Pride for Youth blog

An Inspirational Visit to Kennedy High School's GSA

2012-01-30T11:01:00.000-08:00

by Program Leader Meredith Barranco

Kennedy High School, in Bellmore, looks like many other schools on Long Island. But within Kennedy High School there is an amazing story about the power of youth leadership that many other schools could stand to learn from.

The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) of Kennedy High School has a jaw-dropping 70+ members. In a social environment where sexuality is often a taboo topic, it’s incredible how many students are committed to making their school more tolerant, understanding, and safe for LGBT youth.

GSAs are clubs that give LGBT youth and their straight allies a safe space to discuss sexuality, acceptance, coming out, and how to educate others. GSAs can be controversial. Getting school administrators and the Board of Education to sanction a club can be a difficult journey. Once a club has been established, it’s often difficult to keep a steady membership. Other GSAs I have visited have had 10 to 15 members. The story of how Kennedy’s GSA became one of the largest and most active GSA on Long Island is impressive and touching.

When I came to visit them, the faculty advisors filled me in on the beginnings of this incredible club. The GSA started in May 2011. Students and faculty had discussed the need for such a club for several years, but one student Camila helped the school take the first step.
After one of her teachers put up a ’Safe Spaces’ sticker in his room, Camila felt encouraged to talk to him about some concerns. She confessed that she felt unsafe and isolated as the only “out” lesbian student at school. After doing some research and discussing it with the school administration, Camila got approval for a GSA.

According to one of the advisors, the first few meetings were “thrown together” and held in the school social worker’s office. With just a few weeks before the end of the school year, they brought together ten students. In September 2011, the membership exploded, and they completely outgrew their meeting room. They started meeting in a much larger room to accommodate the 65-80 students who wanted to attend each week.

An after-school club with 70 members poses unique challenges to the advisors and the student leaders. They decided to divide the membership into committees, such as public relations, event planning, education and outreach, fundraising, and media.

In less than a year, the GSA has accomplished several actions. They held an ‘Ally Week,’ recognizing straight allies, during which they a banner in the main hall, and asked students to sign it and pledge to defend and support their LGBT classmates. They asked allies to wear purple on certain days, rainbow ribbons on others, and they encouraged teachers to put Safe Space stickers in their classrooms. Ally Week was well-received, and they’re planning on having a similar week of activism in the spring.

The GSA also made a video for the popular ‘It Gets Better’ campaign. It is student-written, developed, filmed, and edited, and it was broadcast to first-period classes so every student was able to see the video.

Reaction to the GSA has been generally positive, but there have been a few incidents of hate and intolerance. During a bake sale to raise funds for the club, one student returned what he was going to buy with the comment: “I don’t want a faggot cupcake.”

Nonetheless, the GSA believes that their cause is viewed positively by most of the school community, and beyond. News of their success travelled to another Bellmore/Merrick high school which has a fledgling GSA that comes to observe Kennedy’s meetings and receive training. GSA members are also exploring the possibility of doing presentations at the district’s middle schools to prevent bullying and intolerance.

Kennedy High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance is an incredible success. Through student leadership and positive faculty/student collaboration, they have built an enduring resource to improve the lives of students.

Pictures from 2011 HeartBEATS!!

2011-12-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

Our 2011 World AIDS Day conference was a big success!! It's called HeartB.E.A.T.S. (Bringing Education about AIDS To Schools), and this was the 11th annual conference Pride for Youth co-sponsored, along with our partners Planned Parenthood of Nassau County and the Prevention Committee of the Nassau County HIV Commission.

About 200 students attended from eight different school districts throughout Nassau County. Pride for Youth Program Leaders conducted two workshops on homophobia, transphobia and HIV/AIDS. Long Island Crisis Center's Street Outreach Project also provided two workshops dealing with runaway and homeless youth.

But the pictures below tell the story better than any words can express. Thanks so much to the conference's fiscal sponsors: Hofstra University School of Education, Health and Social Service, NuHealth Foundation, the Stanley and Marion Bergman Family Charitable Fund and National Grid.

PFY Program Leaders at Breakfast

7th and 8th graders start their day with breakfast at Hofsta's Student Activities Center

Health Fair for the Hofstra community

Games are used to teach HIV/AIDS facts at Leadership Training Institute's 'Facts R Us' workshop

'Here I Stand' activity at PFY's workshop about LGBTs and AIDS-phobia

Program Leaders answer questions from middle school students

Street Outreach Project workshop

Street Outreach Project staff and peer educators

Planned Parenthood of Nassau County's Teen Advocate Project

Every student received an oversized red ribbon to decorate during lunch and take back to their school for display.

Students gather in the auditorium for the afternoon speakers

HeartBEATS 2011 Co-Chair and LICC Associate Executive Director Andy Peters

Speakers from Love Heals tell their personal stories and answer questions

Immigration and LGBT Rights

2011-08-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

Check out Director Pete Carney's guest blog on Long Island WINS, a communication and organizing campaign to promote more positive policies and attitudes toward immigrants.

Pete -- a second generation Irish immigrant -- tackles the progress and limitations of federal deportation law, which was recently amended by the Obama administration.

New Deportation Policy Could Aid LGBT Immigrants, But Won’t Guarantee Equality

Positive LGBT Role Models Help Questioning Youth

2011-08-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

by Tawni Engel

I remember a (now critically-acclaimed) drama series in the early 1990’s called “My So-Called Life” starring Claire Danes.

Controversial for the time, the show’s singular gay character, a teenager named Rickie, led a tormented, sometimes homeless life with a background of abuse and trauma. While he could usually pull it together and attend school with a smile on his face while amongst friends, any story lines that focused on him specifically were always quite depressing.

I loved the show, and thought it was awesome that it brought a gay character to mainstream television. But I had to wonder if it perpetuated negative stereotypes and myths about the LGBT community in general. It seemed like if a person watching had been questioning their sexual identity, they would almost want to stifle it, if they thought they would be leading Rickie’s life as a gay person.

Nowadays, TV shows are becoming more positive in their portrayals of their LGBT characters, which is wonderful! With so many more LGBT-focused story lines in popular teen TV shows like Glee and DeGrassi, mainstream media is definitely providing more uplifting exposure of LGBT issues to the world of pop culture. And maybe now those (especially young people) who are watching, and questioning their sexuality, are feeling more empowered to do so because of the positive role models they are seeing on TV.

Logic would dictate, then, that more youth in general might be giving their sexual identity a closer look. The more positive images and depictions we see in the media of LGBT lives, the healthier the mainstream perspective is going to be. This can be extremely pivotal in the mind of a young person who is questioning their sexuality!

As PFY's LGBT Youth Services Program Coordinator, I am definitely seeing more youth questioning their sexual identity at younger and younger ages. We are always here to help young people who are struggling with this aspect of their lives, in a safe and confidential environment. Should you have any questions about the information in this article, feel free to contact me at 516-679-9000 ext. 128 or tengel@longislandcrisiscenter.org.

What's Up at the Nassau Youth/Adult Consortium?

2011-08-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

By Jennifer King, MSW

From September 2010 to May 2011 I was an Adelphi University Masters level Social Work Intern here at PFY. More recently, I am a research volunteer who is part of the consortium.

What is the consortium, you may ask? Well, the Consortium is part of a 5-year grant from the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute. Comprised of PFY Program Leaders, adult staff and other supporting agencies, the Consortium works to identify and raise awareness of the needs, assets, supports and opportunities related to LGBT adolescent sexual health. We meet once per month and have established a weekly workgroup—which I’m part of—to conduct research. The workgroup includes Katie Stoll, a Crisis Center volunteer, and three Program Leaders Meredith Barranco, Chris Reid, and Shay Thomas.

The mission of the consortium is to promote optimal teen sexual health, especially as it relates to the LGBT population within Nassau County. We have a long term vision of creating sustainable community change that supports LGBT teenagers’ healthy development and removes the barriers that stand in their way.

How do we pursue our mission/vision? While staff, interns and other local experts have collected research and shared their experiences regarding the needs, assets, supports and opportunities for LGBT youth, it is essential that youth are a part our effort to accomplish community change. Without engaging young people in this type of action research, the many important aspects of being a sexually protected LGBT adolescent would be very difficult to acquire. Also, without community input the Consortium itself would not be able to sufficiently assess these issues. It is important that the type of community change that we strive for not only changes the community itself, but also empowers LGBT youth to stand up and be heard.

In the fall of 2010, the research workgroup conducted a survey that asked young people what were the most important problems they were facing. Forty-two people responded, and we found that slightly more than half of the participants believe that self-acceptance is the most important issue facing LGBT youth today.

From there, we ran three focus groups to explore the topic of self-acceptance further: what it means to LGBT youth, what resources exist, and how it relates to optimal sexual health. Two of the focus groups were run at PFY and the third at Uniondale High School’s GSA. The two focus groups at PFY showed that youth feel that you need to be self-accepting in order to make positive decisions regarding not only your sexual health but the way you view yourself and the way others perceive you. At Uniondale, we learned that there is a scarcity of LGBT programs and acceptance for LGBT students in schools. But, many of our participants acknowledged that, thanks in part to the media, people’s views on the LGBT community are changing for the better.

Come the fall we are looking to expand our research and bring our findings out in the community. We are actively looking for people, ages 13-18 to help us conduct our research. If you want more information or would like to get involved, please contact the workgroup at LGBT.needs@gmail.com or (516) 679-9000.

National Research to Include Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity

2011-07-18T12:11:00.001-07:00

Pride for Youth joins with hundreds of advocacy organizations across the country in celebrating this major milestone. A press release from the National Coalition for LGBT Health is excerpted below.

WASHINGTON, June 29 - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for LGBT Health applaud the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for outlining an action plan to improve health data collection for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Today's announcement is an important step forward in the effort to better address the health needs of the LGBT community. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for LGBT Health will track the process closely as data collection efforts progress.

Data collection that tracks the health status and experiences of LGBT individuals is essential because such data provide government agencies and community-based health care workers with information about how to offer the best health services for LGBT individuals and communities. It also will document and address health disparities experienced by LGBT people.

HHS unveiled a plan that will allow the department to more fully count and track the health of LGBT individuals by collecting and reporting sexual orientation and gender identity data on the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The plan establishes a timeline, including benchmarks along the way, for ensuring that sexual orientation and gender identity questions are added to the NHIS survey. This process includes field testing existing questions on sexual orientation as well as developing and field testing gender identity questions with the assistance of leading researchers in the field of LGBT data collection.

Hutson W. Inniss, executive director of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, says, "This is a historic day for the field of LGBT health. At the National Coalition for LGBT Health, we have been working with our members to advocate for such progress and develop tools that can be used on these surveys. We know that LGBT individuals experience unique health disparities, and tracking this data on the national level will be a remarkable step forward to documenting and identifying ways to reduce the disparities that LGBT people face."

Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, says, "This announcement represents a huge step forward for addressing the health care needs of LGBT people in this country. Data collection is essential for establishing programs that address the needs of the LGBT community in the area of health and elsewhere. The Task Force, through the New Beginning Initiative, has been advocating for data collection around sexual orientation and gender identity on all sorts of federal surveys because if they don't count us, we're virtually invisible to the federal government. We look forward to supporting HHS as this process moves ahead."

Data collection in health surveys and in other contexts has been a key priority for the New Beginning Initiative, a coalition of expert organizations convened by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force working to advance LGBT policy priorities in federal administrative agencies. The National Coalition for LGBT Health has led the efforts of the New Beginning Initiative to have sexual orientation and gender identity data collected on federal and state surveys, and this announcement marks a breakthrough victory in this effort.

