-long enrichment program designed to recruit, stimulate,
improve and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among
African-American high school students. This presentation will focus on
community leadership through creative expression.
- Department of Human Services - Adolescent Sexual Health
With the new Oregon Administrative Rule, sex education in Oregon is
changing and we want to be heard! In this workshop, youth will offer their
vision of what sex education should look like and what you can do to help
meet the needs of the youth demographic not represented in Oregon Healthy Teens.
Participants will be provided with skills, tools and suggestions for
promoting healthy and inclusive sexuality education.
- Back to Back - Community Alliance of Lane County
LGBTQ people are a hidden minority ... this is even more so when they
are youth. It is easy for young LGBTQ people to hide and remain silent
about who they are. In an effort to break the silence, this workshop
focuses on issues affecting LGBTQ students in our local schools and in
the wider community and ways that adults can be allies to LGBTQ youth.
- Oregon Family Support Network (OFSN), and MindFreedom.org
A panel of youth will discuss their experiences with mental health
diagnosis. They will provide a youth point of view on how it feels
to be stigmatized and provide insight about needed services and support.
The presentation includes each youth sharing their life experience along
with a series of questions and answers. The youth are open and honest about
their past and readily answer participant questions.
- Department of Children and Families - Youth Council
How can we bridge the gap between the problems of today and ideas for
the future? By installing the Youth Council as a fourth committee
within the Human Rights Commission, we can create those connections. A diverse
group of youth representing a wide range of backgrounds getting this direct
access will be enabled to act as advocates for the ideas they believe in, as
advisors giving information to policy makers, and as equals working with
lawmakers. Decisions that affect one fifth of the population should not
exclude that population in the process. The Youth Justice League, a
group of youth dedicated to creating a city forum for youth, hopes to jumpstart
change in partnership with the Human Rights Commission and the City
Council. By starting dialogue, we hope that the Human Rights Commission
joins with youth to represent a significant portion of the population,
and for the City Council to consider a work plan session to form a
sustainable, institutionalized Youth Council.
- Juventud FACETA
Negligence in the education system looking at language, family
culture, level of acculturation, economic inequalities, societal
attitudes, lack of culturally appropriate services, anti-immigrant policies,
the impact of stereotypes, nationality, immigration status, appearance,
lack of recognition and deprived guidance from school counselors as obstacles
to the education that immigrant students desire, need and deserve.
Internalization of these challenges as well as pressure to assimilate to the
US culture gives Latino students the sense that they are unwelcome here and
are not worthy of education. Join Latino high school and university students
to discover what they have to share: their goals, challenges, special assets
and how they are contributing to the advancement of their communities.
This workshop is experientially based and designed by youth to encourage a
deeper understanding and appreciation for Latinos/Latinas youth!
Prerequisites :
Be ready to participate, to go beyond 'reactions' to self-reflections in an honest
conversation with Latino youth and their ally.
Come with an open mind and open heart.
The Youth Empowerment Summit is a project of the
Lane County Department of Children and Families' Positive Youth Development Initiative.