Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Rescheduled Fundraiser at Kelli's Bar coming up Saturday 5/1!!!

Unfortunately, due to a power outage from that crazy storm we had on March 13th, we had to reschedule our fundraiser. And we have!!! Come on down and party for a good cause!!! Open mic night followed by DJ and dancing. Lady Gaga look-alike contest with prizes, raffles, snacks and more!!! 8pm-????? 21+ up $10 cover All proceeds benefit Pride for Youth and the Long Island Pride Chorus www.prideforyouth.org www.licconline.org www.lipridechorus.org www.kellisbar.net

Friday, April 23, 2010

AMHH Awards Honor PFY and PFY Supporters

On Sunday, April 18th, Pride for Youth was the proud recipient of the Auntie M’s Helping Hands 2010 Community Service Award for Outstanding GLBT Organization. The award recognizes PFY’s vital role in the community and pioneering work to address the fear and isolation of LGBT adolescents. Each year Auntie M’s Helping Hands, Inc. (AMHH, INC.), a 501c(3) not-for-profit, is dedicated to helping others. Through their fundraising events, sponsorships and donations, both to organizations and individuals, many lives have changed for the better. LICC’s Associate Executive Director Andy Peters and PFY Director Pete Carney accepted the award at a luncheon reception held at Guy Anthony’s Buon Appetito in Merrick. PFY thanks AMHH for the honor and support. Two other Community Service Awards were bestowed on individuals who have been part of PFY’s circle of support. Nick Montalbano, who volunteers at the Coffeehouse, received Male Volunteer of the Year. Laura Ruhl, who is a member of PFY’s Advisory Board, received Female Volunteer of the Year. Congratulations Nick and Laura!!

Monday, April 19, 2010

What's it like as a Community Educator at PFY

by Jill Estes In my role as the community educator here I go into a lot of high schools to talk about LGBT topics. The topic I speak about most often is homophobia, and how it affects our society and our social structures. March was a very busy month for community education here at Pride for Youth! I did over 20 workshops across several Nassau County schools. Many public schools host a special day once a year where instead of the kids sitting in their regular classes, they get to hear guest speakers and attend different workshops. These speakers deal with a variety of topics such as suicide prevention, cyber bullying, and discrimination, among others. Schools often have special titles for these days like “Wellness Day” or “Human Relations Day.” I was fortunate to be invited in to a few of these days to speak about homophobia. These workshops really do help open the eyes of many youth to how much of an impact homophobia has on our society and what they can do to combat homophobia in their daily lives. Any community educator can tell you that you never know which direction a class will take even when each workshop of the day is on the same topic. Personal interactions with a group of kids can bring up many different opinions and questions. I can honestly say that during each workshop I do I learn something about myself and about our growing community! These amazing kids are actually helping me learn as well. As a grown lesbian woman doing workshops on homophobia I can definitely say that I’m passionate on the topic I speak on. The other day during one of my presentations we were speaking about LGBT and the media. As we know there is much more negative media than positive. The AIDS epidemic came up in conversation. One of the kids stated, “Gay people just get AIDS more than straight people”. I responded with, “I want you to all put yourselves in the shoes of an 11 year old boy who just realized he is gay. All he see’s in the media is that a lot of gay people are dying of AIDS, that it is illegal for him to get married (which implies there’s something wrong with him) and the high amount of hate crimes committed against the LGBT community. Then this boy goes to school. Every day, all day long he hears things like ‘that’s so gay’, ‘no homo’ and ‘faggot’. Try to imagine how he feels. If you were in his shoes would you tell anybody that you were gay”? Instantly this group of kids who at first it was difficult to keep their attention, turned to a group of kids who were attentively listening and obviously putting much thought into what I had said. It was an amazing turn around that I will never forget. And I don’t think they will either. I am truly grateful to be able to do the work that I do and to reach as many people as I do.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

STUDENT THEATRE PRODUCTION TO BENEFIT PRIDE FOR YOUTH

Adelphi sophomore and former PFY Coffeehouse-goer Asim Naqvi is launching a production of his original show “[Sticky Tags] & Black Sharpie” and will be donating a portion of the ticket sales to PFY. Asim is also providing free tickets to a group of PFY participants as a way of giving back to a place he says was critical to his development during his teen years. Although he cannot provide complimentary tickets to everyone, he would still like to invite others who have found PFY to be a stronghold. “[Sticky Tags] & Black Sharpie” is the story of a 17 year old youth forced, through circumstance, to evaluate his identity and what is truly valuable in life. It promises to have a positive, resonating message for PFY’s participants, and we hope that many of our supporters will attend one of the performances as well.
The playbill appears below. Performances are Saturday, April 10th 2pm and 8pm at Adelphi University’s Alumni House, 154 Cambridge Street, Garden City, NY 11530. Directions can be found here: http://www.adelphi.edu/visitors/alumnihouse.php. Tickets are $5 for the general public, $4 for students. You can follow the event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=353419656612&ref=ts.