To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, visit www.theTaskForce.org and follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce (http://www.twitter.com/thetaskforce).

Long Island Gay Men's Chorus Spring Concert: You Are Not Alone

2011-05-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 11th, the Long Island Gay Men's Chorus will hold its Spring 2011 concert at Hofstra University. Details are below.

The Chorus has generously offered to donate a portion of their ticket sales to Pride for Youth. For concert-lovers, this means the event is a win-win: come out to a great show and promote services and advocacy to LGBT youth at the same time.

When you buy tickets online, before you complete your purchase, type: pfy in the field "Special Instructions to Seller." PFY will receive $5 for every ticket tagged.

Click here to purchase tickets through PayPal.

LGBT Youth: Have Your Voice Heard in GLSEN's 2011 Survey!!

2011-05-11T12:49:00.001-07:00

The Gay, Lesbian, Straight and Transgender Education Network (GLSEN) has launched its 2011 National School Climate Survey, and is looking for LGBT students to participate.

Conducted every two years since 2001, GLSEN's National School Climate Survey is the largest source of data on LGBT students' experiences in schools. Survey results inform policymakers across the country, and can help bring attention to bullying and name-calling as well as positive activities such as Gay/Straight Alliances.

The only requirements for participating are: (1) you must be at least 13 years old, and (2) you must have been in middle or high school during the 2010/2011 year.

For the first time ever, the School Climate Survey can be completed on-line. Click here or visit http://www.glsen.org/2011survey.

Three Year Grant from Rapoport Foundation

2011-05-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to announce that the Paul Rapoport Foundation has awarded PFY a three-year $175,000 grant to address disparities among LGBT youth of color.

The grant will enable the hiring of a social worker to provide services directly to students in Hempstead, Roosevelt and Uniondale school districts, including counseling, support groups, anti-homophobia and anti-transphobia education and Gay/Straight Alliance co-facilitation.

While young African American and Hispanic LGBTs negotiate many of the same challenges that all young LGBTs face—unsafe schools and lack of family support for example—racial and economic segregation on Long Island is a reality. Many youth of color grow up in under-resourced communities, where there are fewer opportunities and additional stigma.

According to Long Island Crisis Center’s Associate Executive Director Andy Peters: “What we tend to see with PFY’s youth of color is a more complex set of challenges—poverty, the need to take on independent roles at early ages, and day-to-day survival taking priority over planning for the future.” As a result, the path to healthy LGBT adulthood is often even more difficult, and physical and emotional ‘self-care’ can take a backseat to more immediate needs like earning money and helping to stabilize the family.

The Rapoport grant will provide free, high quality support to these youth with the goals of promoting positive identity development and increasing skills to manage stressful life events. The funds give PFY the opportunity to re-instate school-based services in three priority districts. While staff have conducted LGBT outreach and counseling in the target schools as far back as 2003, services ceased in 2010 when the NYS Dept. of Health’s redirected PFY’s adolescent prevention funds from school to community settings.

The Paul Rapoport Foundation—http://www.paulrapoportfundation.org—supports programs and organizations working in the areas of social services, healthcare, legal rights and issues, and community empowerment for three populations of low or no income: (1) transgender communities of color; (2) LGTBQ youth of color, ages 24 and under; and (3) LGTB seniors of color aged 60 and over. The Foundation has supported PFY’s work since 1993, but this multi-year grant will be its last, as part of a planned spend-out by 2014.

Supporting LGBTQ Youth in Our Schools and Communities

2011-05-02T14:48:00.001-07:00

PFY is joining with the New York State Department of Mental Health, the Trevor Project and Pride Center of Central New York to sponsor a series of webinars on the critical topic of promoting safety for LGBT youth.

The webinars are free and open to the general public. Information on the program and how to register follows...

Webinar: Supporting LGBTQ Youth in Our Schools and Communities
LGBTQ youth face unique challenges in our schools and communities that put them at statistically higher risk for social isolation, bullying, and suicide. Please join us for an informative discussion about fostering a positive school and community climate for middle and high school youth regardless of their sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity. This panel discussion, facilitated by Melanie Puorto, director of the New York State Office of Mental Health’s Suicide Prevention Initiative, will feature panelists from The Trevor Project, The Long Island Crisis Center’s Pride for Youth program, and Pride Center of the (NY) Capital Region. We will discuss the challenges faced by LGBTQ youth and practical strategies and steps schools and community organizations can take to promote the well-being and academic success of all students. This Webinar is organized and hosted by Kognito Interactive, developers of the At-Risk family of suicide prevention and gatekeeper training simulations for education, health care and military settings.

This free Webinar will be conducted twice. Please choose one of the following dates/time:
- Tuesday, May 10, 4pm-5pm EDT - https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/739484256
- Tuesday, June 28, 4pm-5pm EDT - https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/337901457
Who Should Attend?
Middle and High School Educators and Administrators, Youth Center Leaders, Mental Health Professionals, Parents

Webinar Learning Objectives
Attendees of this Webinar will learn:
- About the unique challenges facing LGBTQ teens
- About national data showing high rates of suicide, depression and substance abuse among students identifying as LGBTQ
- What schools and community organizations can do to foster a positive climate for LGBTQ students and what mental health providers can do to affirm LGBTQ youth

Facilitator
Melanie Puorto, Director, Suicide Prevention Initiative, NYS Office of Mental Health

Panelists
Meg Ten Eyck, Education Manager, The Trevor Project. Meg joined The Trevor Project in 2010, where she oversees and expands the Trevor Lifeguard program. The Trevor Project is a national organization providing crisis and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

Pete Carney, Director, Pride for Youth, Long Island Crisis Center
Pete supervises Pride for Youth’s day-to-day operations. He is the primary point of contact for the Counseling and Community Education programs and carries a caseload of individuals and families.

Curran Saile, Program Director, Pride Center of the Capital Region
Curran Saile has been the Program Director at the Pride Center of the Capital Region since June 2009. She coordinates the Center Youth, Center Support, Vintage Pride and Trans Pride programs
The session will include Q&A, and presentation slides will be made available to attendees following the session.

Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction at Franky B's this Saturday

2011-04-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, April 30th, PFY is holding a Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction at Franky B's Roadhouse Bar & Grill in Bellmore.

There will be four gay bachelors and four gay bachelorette's, each with exciting date packages including Trapeze school lessons, Broadway shows and roller derby tickets.

Doors open at 8:00pm, the auction starts promptly at 10:30pm, and the door is only $10. All proceeds will be dedicated to sustaining our homophobia and LGBT bullying education in Long Island schools. This event is strictly for 21 and over.

Addressing the Treatment of LGBT Students: A DASA Forum

2011-04-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, April 14th, Nassau BOCES sponsored a special forum for school administrators on the subject of the NYS Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). The featured speakers were Pride for Youth's very own Director Pete Carney and Long Island Crisis Center Associate Executive Director Andy Peters.

Twenty administrators--representing fifteen districts from Oceanside to Shirley--attended. The main purpose was to familiarize school officials with new regulations to render school environments free of discrimination, harassment and bullying. Fought for by LGBT student advocates, DASA is the state's first safe schools legislation to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity or expression" in a list of protected categories, along with race, gender, religion and many others.

As such, it is the first law that requires schools to have policies and practices that specifically address discrimination and harassment against LGBT students.

Pete and Andy's presentation covered an overview of DASA, legal aspects of anti-LGBT harassment, the prevalence of bullying and best practices for protecting students. The presentation was interspersed with profiles of gay students who were victims of bullying and committed suicide over the past year, including Tyler Clementi and Seth Walsh.

For more information on this topic, contact PCarney@longislandcrisiscenter.org

My Experience on What Not To Wear

2011-03-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

by Jill Estes

When I was nominated for TLC’s show What Not To Wear, I was at first quite a bit offended. But after the experience I am grateful to have been part of it. The show aired last Tuesday, March 22nd. For a one-hour show, there was an incredible amount of work that went on behind the scenes.
The week of filming and shopping was long, exhausting and fun. That week made me realize a lot of things about myself that I wouldn’t have looked at if I weren’t forced to.

When I first arrived I thought this would be a great opportunity to have some time away from my busy schedule and relax. I immediately realized that was not the case. I also had the assumption that this was solely about my clothing and style. This too was not the case. The week of filming and shopping was a long and tiring one, but an experience I am lucky to have. I can’t count the amount of interviews, the amount of taxi’s I took, or the amount of stores I shopped in.

One major challenge on the show was to find clothing that was “work appropriate” but still felt like me. The show’s hosts, Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, brought up a very valid point. When I dressed for work I did my best to hide my tattoos. Being that one main focus of the work I do is spreading the message to be true to yourself, and that nobody needs to conform to society’s mold, I was acting hypocritical for many years by covering myself up so much when I went out into the community. We agreed to find a happy medium.

The biggest challenge was finding clothes that didn’t make me feel uncomfortable in my own skin. My gender identity was a major conflict with many of the outfits they made me try on. I fall under the transgender umbrella as a gender bender who loves appearing androgynous. Although I am quite comfortable identifying as female, I do not feel comfortable in over feminized clothing. Every time they would put me in ruffles or floral prints I would shriek. During the countless interviews I was consistently asked why I didn’t feel comfortable in most women’s clothing. And I consistently answered that “I felt like I was dressing in drag”. Luckily, by the end of the week, I was able to find a wardrobe that met that happy medium and was true to my androgynous nature.

This experience made me take a long hard look at my inner workings. Here I am, a 29 year old confident woman doing valuable work in the community, yet I was hiding myself. I was forced to examine why this is. The outcome revealed that rather than hiding my body art when dressing for work, or feeling uncomfortable in over feminized clothing, I could find a wardrobe that works with my “permanent accessories” and keeps true to my personality.

The show didn’t air until about two months after the filming. I spent that two months growing worried as to how the producers would portray me, and enjoying my new wardrobe and hair cut, of course. They had so much footage of me that they could make me look like anybody they wanted. When I finally saw the show I was relieved to see that the producers really let the audience know who I am.

Being on TLC’s What Not To Wear was a life changing experience for me. Not too often in life am I forced to look deep inside for answers. By taking this deep look, I found some weaknesses that I could work on, and much new strength that I never knew I had. Over all I am very happy with the outcome of this major life transformation. I also must admit that shopping, which I used to despise, I now love and can’t seem to get enough of!

The Vagina Monologues

2011-03-25T08:37:00.001-07:00

by Becca Harrington, Social Work Intern

In 1998, on Valentine’s Day, Eve Ensler and a group of women started V-Day as a non-profit organization to empower women and stop the violence that so many of them endure. Now, every year during February, March, and April, Eve Ensler gives the rights of her play, the Vagina Monologues, to groups all over the world to perform, in an effort to raise money that will benefit local agencies fighting to stop the violence against women.

On March 13th, Long Islander Laura Ruhl pulled together a cast of amazing women to honor and be a voice for all women who have faced violence simply because of their sexual anatomy. Proceeds were split up between five agencies on the Island: Pride for Youth, F.E.G.S. Positive Space, Thursday’s Child, Auntie M’s Helping Hands, and the Anti-Violence Project of Long Island.

When Laura came to Pride for Youth and explained her vision, I was ready to join the ranks. It was an honor and a privilege to work with a group of wonderful women and spread the funny, horrible, tragic, intellectual, and insightful stories of women from all over the world who are violence survivors.

For me, participating in the Vagina Monologues was about standing in solidarity with straight women, lesbian women, bisexual women, transwomen – all women – and expressing the pain that we have endured for thousands of years. It was also greatly empowering to speak frankly about the vagina, stripping away the shame and guilt that women are often forced to carry.

You might be asking what does this all have to do with the LGBT community? Well, the shame, guilt, and violence that women experience are also what many LGBT people experience. LGBT youth are sexually harassed, assaulted, taunted, and bullied daily at school, in the media, and even on the internet. LGBT people, in general, are surrounded by a society that promotes a heterosexual agenda in which being LGBT is something that happens to you and needs to be fixed. It is not that far from the idea that women are less valuable than any man and she is only capable of doing and being what is deemed appropriate. LGBT people and female-bodied individuals both live a society in which they can count on being a victim more than they can count being safe.

I want to thank Laura Ruhl for allowing me to be part of her production and for generously donating some of the proceeds to Pride for Youth.

Tune in to TLC's What Not To Wear Tonight!

2011-03-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the big night! Be sure to check out the brand new episode of What Not to Wear at 9pm on TLC, featuring PFY’s very own Community Educator, Jill Estes, getting a fabulous makeover. Filming took place in this past December and January, and PFY was used as a location! Be sure to keep an eye out for some “cameos” from some other PFY staff, alumni and participants. Congratulations Jill on this exciting opportunity!

Mpowerment LI Gears Up for AIDS Walk

2011-03-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

By Galo Cunto, Prevention Specialist

The AIDS Walk New York has been taking place since 1986 and is reported to be the largest AIDS fundraiser in the world, raising over $100 million dollars since its first event. The money raised goes to local, national and international agencies that serve people living with HIV and AIDS in a wide variety of ways. The walk is about 6.2 miles long and begins in Central Park. For 2011—AIDS Walk’s 26th annual event—the walk takes place on May 15th.

Mpowerment LI is very excited to be participating for the first time this year. We have a team that is steadily growing and highly motivated to raise money for this important cause. Mpowerment LI understands the difficulties and challenges that GBT young men face in regards to health and lifestyle. AIDS and HIV are one more element in our complex multifaceted lives, and it continues to disproportionately affect our community. Participating in AIDS Walk is an excellent way to make a difference in this epidemic, from raising donations to raising awareness.

Our goal is to raise $750. Please consider supporting our effort, whether you’d like to make a donation and/or join our team on the walk. Visit Mpowerment LI's Team Page to register to walk with us or Our Pledge Page to help us reach our fundraising goal. Thanks!

Great Neck South Middle School GSA Makes A Big Gift

2011-03-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

Earlier today Community Educator Jill Estes and Director Pete Carney had the great pleasure to meet with the Great Neck South Middle School Gay/Straight Alliance.

This was Jill’s second time meeting with the group and today she was conducting a workshop on “Creating Strong LGBT Allies”.

About 30 young people were in attendance and enthusiastically participated. At the conclusion of the workshop the president and vice president of the GSA presented a check to Pride for Youth for $188.00, raised by the GSA through a bake sale.

Pride for Youth is so grateful for this donation which will help to fund transportation services for youth to our Coffeehouse and group programming. Huge thanks to co-coordinators Karla Krupala and Karyn Horowitz and all the students involved in the GSA for your generous donation!

Help Restore NYS Youth Funding

2011-03-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

An important message to Pride for Youth's supporters from Andy Peters.

Friends:

Governor Cuomo’s 2011/2012 Executive Budget poses very serious threats to youth services. If passed by the Legislature without revision, it is very likely that state support for LICC’s hotlines and street outreach program, via the Office of Children and Families’ Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention (YDDP) and Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) funding streams, will cease.

Just like the 2009 Block Grant fight with Governor Paterson, the need for advocacy is urgent. The future of the hotline and street outreach is in jeopardy.

Please help us raise our voice to elected officials. We won the fight in 2009, and we can do it again. But we need to generate as many letters, phone calls, etc. as possible.

What You Can Do:
1. Send a letter to Governor Cuomo. Instructions and a template are included below. Feel free to personalize the letter, but all you have to do is cut and paste it to his on-line contact form.

2. Send letters to the Senate and Assembly Chairs of the Children and Families Committee. These are the key folks who will weigh in on OCFS funding, and they’ve both said they will work to restore our funding, but we need to keep the pressure on. Instructions and a template are included below.

3. Send letters to your NYS Assemblyperson and Senator. Instructions/template below.

4. Call the Governor’s phone line: (518) 474-8390 and your NYS legislators. Here’s a script:

“I’m calling with a grave concern about the Executive Budget. Youth development and runaway and homeless youth funding must be restored. The proposed Primary Prevention Incentive Program Block Grant will wipe out our local safety net for troubled youth. Please take action by striking out this Block Grant from the budget, and restoring Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention and Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funding to their 2010 levels.”

5. Schedule an appointment with your NYS legislators to tell them about these issues.

6. Let me know what you’ve done so I can keep track of our collective efforts: AJPeters@longislandcrisiscenter.org

7. Forward this message to all your friends, family members, colleagues, etc.!!!
Thank you. We’ll win this fight together.

Andy

Letter to Governor Cuomo

**Just cut and paste into his on-line contact form
The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:
Eliminate the Proposed PPIP Block Grant, and Restore Appropriations to RHYA, YDDP and SDPP to 2010 Levels.

The State budget deficit requires sacrifices by all New Yorkers. But when it comes to cutting services, those sacrifices must take into account our responsibility to disenfranchised youth.

The elimination of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention (YDDP) and Special Delinquency Prevention Program (SDDP) under the Office of Children and Families Services (OCFS), will annihilate community-based services that provide critical intervention to young people who lack family support and stand at a dangerous crossroads. This isn’t sharing the deficit burden. It’s asking troubled minors to give up everything they have: a bed at a shelter, a community center counselor, a safe place in their neighborhood to go to after school—the opportunity to turn their lives around.

The alternative: the Primary Prevention Incentive Program (PPIP) Block Grant is based on a good idea—reinvest detention facility closure savings into community-based services that prevent costly residential placements. But at a mere 50% of OCFS’s current youth development funding, and competitively awarded to localities with the highest rate of residential placements, this program in no way replaces, nor does it do better than the State’s current system for supporting at-risk youth.
Localities that do well preventing residential placements, since they have services in place via RHYA, YDDP and SDDP, will be penalized as they will be ineligible for funding AND they will lose those services that have kept youth from needing to be placed. The result will be more youth entering costly systems of care across the state. Moreover, the Block Grant does nothing to assist New York’s tens of thousands of runaway and homeless youth, who come from all communities—suburban, rural, urban, wealthy, working class and impoverished—and who were heretofore protected by responsible legislation and a system of regulations for their care.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Letter for Children & Families Chairs

**Cut and paste to Senator Diane Savino: and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin:

Dear Senator Savino/Assemblywoman Paulin:

Eliminate the Proposed PPIP Block Grant, and Restore Appropriations to RHYA, YDDP and SDPP to 2010 Levels.

The State budget deficit requires sacrifices by all New Yorkers. But when it comes to cuts to services, those sacrifices must take into account our responsibility to disenfranchised youth.

The Governor’s proposed elimination of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), Youth Development/Delinquency Prevention (YDDP) and Special Delinquency Prevention Program (SDDP), under the Office of Children and Families Services (OCFS), will annihilate community-based services that are critical interventions to young people who lack family support and stand at a dangerous crossroads. This isn’t sharing the deficit burden. It’s asking troubled minors to give up everything they have: a bed at a shelter, a community center counselor, a safe place in their neighborhood to go to after school—the opportunity to turn their lives around.

The Governor’s alternative, the Primary Prevention Incentive Program (PPIP) Block Grant, is based on a good idea—reinvest detention facility closure savings in services to prevent costly residential placements. But at a mere 50% of OCFS’s current youth development funding, and competitively awarded to localities with the highest rate of placements, the Block Grant in no way replaces, nor does it do better than the State’s current youth support system.

As a supporter of Long Island Crisis Center, I know the importance of RHYA and YDDP-funded programs. Our crisis hotlines help 10,000 youth and families per year. Some are living day-to-day, sleeping in an abandoned car or on a friend’s couch when they can. Others are overwhelmed by myriad stressful life events and suicidal. Our street outreach program canvasses for disconnected teens—at high risk for gang involvement—and links them to positive alternatives, such as job training. Without RHYA and YDDP, these programs will close.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to hearing from you

Letter to Your Senator and Assembly rep

**Cut and paste to your appropriate representatives listed below.

Dear Senator/Assemblymember:

Eliminate the Proposed PPIP Block Grant, and Restore Appropriations to RHYA, YDDP and SDPP to 2010 Levels.

The State budget deficit requires sacrifices by all New Yorkers. But when it comes to cuts to services, those sacrifices must take into account our responsibility to disenfranchised youth.

The Governor’s proposed elimination of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), Youth Development/Delinquency Prevention (YDDP) and Special Delinquency Prevention Program (SDDP), under the Office of Children and Families Services (OCFS), will annihilate community-based services that are critical interventions to young people who lack family support and stand at a dangerous crossroads. This isn’t sharing the deficit burden. It’s asking troubled minors to give up everything they have: a bed at a shelter, a community center counselor, a safe place in their neighborhood to go to after school—the opportunity to turn their lives around.

The Governor’s alternative, the Primary Prevention Incentive Program (PPIP) Block Grant, is based on a good idea—reinvest detention facility closure savings in services to prevent costly residential placements. But at a mere 50% of OCFS’s current youth development funding, and competitively awarded to localities with the highest rate of placements, the Block Grant in no way replaces, nor does it do better than the State’s current youth support system.

As a supporter of Long Island Crisis Center, I know the importance of RHYA and YDDP-funded programs. Our crisis hotlines help 10,000 youth and families per year. Some are living day-to-day, sleeping in an abandoned car or on a friend’s couch when they can. Others are overwhelmed by myriad stressful life events and suicidal. Our street outreach program canvasses for disconnected teens—at high risk for gang involvement—and links them to positive alternatives, such as job training. Without RHYA and YDDP, these programs will close.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to hearing from you

NYS Senators/Assembly Reps for Nassau County residents. You can look up your representatives by entering your zip code at these sites:
NYS Assembly Directory
NYS Senate Directory

Senator Carl Marcellino
Senator Kemp Hannon: (lists e-mail address only) hannon@senate.state.ny.us
Senator Charles Fuschillo
Senator Dean Skelos
Senator Jack Martins
Assemblyman Joseph Saladino
Assemblyman Charles Lavine
Assemblyman Brian Curran
Assemblyman Michael Montesano
Assemblyman Thomas McKevitt
Assemblywoman Earlene Hooper: NO E-MAIL OR CONTACT FORM / PLEASE MAIL OR CALL: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Earlene-Hooper/contact/
Assemblyman David McDonough
Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg
Assemblyman Ed Ra

All information is also available at: http://http://www.longislandcrisiscenter.org/fundingcrisis.html and on our Facebook page, which you can 'Like'

If you have any questions, contact Andy at AJPeters@longislandcrisiscenter.org

PFY Joins It Gets Better Campaign!!

2011-02-28T11:09:00.001-08:00

By Becca Harrington, Social Work Intern ‘Faggot,’ ‘dyke,’ ‘that’s so gay,’ ‘no homo’ are just a few examples of verbal harassment endured by Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) youth in schools, on the bus, and on Facebook everyday. But it doesn’t stop there. Homo-, bi- and transphobia take many forms and are daily promoted in the media, in magazines, in religious organizations, and even in our laws. It is no wonder, according to the Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey (2007) that LGB youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than youth who identify as heterosexual. Transgender (T) youth are especially targeted for harassment. Sixty-one percent report experiences of harassment, assault, and/or expulsion from school as a result of their transgender identity (The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force & The National Center for Transgender Equality, 2011). Fortunately, the media has recently picked up on the epidemic of suicide among LGBT youth and people are starting to take action. In September 2010, after a string of completed suicides by LGBT identified youth, including Tyler Clementi of Rutgers University, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage and his partner Terry started the It Gets Better Project. They simply made a video sharing their experiences growing up as gay, how difficult it was, and yet how positive their lives have turned out. Fellow LGBT folks and their straights allies were so inspired by this emotionally-driven outreach that thousands of people--including celebrities, elected officials, and youth organizations--joined in the cyber movement with their own inspirational videos. In November, PFY Director Pete Carney suggested that our agency should join the movement and make our own It Gets Better video. As an intern at Pride for Youth and a person who has personally struggled with harassment and isolation as a lesbian-identified, gender queer person, I happily offered to film, edit, and produce a video. Secretly, I always wanted to be a filmmaker of some sorts so I thought “this could be my big break!” But in all seriousness, making this film was a fulfilling and enjoyable task. I work with the staff at Pride for Youth on a regular basis and it’s easy to forget that we all struggled in the face of adversity in order to one day reach a point of stability and tranquility in our lives. And even after all the hardships, we want nothing more than to serve as a supportive outlet for the next generation of LGBT youth. To say the least, making this film has been one of the most fulfilling projects I have completed in my short six months at Pride for Youth. It is incredible to know that I work with a staff of people who are passionate and dedicated to eliminating the prejudice and hatred that has led to too many completed suicides by young LGBT people. I truly believe that the honesty and openness of the participants in the video has the potential to seriously empower and enlighten many LGBT youth who have considered or attempted suicide. The message I want to send with this video, and I think I speak on behalf of Pride for Youth, is that LGBT youth are not alone in their struggle, they are worth saving, and it will get better. I hope you enjoy the video.

My Princess Boy by Brittany Fischer

2011-02-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

A video called "My Princess Boy" was recently posted to YouTube. It’s a clip from a show called "New Day" and talked about a new book that a mother wrote after son Dyson began showing an interest in wearing woman's clothing and acting like a princess. Dyson’s family was very accepting and responded to the situation in the best way they could have. His school was also accepting and made sure that Dyson felt comfortable and safe at school, seeing the situation as an opportunity to teach children about diversity. Sadly, the video received many nasty comments on YouTube. Here’s one: "If they were my neighbor I would had beat the f@#$ out the father and mother…[they] should be in prison, then put them in hospital for having dysfunctional brain, the father is bitch in man body." Here’s another: "F#$&@# White Devil!!!!, only he encourages this kinda homosexuality. Lord knows that boy's gonna be gay, but I prey that he can turn his fascination around and use it to attract all the little girls in all his days of school to come. I'm gonna have to prey for his father as well, because I'm sure that once him and his family starts making a decent amount of money, he's gonna kill her and take it all, and make his son do drugs and lose his virginity @ 8." One comment even accuses the parents of child abuse: "This is child abuse! This mother probably wanted a lil girl because she already has an older boy. The father seems like he could careless. The mother coaches this kid on every talk show. Little kids want what they see around them they gravitate towards familar things which is basic early childhood developement. No one plays with dolls in his house (according to the mom) and there are NO female children around him (according to the mom) so where is the influence? His MOM. child abuse!" These comments really disturbed me. I am a sophomore in college, and I have studied the developmental domains and norms of children. What Dyson decides to wear doesn't mean anything about his gender identity or sexual orientation. Children don't understand gender roles or what is deemed acceptable in society. The way people are responding to this is disgusting! In my opinion, Dyson is lucky to have accepting parents rather than some of the ignorant people in this world who wouldn't accept him for who he is. There should be no problem with a boy wearing a dress, or pink, or sparkles. There should be no problem if he wants to be a ballerina or a baker or a nurse. If a girl wants to wear baggy clothes and have short hair, she should be able to and if she wants to be a police officer or a fire fighter, she should be allowed to pursue these interests. Resorting to violence because a child innocently picks up something that sparkles and is pretty is horrible. It is natural for a child to respond positively to something that sparkles and glows. I have seen many children playing with "girly" clothes and costumes and toys and to say that all of these children are going to end up being gay or transgender is ridiculous. If Dyson’s parents told him he couldn't wear "girl” clothes, it wouldn't have stopped him from liking it. It would make him feel insecure and unaccepted. Many people who commented on the video said it’s a parent's job to control their children. This is not exactly true. Children develop important aspects of their personality at different ages, and you are supposed to let a child do what they want naturally while making sure they are safe. Dyson is at the age where children begin to discover who they are, and it’s important that he receive positive feedback on how he expresses himself in order to develop in a healthy manner with self-esteem. To the people who say Dyson will regret this when he is older, I disagree. If I were Dyson, I would be proud of my parents for standing up for me, allowing me to be myself, and educating others so that other children will not feel alone and they will know there are people who love them for who they are. I think it was a great idea to make the story of this child into a book, and I hope to get a copy of it to have in my classroom one day. We need more children’s books that promote acceptance and equality. Some people responded negatively to the video because of their religious beliefs. My understanding is the bible says god loves all his children and that murder is wrong. God is the only one who has the right to judge because no one is perfect. I'm not a religious person, but I believe that god would want people to be who they are. I also believe that god would want everyone to accept others for who they are and treat them with kindness and respect, even if they don't agree with how that person may be acting. No one deserves to be treated poorly and criticized and discriminated against because they dare to be themselves. Everyone is different, and special, and unique, and no one should be ashamed of who they really are on the inside. If you wish to view the video "My Princess Boy" you can follow the link below. Let me know what you think! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBBffc0Rtc8 Brittany Fischer is a sophomore at SUNY College at Fredonia and has been an active member of PFY’s Coffeehouse since ?. The article above reflects the writer’s viewpoint and not necessarily the viewpoint or position of Pride for Youth.

Macy's Supports MPowerment

2011-02-08T08:41:00.001-08:00

Pride for Youth recently received $2,000 from Macy’s in support of Mpowerment. This money will be used to pay for program incentives and transportation reimbursement so that more young men can participate. Macy’s Corporate Giving program provides millions of dollars annually to charities across the country. The company’s focus areas are arts and culture, education, the environment, HIV/AIDS and women’s issues. This contribution will go a long way, and we thank Macy’s for their very generous support!

The Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell = huge voctory for the United States and the LGBT community

2011-01-31T08:35:00.000-08:00

As you may be aware, Congress voted to repeal the military’s discriminatory policy of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) in late December and President Obama quickly signed the repeal into law. We apologize for this delayed reaction—we’ve all been very busy here at PFY—but we couldn’t let this news pass by without acknowledging how enormously significant this legislation is to LGBT youth on Long Island, LGBT people everywhere, and really, everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation. Young people enlist in the military for many different reasons—to serve their country, for financial opportunity, and to further their education and/or career. LGBT’s have always been part of the military, but they have served at a terrible price. They had to hide their identity, their marriages, their families and their relationships from others due to a policy of exclusion. They were subjected to entrapment, threats, discharge without honor or benefits, physical attacks, and even murders because of the military’s hostile attitude toward them. The vote to repeal DADT does not go into immediate effect; the military is currently working out how to implement “integration” of LGBT personnel. But the policy will be gone very soon, and LGBT youth will be able to take advantage of the opportunities the military provides, with equal access, for the first time in U.S. history. In President Obama’s words, “By ending ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.” This is a moment in history and a huge celebration for the LGBT community and our allies. For more information, The Huffington Post published this great article regarding the repeal. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/18/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal_5_n_798636.html

Mpowerment in Action: Our first MGroup!! By Galo Cunto

2011-01-28T17:47:00.001-08:00

Mpowerment has an exciting event coming up on Wednesday, February 2nd: our first MGroup!! MGroups are dynamic, single, discussion-based sessions that literally save young men’s lives. They do this by providing medically-accurate, gay sex-specific information and the chance to role play critical scenarios that commonly come up in our lives. In Mgroup, we discuss topics that aren’t openly talked about in school and even beyond school. In health class, you may learn about sex and sexuality but always in terms of non-gay sex and relationships. Furthermore, our parents may not have the answers to the questions that we have about sex, and—let’s face it—it’s hard enough coming out, let alone talking to mom or dad about sex with your boyfriend. The Mgroup is our place to get educated about what’s relevant to us, ask questions (nothing is out of bounds) and learn how to have a better, healthier dating and/or sexual relationship. The Mgroup is also an opportunity for guys to meet, get to know each other, make friends and learn from each other. Questions are posed that open up amazing dialogue between guys regarding their experiences with dating and sex. Then, we role play tough situations. How do you negotiate safe sex with a partner who insists on not using a condom? What if this partner is someone you just met? What if it’s your boyfriend? What if one or both of you have been drinking or using drugs? How do you talk to a friend whose sexual behavior is putting him at risk? Many of us have been in these situations and sometimes we’re too embarrassed to talk about it or afraid of hurting someone else’s feelings. MGroup is a safe place to work these things out, realistically and without judgment. HIV has plagued the gay community for over 30 years, and it’s apparent that it will be around for some years to come. The best tools we have to combat HIV are education and positive attitudes toward safer sex. This is why the Mgroup is so powerful. Participants leave the group empowered with education and thinking positively about how they can lead their lives as gay men—including dating and relationships—with pride, confidence, health and wellness. As graduates, they leave the group with a big responsibility: take what they have learned to their friends so that more men think about the choices that they make. So if you have 10 guys in a group, and each of them talk to at least 2 other people, you have actually helped 30 gay men lead healthier lives. Participating in MGroup is a way to help the whole community, and it’s not your typical safe sex lecture. We make it a lot of fun! If you want to join the MGroup on February 2nd (5:00-8:00PM, 2050 Bellmore Ave., Bellmore, NY 11710), contact me to register: GCunto@longislandcrisiscenter.org or (516) 679-9000, ext. 123 or you can also get connected through our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/mpowermentLi. Just ask to friend us!! (MGroup is for guys 17-24 only)

Need Money for College? Two Opportunities for LGBT students by Andy Peters

2011-01-24T12:21:00.001-08:00

Of course you do. Who doesn’t? Beyond the academic achievement-based scholarships, tuition assistance programs, and government grants available to any qualifying student, LGBT youth should know about two scholarships specifically dedicated to helping them further their education. The Bill Borman Memorial Scholarship will award $3,000 to a local college-bound high school senior, recent graduate (G.E.D. is Ok) or current college student for the 2011/2012 year. The selection committee is looking for openly LGBT students who have shown leadership and community service in the area of LGBT rights and/or HIV/AIDS. Past winners include PFY alumna Julie Kaer who advocated within the agency for more transgender education and support and was active at Coffeehouse and at Nassau Community College’s P.R.I.D.E. student group. The website: http://billbormanfund.org will give you more information about this opportunity as well as the downloadable application. The application deadline is March 17, 2011. Live Out Loud will provide four college-bound students with scholarships of $2,500 each this year. According to its website: http://livoutloud.info, the scholarships will go to LGBT students who have a strong capacity to “Live Out Loud” and who demonstrate leadership skills in their school and in their community. Live Out Loud is based in NYC, but the competition is open throughout the metro area and they have awarded scholarships to Long Island students in the past. PFY alumni and former peer educator Nelson Rodriguez is a past winner for having started his high school’s first-ever Gay/Straight Alliance and educating students, faculty and adults who work with youth about homophobia. Live Out Loud scholarship winners are treated to a sleek reception in Manhattan (last year’s event was hosted by Alan Cumming). If you’re planning on going to college next year and active at an LGBT organization or at your school’s GSA, you’re a great candidate for both of these awards. If you’re not yet a senior, here’s another reason to get involved in LGBT activism: being active can pay off. Start building up a portfolio of things you’ve done in your school and your community. It will put you in position for LGBT scholarship money AND help your college applications. Send questions or comments to: AJPeters@longislandcrisiscenter.org.

Reflection on the past year at Pride for Youth by Jill Estes

2011-01-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

As the new year begins we like to look back at the past year and see our good times and accomplishments. 2010 was a huge year for Pride for Youth. We were packed full of events and awards alongside the wide array of services that we always provide for LGBT youth here on Long Island. We had a lot of good times, had many triumphs and saw history change before our eyes. Any non-profit agency has to do their full part in fundraising. The same is true here at Pride for Youth. This year we were very fortunate to build solid partnerships to help us with this funding effort. May 1st we partnered up with the Long Island Pride Chorus for fundraiser at Kelli’s Bar and Grille in Bellmore, a huge supporter of Pride for Youth. Then in October we were back at Kelli’s with the amazing support of two very talented musicians, Marcy Lang and A. J. Shanti who entranced the crowd with their music helping raise over $1500. Another great partnership built this year was with the Bellmore Production of Rent, who came in to speak to our youth at Coffeehouse and raised over $1000 for the agency while their play was running. A former participant put up a production of his own play, Sticky Tags and Black Sharpies to benefit Pride for Youth. Pride for Youth is very grateful to have received the Paul Rapoport grant of $50,000, the largest contribution to date. We were also very grateful to have received a 5 year grant from The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, which has given us the opportunity to extend our services even further into the community. All of this funding is essential for the services we provide in our community. We hit the road a lot this year as well. On March 15th we took our dedicated group of peer educators up to Albany for the annual youth leadership conference sponsored by Family Planning Advocates (FPA) of New York State. In June over 100 kids joined us marching in the annual Long Island Pride Parade. Following that parade there were performances on stage in the park where a few of our talented kids had the opportunity to perform. In July we rounded up 16 of our youth for our annual camping trip in the Boston/Cape Cod area. Very strong friendships were built and a lot of fun was had by all. There were a few awards won as well. Pride for Youth won the Auntie M’s Helping Hands Community service award for Outstanding GLBT organization. Pride for Youth also won Best Organization at the Annual Outlook Awards. We were also recognized by the Empire State Pride Agenda for leading the way to safer schools for LGBT youth vis-à-vis advocacy for New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act. Many more exciting things happened this year at Pride for Youth. Pride for Youth hosted our very first Family Night, giving the families of our participants the opportunity to get to know the agency a little better. Our participant, Britney, produced a showing of the hit play Dog Sees God right here at Coffeehouse. Also we were happy to hire a new round of Program Leaders who have been working hard to educate their peers on deep issues that need attention. On behalf of all of us here at Pride for Youth we would like to thank every person and organization that helped us to strive in the community. Without the help we would not be able to provide the wide array of services that make us an important support for the LGBT community on Long Island.

Mpowerment comes to Long Island!! By Galo Cunto

2011-01-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

Hey there! This is my first blog post, and I was asked to introduce PFY's visitors to an important program that's underway for young gay and bisexual men. First, about me...I've been working at PFY for about a year as the Prevention Specialist. Prior to that, I was doing HIV outreach, education and counseling/testing to gay men, primarily Latinos, in Queens. That program was called Mpowerment, and I was very excited about the opportunity to conduct similar work in Nassau County. PFY's Mpowerment program started in June 2010, and I was assigned to coordinate it. This is a program I can really get behind because I have seen how effective it is in promoting healthier behavior and building community. Mpowerment began on the West Coast in the early 90's, and it was the first HIV prevention intervention certified by the Centers for Disease Control as being effective at reducing HIV transmission among gay and bisexual men. The program has been replicated across the country. It was created by the Center for AIDS Prevention at the University of California/San Francisco, and they estimate that there are 70 Mpowerment programs in operation, in virtually every region of the U.S., from NYC to Los Angeles, and from Miami to Anchorage, Alaska. PFY's Mpowerment is the first time the program has been conducted on Long Island. I had the chance to go to a three-day training in September, and I met people who were running programs in Denver, New Orleans, Minneapolis and many other places. In a nutshell, Mpowerment has four components: a Core Group of young men, formal outreach such as bar 'zaps' and fun program-sponsored events that bring guys together, informal outreach that occurs one-to-one, and HIV workshops called M-Groups. I run Mpowerment with two of PFY's Program Leaders: Chris and Jeff. In October, we brought together about ten guys ages 17-24 to participate in our weekly Core Group. The Core Group is basically the centralized decision making body of the program. We have meetings every Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm to discuss how to reach out to other young gay/bi men and to plan events. For example, we started a Facebook account (Facebook.com/MpowermnentLi) where we can get information out, and we utilize Adam4Adam.com to identify and engage with guys in Nassau County who are in the age range. Just last week we held our first bar 'zap' at Gation where we handed out candy and condoms as part of a holiday themed outreach to create a buzz around our project and to get guys interested. We've got a lot of ideas for the New Year including coming up with our own logo, our own name (Mpowerment-LI is our temporary name, but we'd like something a little catchier), hosting a speed dating event, holding our first HIV workshop, and future seasonal and festive events. Our mission is to involve as many young gay/bisexual men in Nassau County as we can, so if you have ideas, drop me a line: GCunto@longislandcrisiscenter.org.

World AIDS day, history and purpose by Ryan Jewels

2010-11-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

Every year on December first we take the time to remember the ones we lost to the AIDS epidemic. In order to know about the history of world AIDS day we must first know AIDS as the disease. AIDS is a syndrome that attacks a person’s immune system or an immunodeficiency syndrome. The first recorded cases of HIV and AIDS were in the 70s and 80s. AIDS starts out as HIV and eventually progresses. It can be transmitted in a few different ways, such as unprotected sex, intro venous drug use, mother to child in birth or breast feeding and rarely through blood transfusions. Since the first recorded cases it has killed more than 25million people worldwide and an estimated 33.2 million people live with HIV and AIDS today. The first world AIDS day was organized in 1988 originally by U.N AIDS. U.N AIDS is the joint united nation program on HIV and AIDS. A major symbol of world AIDS day and HIV/AIDS awareness is the red ribbon. Each year a new theme is chosen for world AIDS day. The first theme in 1988 was communication. Communication can mean anything, like talking to a friend, family member or your partner about the disease or even your or their HIV status. The mission of world aids day is to lead and support an expanding response to HIV and AIDS. This includes prevention and treatment. In 2005 UN AIDS gave the responsibility of world AIDS day to the world AIDS coalition. This year’s theme is universal access and human rights. This basically means you have the right to be healthy. A huge issue in the country is health care. This problem affects everyone especially HIV positive people. If people can’t get there medication then how are they supposed to treat their illness? Another goal of World AIDS day is to help remove misinformation surrounding HIV/AIDS and a big stigma is that all gay men have AIDS, which is not true. This stigma first came to be when AIDS was first seen and an abundance of infected people were gay men. However the growing rate of infection is being seen in straight woman of color. The biggest goal of world AIDS day is education. If more people were educated on AIDS and how it is contracted, there would be a lot less people infected. One of the best ways to protect your self is to educate yourself.

Homoween!!!

2010-11-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

Heres a few pictures from our annual homoween celebration.

14 year old gay youth speaks up to his school board

2010-11-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months there has been an overwhelming amount of media coverage on various LGBT issues including the ongoing political struggles, gay youth suicide and anti-gay bullying in schools. It is so important for the LGBT community to be heard nationwide to further our efforts with decreasing hate crimes and bullying, and also to help with our political equality. Last Monday fourteen-year-old Graeme Taylor spoke articulately to school board members of Howell Michigan defending his teacher, Jay McDowell, after he stood up for gay youth by ejecting 2 students from class after they made anti-gay remarks. The teacher was suspended for that day without pay for his actions. You can see the video here.

Political issues and how they affect our youth

2010-11-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

LGBT equality is a political topic that has gotten a lot of attention in the media lately. The marriage equality debate continues in California. Another issue that is catching headlines is the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the US military. GENDA (the Gender Expression Non-discrimination Act) is a bill that would prohibit discrimination in the New York State based on gender identity and expression. Another example is DASA (The Dignity for All Students Act), which has finally passed after about ten years of trying. How do these political issues affect young people? Many of our participants here at Pride for Youth have expressed strong feelings about these issues. Some have taken active measures to have their voices heard. They make trips up to Albany to talk with their legislators, take part in rallies and petitions, send letters, make phone calls and of course spread the word to their peers about what’s going on and what they can do to help. Others are fearful to voice their opinions due to being outed and having their families or peers find out. When it comes to the issue of marriage equality, many young people are outraged that it is not legal for them to get married. You might ask why this affects them when they are not even old enough to get married. The answer is simple: they do not feel equal, or they feel “less than”. We are raised in a society where marriage and gender roles are taught to us so rigidly defined from infancy on, even in the most open minded of households. When a child grows to adolescence and realizes their sexual orientation or gender identity doesn’t meet the rigid formula our community has made for them there are many psychological problems that arise. When they find out that it is illegal for them to marry, the message that there is something wrong with them is starkly reinforced. The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was recently voted down by Congress. Think about the young person that may want to join the military. Maybe this teenager is “out of the closet”. This youth faces the decision to either not join the military or to crawl back into the closet just to have the opportunity to be a part of serving our country. This kind of decision can be detrimental to a young person’s mental well being. Now how about the youth that’s still closeted. He or she could feel as though they need to hide themselves even further just to serve their country. The debate over LGBT’s being accepted in society has other types of impact for youth as well. Think about the dinner conversations that happen in not so accepting households. These issues come up in conversation. When parents and/or siblings at that dinner table voice their anti-LGBT opinions, how does that LGBT teen at the table—closeted or not—feel? When LGBT rights are debated in school—should LGBT’s be allowed to marry, adopt children, be protected by non-discrimination laws?—what impact does that have on students who are trying to build a sense of pride in who they are? A phenomenon that happens with any sort of minority political progress is backlash. People who feel threatened by LGBT’s become louder, angrier and sometimes violent. This can make young people feel scared and powerless. But it is important that we teach them that it doesn’t have to be this way. Civic/political participation is a key strategy for youth empowerment. At the most basic level, it can take the form of registering to vote. Youth can also get involved in LGBT political organizations and/or campaigns to elect politicians who will advance LGBT equality. For those who are not ready to take those steps, they may need a safe place where they can talk about how political issues are affecting them—a hotline, a youth center or a counselor’s office. When it comes to the fight for LGBT equality, young people can be an incredible resource, and we should also remember that they need our support to cope with the disappointment, alienation and fear stirred up by high profile political fights.

Has anti-gay hate and violence reached a critical mass?

2010-10-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

Check out this innovative article written for the Long Island Herald by our very own Andy Peters! http://www.liherald.com/stories/Has-anti-gay-hate-and-violence-reached-a-critical-mass,28285?page=1&content_source=

A huge thank you on behalf of Pride for Youth!

2010-10-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

As a non-profit agency providing vital services to our community one can imagine we put a lot of effort in to fundraising. On Saturday October 16th Marcy Lang and A. J. Shanti performed live at Kelli’s Bar and Grille in Bellmore to benefit Pride for Youth. We are so grateful to them for dedicating their time to help with our fundraising efforts. Marcy Lang is a singer/songwriter and an all around amazing woman with a huge heart. Marcy has been writing music since early childhood. In addition to her performing at our benefit she also volunteered her time to come perform for our youth the Friday night before at our coffee house. The youth were inspired by her music and her life story that she shared with them. Her message is very positive and definitely had a strong impact on the youth. A.J. Shanti is also a singer/songwriter with a lot of talent. She is an alumni of Pride for Youth which she shared during her performance on Saturday. She stated on the microphone that night, “that place saved me and I am honored to give back”. A.J. also volunteers at Pride for Youth coffee house on Friday nights and is a positive role model for the youth. Kelli’s Bar and Grille in Bellmore has been an amazing ally to us here at Pride for Youth. They have graciously offered their venue to us for many of our fundraisers and are always accommodating with friendly faces. Kelli’s has a great atmosphere and is a great place to go to get drinks and a bite to eat. A huge thanks goes out to owner, Barbara, and all the Kelli’s staff for their support. www.kellisbar.net http://www.myspace.com/marcylang http://www.myspace.com/ajshanti

Time to wear your purple!

2010-10-19T08:40:00.001-07:00

Here's your chance to remember LGBT youth who have taken their own lives, support Pride for Youth and Mpowerment Li and have a great night out! Shy lounge in Levittown is taking this special day of remembrance and making it even more special by helping out struggling LGBT youth in Long Island. Anyone who is wearing purple or who mentions that "Pride for Youth sent me", will have their door cover donated directly to Pride for Youth. So wear your hottest purple shirt and come on out to play! We hope to see you all there. Shy Lounge 2686 Hempstead Turnpike Levittown, NY 11756

Documentary about LGBT Youth for Japanese Public Television filmed at Pride for Youth

2010-10-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

In early August 2010, Pride for Youth, was contacted by Marcom Visual Creation, Inc., seeking guidance and advice regarding their plans to shoot a documentary on LGBT youth for Japanese public television. The goal of the documentary was to capture the unique experience of American LGBT youth, documenting selected youths’ coming out experiences. The producers felt this type of documentary was a milestone for Japanese public television and hoped it would help Japanese youth who may identify as LGBT. Producers for the film met with Pride for Youth staff and youth participants on various occasions in order to better understand the experience of LGBT youth. Through this process the filmmakers were able to select one Pride for Youth participant and begin making arrangements to film her experiences with her family, at school, and with her peers at PFY’s Friday night Coffeehouse. On Friday, October 8th 2010, a film crew arrived at Pride for Youth to shoot footage at the Coffeehouse and interview Pride for Youth Director, Pete Carney. That same night was our annual “Coming Out Day” celebration, which helped the director of the documentary really capture the experience of coming out for many of our participants. The filming turned out to be a great success and we are hopeful that it will help Japanese LGBT youth develop a sense of pride and not feel alone. Pride for Youth is honored to have been picked to be a part of this important documentary.

Marcy Lang and A.J. Shanti live to benefit Pride for Youth!!!

2010-10-12T13:00:00.001-07:00

Marcy Lang and A.J. Shanti are amazingly talented musicians storming the acoustic rock scene. We are very lucky to have them come perform at Kelli's to benefit Pride for Youth. Come down and see these ladies perform live! We will also have our amazing house DJ spinning your favorite dance music you can shake it to through out the night. This event is not to be missed! Saturday October 16th 8pm-????? Kelli's Bar and Grille 2955 Merrick rd. Bellmore, NY 11710 $10 cover at the door 50/50 raffles so you can win money! giveaways throughout the night www.prideforyouth.org www.kellisbar.net http://www.myspace.com/marcylang http://www.myspace.com/ajshanti

Meet the rest of the Program Leaders!!!

2010-10-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

Chris R., 19: The reason why I became a program leader is because I wanted to find a way to make a difference in the community in a fun and interactive way. My hobbies include reading, writing, playing video games, cross dressing, singing, and drawing. I hope to help mPowerment become a successful program. Chris A., 19: I became a program leader so I could help educate youth about the problems that affect their society, I plan to work as a Social Worker in the future and help more groups of people in my life. I enjoy going out with my friends and watching movies. Gerard, 17: I became a program leader because I really enjoy the environment I work in and I love the friends I made. My interests are long boarding, playing the guitar, and singing. My goal is to become more knowledgeable so I can teach other people the knowledge PFY taught to me. Jeff (Princess), 18: Well, I was an original peer educator and the reason I stayed because I loved helping out in my community and being an advocate for my own rights along with the rights of others. I am a dancer to the extreme; I have many random interests and skills. I want to become a lobbyist and work for human rights. I want to help people in all ways, if I can make one person life better for even a few seconds, I will be happy. Shay, 16: I realized that becoming a program leader was the best for me because after attending coffeehouse for a few months, I fell in love with PFY and I really wanted to have a bigger role in what PFY has to offer as an LGBT teen center. I love to write and recite poetry (mostly spoken word) and listening to music. I also love nature, reading, and blogging. I plan to become a Professor of either Music Theory or English Language/Creative Writing. Sarah, 17: I wanted to make a difference in my community by encouraging young people towards responsible decisions and I geared that towards working as a program leader. I like singing, writing, drawing, and sewing. I would ultimately in the future like to do something creative and have some kind of impact on pop culture.

Meet the Program Leaders!

2010-09-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Vanessa, 17: I became a program leader because I feel like I learned so much and I am going through so much in this span of my life. I might as well teach and educate everyone in certain issues dealing with today. I enjoy reading, having movie nights and outings with friends. My ultimate life goal is to be successful and live a carefree life. Ryan, 19: I really love educating the youth which is a major part of why I became a program leader. I feel that many things that should be taught are not reaching the youth properly, which is why this job is important to me. Music, reading and writing plays a great role in my life. I eventually I would like to be a stylist and open my own salon. Meredith , 18: I have been a peer educator and program leader for the past three years. Helping others is always worth the craziness and sometimes craziness makes life all the better. Just like everyone else I enjoy music especially indie. I am always interested in discovering new music. My current life goal is earning a college degree. Mary , 19:The reason for being a program leader for me was easy. I love when I get the chance to get out and hopefully educate on topics I was trained on. On my off days I love singing and acting and I am a major music fan, as it plays a big part in my life. My ultimate life goal is to become a social worker. Lorenzo ,18: My purpose for becoming a program leader is to show LGBT youth that you can be different and still be a leader. I enjoy entertaining others by playing the piano, singing and dancing. My life goal is to explore the works of this wonderful world and give inspiration to the LGBT youth. Justin , 19: I became a program leader to help inform my peers about information based on facts and details rather than myths and stereotypes. In my spare time, I like to read and write. I enjoy being an activist for LGBT youth. My life goals consist of helping and educating others and teaching them they are not alone. I eventually would like to become a social worker. Jonathan , 17: One reason I became a program leader is because I wanted to work in a place where LGBT is not only accepting but praised. Another reason is to share the message with LBGT Latinos like myself that is okay to be gay. I like to draw, talk and laugh. Laughing makes my day worthwhile. My life goal is to go to college for business and open my own advertising firm. Charles , 19: I became a program leader to help be a role model for peers in my community. Being a program leader helps me to stay motivated in my education and stay focused on my goals. In my free time I enjoy writing music. I eventually would like to help at least one person during my time as a program leader.

Program Leaders launch their new blog!

2010-09-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

The Program Leaders at Pride for Youth in Bellmore, NY are excited to launch this blog as a way of networking with others and addressing the sexual health concerns of LGBT youth and their straight allies. What are Program Leaders, you ask? Well, they are teenagers just like you, who work to educate their peers in Nassau County on such topics as HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, STI/STD’s and homophobia. They visit local GSA’s and other youth groups in order to spread education and awareness on these issues. They also collaborate, in an Adult/Youth Consortium, with a group of adults who are interested in generating change in our community with regard to the needs and concerns of LGBT youth. Program Leaders also assist with Pride for Youth’s Mpowerment program. The Mpowerment Program works with young men individually, in groups and through community outreach and events to provide opportunities for these young men to socialize and develop supportive relationships, and also become educated on HIV/STD prevention and safer sex. And last but not least, they will be updating and maintaining their new blog! They will be writing on a variety of subjects related to LGBT youth, from current issues in the media and political concerns to local events and updates on what we are doing at Pride for Youth. A particular focus of their blog postings will be to educate LGBT youth on all aspects of sexual health and healthy decision making. They welcome questions, particularly related to sexual health and the coming out process. If you have a question or comment or want to “friend” us, visit their page on Livejournal at http://programleaders.livejournal.com/. You may also visit our page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=100001422798770. You must attend at least one Coffeehouse on a Friday night at Pride for Youth before they will accept your friend request. Anyone, regardless of their “friend status” is encouraged to email them with questions or concerns. We look forward to hearing from you! Keep an eye out! Our Program Leader’s profiles are coming soon!

Bullied to Death: by Jill Estes

2010-09-21T10:52:00.001-07:00

After reading recent news articles about three gay student suicides all within the same school district in the same year, I was reminded how important it is to address this issue. It is no shock that LGBT youth face extreme amounts of isolation at school, at home, at religious organizations and in our community. Along with this isolation they are also facing high levels of homophobia, bullying and harassment. This has been the case for decades and is continually a problem for these youth. A gay student by the name of Justin Aaberg took his own life on July 9th this year. He was one of three gay students in the Anoka school district in Minnesota to commit suicide this year. This created uproar in the community between LGBT advocacy groups and anti-gay groups. To hear a testimony from his mother’s words please reference this article. http://minnesotaindependent.com/64047/anti-gay-group-organizes-in-anoka-schools-as-community-deals-with-gay-suicides A 1989 US government study found that LGBT youth are 2-3 times more likely to attempt suicide than other young people. This finding was supported by a 2001 study that found LGBT adolescents 2.3-2.5 times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers. Also, psychological autopsies- that is the examination of a person’s psychological state in the time leading up to their death, show an alarming 30% of LGBT youth among the dead teens that have committed suicide. Psychologists believe that number may be higher, as LGBT teens are more likely to have the true cause of death and their sexual identity hidden by their family members. Many LGBT teens out there do not know where to turn to for help. Most of these youth cannot go to their families, teachers, peers, religious organizations or communities for help. But there are people to turn to for help. Right here in Long Island we are lucky to have Pride for Youth. We provide counseling including individual and family counseling, a drop-in center on Friday nights and support groups for LGBT youth. Also the Long Island Crisis Center provides short term crisis intervention on a 24/7 hotline. One more great resource is the Trevor Project, the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention for LGBT and questioning youth. All these resources are free, anonymous and confidential. The question here is how do we lower the risk of suicide for LGBT youth? The answer, I believe, is education. Already in many school districts we provide suicide prevention education. And in some school districts we are able to provide homophobia education. Recently passed was The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) in New York, a bill that will prohibit harassment against students in school, including harassment based on real or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and sex. This bill will require schools to adopt policies to make schools harassment and discrimination-free environments and also incorporate discrimination and harassment awareness into education curricula. This gives us an amazing opportunity to get into more schools to educate staff and students making a less homophobic environment. When taken into account these breaking news stories of gay student suicides and the alarming statistics of LGBT youth suicides in the US, one can hopefully see the need for more diversity education in the schools for both staff and students. With the passing of DASA, doors should be opened for us to get in and provide this ever so important education. My hopes are that over the next few years we will see these numbers drop and we will have less students being “bullied to death”. Resources: Pride for Youth (516)679-9000 www.prideforyouth.org The Long Island Crisis Center (516)679-1111 www.longislandcrisiscenter.org The Trevor Project (866)4-U-TREVOR or (866)488-7386 www.thetrevorproject.org

Dignity for All Students Act signed into law! by Andy Peters

2010-09-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

The need for better policies and training to prevent anti-LGBT harassment in schools has been self-evident to those of us who are LGBT. In 2000, PFY surveyed Nassau County students and found that 1 in 10 had been physically harassed due to their perceived sexual orientation. Nearly all of them reported that derogatory words like “faggot” and “dyke” get spouted from the mouths of classmates (and even teachers) on a regular basis. So it’s great progress that Governor Patterson recently signed into law the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). Advocacy groups have been pushing for this legislation for ten years, and PFY has been a critical part of the effort. In annual trips to Albany, in-district meetings with elected officials, and through personal letters, young people and staff have kept the issue alive year in, year out. Many times, we wonder if our voices make a difference. DASA is evidence that the answer most definitely is YES! DASA establishes a consistent set of standards for preventing discrimination and harassment in schools—those motivated by anti-LGBT attitudes or other prejudices—and, quite significantly the law includes gender identity/expression as a protected category. Here’s a summary of the law from Empire State Pride Agenda. After ten years of hard work, the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) will prohibit harassment against students in school, including harassment based on real or perceived race, Color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression and sex. 40 states have anti-bullying laws and now New York will join those states. New York is also one of the 14 states that include sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in its anti-bullying protections. DASA makes history marking the first time that gender identity and expression are explicitly protected under New York State law. This is an incredible victory for our community and was made possible by the tireless advocacy of so many organizations statewide including Pride For Youth. DASA will specifically require schools to: -Adopt policies to make schools harassment- and discrimination-free environments; -Inform students and parents of anti-discrimination and harassment policies; -Develop guidelines to be used in school training programs for teachers, administrators and other school employees to discourage the development of discrimination and harassment among staff and students; -Create guidelines relating to the development of nondiscriminatory instruction and counseling’ -Incorporate discrimination and harassment awareness and sensitivity into civility, citizenship and character education curricula; -Provide a staff member trained in human-relations counseling; and -Report on incidents of discrimination and bias harassment to the State Education Department.

Our Academy Awards Prom by Andrea Fogel

2010-09-09T08:05:00.001-07:00

Pride for Youth’s Academy Award themed Prom was nothing less than magical. As early as 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time movie stars, singers, paparazzi and even Joan Rivers began to arrive on the red carpet. The night was filled with nothing but elegance including Pizza from a Five Star restaurant, “Joes Pizzeria” in Merrick and a sheet cake from the very prestigious BJ’s wholesale Club. The biggest hit of the night was the chocolate fountain that marshmallows, pretzels, fruits and graham crackers were dipped into creating long lasting chocolate covered smiles. The Rich, Famous and Beautiful enjoyed a night of dancing under the stars and no one left empty handed, all receiving their very own academy award. August 27th, 2010 will sure be a night to remember. -Andrea Fogel, LMSW LGBT Program Supervisor

Production of Dog Sees God at Coffeehouse

2010-08-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday, August 13th, 2010 at the PFY Coffeehouse a group of dedicated participants premiered their own production of the off Broadway hit Dog Sees God. They spent many weeks in preparation, working hard to make the play come together for opening night. Our participants are very adept at producing entertainment for Coffeehouse that is emotionally impacting, educational and entertaining for their peers. This play was a hit and everyone in attendance loved it . Brittney, a dedicated participant took on the huge role of director where her strong background in theater was obvious. Brittney was involved in many productions in her high school and at SUNY Fredonia including Suessical the musical, Footloose, and Terror In The Trees. She was also in choir, often as a soloist, for many years and directed the Rent Showcase here at Pride for Youth last year. Rebecca, who played the role of CB’s sister has also been involved in theatre for many years. Rebecca’s first role was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when she was just seven years old at her summer camp. She continued going to sleep away theater camp for five years participating in ten more shows. Quoted from Rebecca, “each show has taught me something new that I carry with me everywhere. But the most important and recurring theme I’ve gotten from each show is definitely that working with those you love doing a thing you love is something you keep with you forever.” In the matter of a few weeks the show was put together. The youth rehearsed a few times per week putting in a lot of hard work to make this play possible. One participant, Sam, that played the part of CB, the main character, was very convincing in his role captivating the audience with true emotion. All of the roles played in this show were alluring and entertaining, making a wonderful play. The play focuses on many issues that hit close to home for many of our participants here at Pride for Youth. Dog Sees God is set in a high school setting and addresses issues such as coming out, homophobia, social stigma, social isolation and suicide. With an emotionally gripping yet humorous twist the play gives everyone something they can relate to. It is also quite the eye opener for how the seemingly less impacting issues can escalate into more severe crises. The cast: CB: Sam CB’s sister: Rebecca Beethoven: Thomas Matt: Katerine Tricia: Sarah Marcy: Yelena Van: Mary Van’s sister: Lisa Special thanks to Lisa for putting in extra hard work and helping direct and build sets. Stage Crew: Jeff Amanda Mike

Annual camping trip!

2010-08-03T10:14:00.001-07:00

We were very fortunate this summer to be able to take 16 of our youth on a wonderful five-day camping trip to the Boston/Cape Cod area. This trip was not only fun but also very meaningful. Our youth get a chance to interact with staff and build friendships with their peers on a weekly basis here at Pride for Youth. But a trip like this really deepens these relationships and creates lifelong memories.

We packed up the vans to leave bright and early Monday morning and set off. Arriving at the campgrounds was quite exciting after the five hour ride. We immediately unpacked and ran off to the pool. The campgrounds were packed full of fun. The jumping pillow was a favorite among our kids, and some staff as well! We cooked up dinner barbecue style and all enjoyed each other’s company. Following dinner that night we did some fun team building activities. Everyone enjoyed “knee-tag” and a good old-fashioned game of Manhunt.

On Tuesday we packed ourselves in the vans again to head off to Salem! We started off at the Witch Museum. They gave us a lovely tour and a greater understanding of what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. We also took a tour of a horror movie museum. We spent the rest of the day shopping around the cute old fashioned town.

Wednesday we spent in Boston. We started off touring the famous Boston aquarium. I’ll never forget how excited one of the kids, an aspiring marine biologist, was to have that experience. After the aquarium we hopped on a boat for a five hour whale watching tour. They brought us way out into the open sea at an exhilarating speed to see the whales. The perfect weather held out for us right until the very end of our boat ride. Then back to camp for dinner and activities we went. With a little struggle we managed to get our fire started. We made smores and played improv acting games right up until bed time.

Thursday morning came quite quickly and we departed for Provincetown. Once again the weather was perfect for the two hour ferry ride. We all enjoyed our time out on the water. The kids were so excited to shop around Provincetown and enjoy the beach. The kids were very excited to be in such a LGBT friendly town. When we arrived back at camp it was time for our last camp fire together before departing home the next morning.

The end of the trip came quickly for all of us. Friday we found ourselves back on the road heading home. We asked the kids to each name their three favorite parts of the trip. The majority said their favorite parts were the day in Salem, the jumping pillow at the campgrounds, and the opportunity to get to know their counselors and peers so much better.

Expanded Partnership with Planned Parenthood

2010-07-12T13:18:00.001-07:00

We are very excited to announce that once monthly at the Coffeehouse, beginning July 16th, Planned Parenthood of Nassau County will provide clinicians to perform STD screenings and birth control counseling. This is additional to the monthly in-house HIV testing and counseling they have been providing at the Coffeehouse since 2008. Services will be provided confidentially and free of charge. No physical exam is required. STD screening is done through urine samples, and HIV testing involves a pin prick blood sample. No appointment is necessary. Youth are seen on a first come, first served basis between 7:30 and 11:00pm. Services will be available on the third Friday of each month. For further information contact Galo Cunto at Pride for Youth. Galo Cunto 516-679-9000 extension 23 gcunto@longislandcrisiscenter.org

Chili's giveback night!

2010-07-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Pride for Youth is very grateful to Chili’s in Bethpage for giving us this wonderful fundraising opportunity. Pride for Youth is receiving 10% of the sales from Chili’s when our guests dine-in and present this voucher on Tuesday July 13th. So come down and get some great food with us! If anyone has any problems printing out this voucher please email me and I will send it to you! Jill Estes Jestes@longislandcrisiscenter.org

Check out this amazing article about PFY in The Bellmore Patch!

2010-06-29T13:22:00.001-07:00

All of us here at Pride for Youth are honored to be the recipient of a generous donation from Frantic Fran’s cast of Rent, at the Showplace Theatre in Bellmore ! They raised $945.70 for us in such a short time. The cast also gave our kids a great opportunity to see the show and even participate in it! A special thanks to Erinn Furey, who spearheaded this project, and the rest of the cast for all their hard work and generosity. Check out the article here http://bellmore.patch.com/articles/cast-of-rent-show-playing-locally-donates-to-pride-for-youth

The Bellmore production of Rent partners with Pride for Youth

2010-06-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Pride for Youth participants has been given a wonderful opportunity this week. This past Friday we were lucky to have a visit from the Showplace Theatre of Bellmore cast of Rent. The cast of Rent is greatly supportive of Pride for Youth. We are grateful to have them as allies. At our coffeehouse this past Friday night the cast came to speak to our participants. As they spoke about Rent they drew strong parallels between what we do here at Pride for Youth and the message behind the play Rent. “No day but today” is a universal message that we can all use to greatly impact our lives no matter what our backgrounds are, or what our troubles are today. Our kids were also quite excited when they were given the opportunity to sing Seasons of Love on our very own stage with the cast. Pride for Youth is honored to be the recipient of a generous donation from the Rent production. They have already risen over $500 for Pride for Youth. They are also graciously giving discounted tickets to all of our participants, volunteers and employees of Pride for Youth and The Long Island Crisis Center. With the opportunity to buy tickets for $7 instead of $22 we are able to bring up to twenty of our kids to see the show this Thursday free of charge! So many times we are amazed by the support we receive. Pride for Youth would like to thank the Bellmore Cast of Rent for their strong support and the opportunities they have given to our kids. Also, a special thanks to Erinn Furey, who plays the part of Maureen in the show. She had a great, positive presence with our kids, and has spearheaded our partnership with the production. Please feel free to join us at the show. Many of our staff and participants will be at the show Thursday 6/24 at 8pm. Erinn Furey may have a little surprise for our kids, giving them the opportunity to get up on stage with the cast. This is not to be missed!

Long Island Pride Parade 2010 by Jill

2010-06-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday June 13th marked the 20th anniversary of Long Island Pride. As we do every year, we rounded up many our participants and some high school GSA clubs (gay straight alliance) to attend this highly anticipated event! Everyone had a lot of fun on this very special day. If any of our readers haven’t experienced The Long Island Pride Parade I highly recommend attending next year. The day starts with a family friendly parade down Main Street in Huntington. You hear cheers coming from the crowd lined up on the street and a lot of chants from the marchers. There are smiles and rainbow flags everywhere as we all come together to celebrate the LGBT community. The parade ends in Hecksher Park where a festival is held. At the festival you will find many LGBT organizations at tables sharing their resources. And of course there is plenty of food and entertainment. I am proud to say that our participants have a lot of talent, and this showed at the festival when they performed on the stage. Up first we had Lorenzo singing a top R&B hit. Next we had Britney and Mary singing “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent. Then last but definitely not least we had The Princess Minaj Hatter Project with a well choreographed dance! Our kids did a great job up there and the crowd loves them. As the day rolled to an end you could feel the energy of Pride in the park. When you take the walk out of the park you have the opportunity to see a timeline tour consisting of pictures from Long Island Pride each year before. I always like to take a few minutes there to remember how different things were 15 years ago. We fought many struggles and hardships just to have one day a year we could be out and proud. But we have come a long way and today we don’t run into these issues as much anymore. Thank you to all who came to march with us, all that came as supporters and everyone who was there celebrating our pride with us. This huge amount of support from the community really does help our kids in more ways than I can say.

Long Island Pride Parade 2010 is right around the corner!

2010-06-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

We are very excited for this year’s Long Island Pride Parade. This year marks the parade’s 20th anniversary. We have over 100 kids marching with us, and we are extending an invitation to Pride for Youth’s supporters to join our contingent as well. This Friday night at the Coffeehouse we are lucky to have Sandy Faison and Steve Henaghan come speak to the kids about Long Island Pride. Sandy is the Director and Executive Treasurer of the Long Island Pride Parade. Steve was one of the founders of the Pride Parade in 1990. He will speak to the kids about the issues they faced when they first started Pride and how it has evolved today. I hope you all can attend Long Island Pride this year. Please come visit our table in the park at the end of the parade. You can meet some of our staff and peer educators and check out our Pride merchandise. For a suggested donation of $20 you will receive your choice of a hat or a t-shirt. For a suggested donation of $30 you will receive both. Money raised helps us continue the valuable work we do in our community. We can’t wait to see you all there! For directions/map to the Parade gathering spot in Huntington, check out: http://www.liprideparade.com/

Pride for Youth’s Annual Drag Show by Jill

2010-06-01T10:42:00.001-07:00

Throughout Coffeehouse history our annual drag show is always our biggest event of the year. Our show this year proved no different. Many of our participants dressed to impress, and there were a variety of memorable performances. The lovely MC Princess hosted the night. Aria performed “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid, and Macy J. performed “I Took The Night.” We even had our own Lady Gaga who danced to a medley of the pop diva’s hits. We can’t leave out our amazing Drag Kings. Mike, Tory and Lawrence sang “Somebody To Love” by Queen. Then, Mike and Tory were back on the stage again doing “Love Addict” by Family Force 5. We were also quite lucky to see Brian McD perform the classic hit “Back At One”. Ending the show we had a fabulous performance from Princess and our new super star Andromida Moon. Finally Princess showed off her belly dancing skills to the song “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire. Pride for Youth is proud to host this show each year. In my opinion the best part is that young people put everything together themselves and have the satisfaction of calling it their own and enjoying the success of their efforts.

PFY Awarded Five-Year HIV/STI Prevention Grant

2010-05-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

PFY is proud to announce that it is the recipient of a five-year grant from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) AIDS Institute to address the continuing and emerging HIV/STI needs of LGBT young people in Nassau County. Funds will expand PFY’s peer education program, replicate the national model Mpowerment Project and create a Youth/Adult-Led Consortium on Adolescent Sexual Health. PFY's HIV-related services, supported by NYSDOH since 1995, have been a core part of its operations for many years. State policy requires that all contracts go out for a competitive re-bidding process avery 5 years. The new application represented a new AIDS Institute Initiative titled: “Sexual Health Promotion for Young People Through Youth Leadership and Community Engagement.” The initiative puts a focus on youth-driven services and projects that reach across communities to stimulate structural changes. These new guidelines were a natural fit for PFY according to Long Island Crisis Center’s Associate Executive Director, and former PFY Director, Andy Peters. “Youth involvement has been our philosophy from the start,” says Peters. “We’ve also built a positive profile in the community through our LGBT advocacy and training programs.” NYSDOH chose just 16 organizations statewide to receive funding through the re-solicitation. PFY was one of only two grantees on Long Island. The grant, $193,735 per year for five years, will expand peer educator responsibilities to include presenting comprehensive sexual health education workshops to groups of teens and utilizing Internet technology for outreach and education. PFY will launch the model HIV-prevention program Mpowerment, which fosters healthy behavioral choices and peer support among young gay and bisexual men. In partnership with the Nassau County Youth Board, PFY will mobilize youth and adults in the community within the structure of a Consortium to promote supports and resources that sustain positive LGBT sexual health. The grant begins June 1, 2010.

Come to "Family Night" at PFY!

2010-05-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Are you a family member of a lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) youth? Are you interested in getting more information on how to support LGBT youth in your life? Are you interested in meeting and getting to know other families of LGBT youth? Then Pride for Youth’s “Family Night” is for you!! On Wednesday, May 19, 2010, Pride for Youth (PFY) will hold a “Family Night” from 6-8 PM. This event is open to any family member of an LGBT young person. There will be a presentation from PFY staff regarding PFY services as well as education on the unique challenges faced by LGBT youth. PFY staff will also be available to answer questions and provide support. A representative from Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) will also be present to answer questions and provide information regarding supports available to families. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Pete Carney, Director, at (516) 679-9000 Ext 125 or via email at pcarney@longislandcrisiscenter.org.

Bellmore Patch Covers Kelli's Fundraiser

2010-05-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

Check out this video from our fundraiser at Kelli’s May 1st. Thanks so much to everyone who came out that night. We raised $700 for our summer camp!! http://bellmore.patch.com/articles/showing-support-for-pride-for-youth

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

2010-04-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

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

AMHH Awards Honor PFY and PFY Supporters

2010-04-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

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!!

What's it like as a Community Educator at PFY

2010-04-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

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.

STUDENT THEATRE PRODUCTION TO BENEFIT PRIDE FOR YOUTH

2010-04-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

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.

Inspirational Trip to Albany for Peer Educators

2010-03-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

On Monday March 15th, PFY partnered with Planned Parenthood of Nassau County to take 11 of our peer educators to Albany for an annual Youth Leadership Conference. The conference focused on promoting comprehensive sex-education in New York State schools and was sponsored by Family Planning Advocates (FPA) of New York State. We were 11 of about 300 teens that attended the conference located at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center. The morning started at a very early 5:30am for our peer educators and two dedicated staff members Jill Estes and Galo Cunto. Once we were on the bus, sleepy eyes turned into excited eyes as we neared our states capital! Our kids got the opportunity to participate in advocacy related workshops titled “Know Your Rights”, “Advocacy 101”, “Now What? After high school and beyond” and “Organizing and Social Change”. While we were all eating the wonderful lunch provided to us, we had the opportunity to listen to the Keynote speaker Bianca Laureano. Bianca Laureano is a sexologist, an educator and lifetime activist. Her inspiring personal speech helped open the minds of many of the conference attendees. She spoke about her life as an activist and how it all started with her parents being strong activists. Through her stories, she gave the kids tools to take out in the world for their own activism endeavors. Later in the day the kids also had the opportunity to talk to our states legislators about issues that mean a lot to them and their peers. Such issues included school budget cuts, human and civil rights, and changes they would like to see in their communities. We all learned a lot that day and were very grateful for the opportunity to learn so many valuable skills at the Youth Leadership Conference! We would like to thank Family Planning Advocates of New York State (FPA), Planned Parenthood of Nassau County and all of the amazing speakers that made this day possible. Family Planning Advocates of NYS www.fpaofnys.org

Fundraiser at Kelli's on 3/13!!!

2010-03-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

Our highly anticipated event is finally here! Come on down to Kelli’s Bar and Grille in Bellmore Saturday 3/13 to party for a good cause. All proceeds benefit Pride for Youth and the Long Island Pride Chorus. Open mic night followed by DJ and dancing. Along with our Lady Gaga look-alike contest we will be having raffles, snacks and give-a ways throughout the night!!! Saturday 3/13/2010 8pm-??? 21+ Kelli’s Bar and Grille 2955 Merrick Rd Bellmore, NY 11710-5727  (516) 765-3892 http://www.kellisbar.net/

Grant from Rapoport Foundation Will Support HIV Prevention

2010-03-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to announce that Pride for Youth was awarded $50,000 from the Paul Rapoport Foundation. This one-year grant will support the operating costs of our Young Men’s Program, which provides outreach and HIV education to young gay and bisexual men of color. The Paul Rapoport Foundation has supported Pride for Youth since 1993, and this 2010 grant is its largest financial contribution to date. For more information on the Foundation, visit: http://www.paulrapoportfoundation.org.

Coffeehouse goers hear from faith leaders

2010-02-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

For many young people, coming out as LGBT places them in direct opposition to the religious traditions of their families and communities. Anti-LGBT defamation by religious institutions is an especially painful dimension of homophobia and is often cited as a contributing factor to depression, substance abuse and even suicide. Young people who want to maintain a connection to religion or spirituality contend with a profound question. How do I manage the dual identities of being LGBT and being a person of faith? A February 19th Coffeehouse program sought to provide some answers that question. A panel of faith leaders from LGBT-welcoming institutions addressed the Coffeehouse group to share their experiences coming out and finding a home in a faith community. The speakers included Reverend Laura Tria, an Interfaith Minister, Neil Shults from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, and Reverend Shane Hibbs from the Long Island Community Fellowship. The common thread of the discussion was that these particular faith organizations embrace LGBT youth. In contrast to the view of many high-profile religious leaders, the message was that LGBT youth should be respected, loved and celebrated. Thanks to Laura, Neil and Shane for making this event a memorable and inspirational night!

Come Party at Kelli's

2010-02-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

PFY will be having a fundraiser at Kelli's in Bellmore on March 13th. Come out and enjoy a fun night for a good cause! Click on the image below for a larger version.

PFY Gets a New Director, by Andy Peters

2010-02-18T08:53:00.000-08:00

In January 2010, Pete Carney was promoted to Director of Pride for Youth. Simultaneous to this transition, I took on the position of Long Island Crisis Center’s Associate Executive Director wherein my responsibilities shifted to fund development and administration for all three divisions of the agency. I’m truly delighted to make room for this opportunity for Pete. Pete possess tremendous experience, skill and passion for the cause of LGBT youth. In his two years as Assistant Director, he forged new relationships with schools, enhanced PFY’s professional training program particularly in the area of transgender education, and established partnerships with LGBT business and organizations to broaden PFY’s circle of support. I know that PFY will be in good hands. I spent twelve years directing PFY and four years before that in successive positions starting as a social work intern. I could not have asked for a more rewarding career experience. To work at PFY is to be part of something rare and special. In 1994, I moved from Buffalo to Long Island to attend graduate school and expecting I would find a job in New York City. Instead, I found a home at Long Island Crisis Center and a mission in Pride for Youth, a place that a former co-worker (also a transplant) once called: “The very best place on Long Island.” I won’t be far away from PFY and will continue working hard in the background to sustain and expand its programs. I wish Pete the best of luck with his new position and thank all the young people, colleagues and supporters who made my years as director so gratifying.