The Inside Scoop
August 2019
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Thank you for reading Youth Pride, Inc.'s August edition of
The Inside Scoop!
This edition will give you insights into our new schedule, collaborative mentoring project, upcoming feature in Options magazine, and the scoop on our newest board member. You will also read about Roger Williams University and Rhode Island School of Design students and how they gave back to YPI during their days of service.
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YPI will be transitioning from our summer hours back to our school year hours. Drop-In for 14 and older youth will take place Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3-8pm and Thursdays from 3-5pm. Drop-In for 13 and under youth will happen Thursdays from 5-8pm. To see our full calendar of events, check out our website!
We are also excited to announce the expansion of our drop-in program to a fourth day! The plan is to open our space to youth on Fridays from 3-8pm starting in late September. We anticipate this to be a welcomed change from our youth.
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Trans and Gender-Diverse Mentoring Programing
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In partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island, we're excited to host a mentoring program for Transgender and Gender-Diverse youth! Trans and nonbinary youth face unique challenges and we believe having someone who can relate to their situation and help navigate certain problems will provide support and fuel self efficacy.
The program begins in October and there is still space for 8-10 more youth between the ages of 8-14! To refer a “Little”, visit the link below and schedule a call and interview.
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Welcome to the Board, Greg!
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YPI is excited to welcome Gregory Tumolo to our Board of Directors! Greg is senior counsel at Duffy & Sweeney, Ltd. and is the head of their employment law team. While labor and employment law are his specialties, Greg also advocates for fair and nondiscriminatory legislature and public policy initiatives affecting LGBTQ youth. To learn more about Greg, check out YPI's press release.
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Our Upcoming Feature in Options Magazine
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We are thrilled to be featured in the upcoming October edition of Options magazine! Youth, staff and board posed for photos at Ian Travis Barnard Photography's studio. One photo will be selected for the cover while several others will compliment our accompanying article. Keep an eye out for our feature, you don't want to miss it!
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We invite our friends and allies to join us in celebrating our 25th anniversary at our upcoming annual Gala!
Happening Thursday, October 10th at Skyline at Waterplace, guests will
enjoy live music, cash bar, three course plated meal, awards, valet parking, and beautiful views of Providence and the Woonasquatucket River Basin. Guests will also connect with other supporters of YPI, meet staff and board members, and get insight into upcoming events. Sponsorships and individual tickets are available for purchase through the link to the left. All funds raised through this event will directly benefit our programs and services.
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Monthly Spotlight
Roger Williams University and Rhode Island School of Design Incoming Students
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The new school year is underway and the impact is being felt not only by students, but by local community partners as well. Both Roger Williams University (RWU) and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) have their students engage in organized community service projects prior to the first day of classes. These efforts allows students to better connect with, and understand, the organizations in the communities that they will spend their next four years in.
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Volunteering RWU students are a part of the university's Feinstein Community Connections program (FCCP); the program lets incoming first year students choose a community site to volunteer at during one of their orientation days as a way to actualized commitment to service, a core value of the University. Students in RWU's Queer/Trans living learning community requested YPI as their site of choice and volunteered with us for six hours on August 26th (pictured above left).
Similarly, volunteering RISD students are a part of the school's Pre. Orientation Service Experience (POSE) which is sponsored by the RISD Center for Student Involvement. POSE is a four-day intensive community service program where incoming students complete service projects for community partners. RISD believes it is beneficial for students to be aware of, and connected to, the Providence community beyond the "campus bubble". RISD students volunteered at YPI for three hours on August 30th (pictured above right).
So what did the students do during their time at YPI? They helped organize, catalogue, and shelve hundreds of books in our Lending Library. If you have visited YPI before, you have certainly seen our library. It's green walls, window seat, upright piano, three guitars, and shelf-lined walls make it a welcoming and relaxing place for youth to study, read, meet, or participate in other quiet activities. Youth are welcome to borrow books from our library whenever they wish. We have over 1,500 books of various genes.
We would like to extend a heartfelt and sincere thank you to the students who volunteered with us (and other organizations!) this week. They all put in a lot of effort and turned out amazing results. We recently had a large influx in book donations, so their help could not have come at a better time. We would still be swimming in piles of books, if not for them. Thank you RWU and RISD for all of your assistance. We cannot wait for next year's project!
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Taylor Mac Coming to The VETS this September
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FirstWorks and the Brown Arts Initiative will present an abridged performance of
A 24-Decade History of Popular Music o
n Saturday, September 14
at the VETS in Providence.
The half stage-production, half concert explores the social history of the U.S.A along with the current direction society is heading through songs written as far back as 1776 up to the year 2016. According to Taylor Mac, author of
A 24-Decade History
and several other shows, much of the music and storyline comes from distinct marginalized populations whose stories "are often forgotten, dismissed or buried.” Mac further explains the performance; "The whole show is about what are the things that we’re holding onto that aren’t serving us now. What are the things from the past that aren’t serving us in terms of how to live our lives in this present moment and how to dream the culture forward? I use each song to kind of sacrifice something we’re holding onto, whether it’s our understanding that patriarchy should be in charge of things or our fear of being misgendered. We go down the list and just let them go, in a very fun way."
Tickets are starting as low as $29 and can be ordered through the VETS website.
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The Chroma Museum - A Collection of LGBTQ Artistic Renderings
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Have you ever wanted to learn more about lesser known LGBTQ figures? Then The Chroma Museum is exactly the place for you to spend some time! The Chroma Museum is an online collection of hundreds of artistic renderings of historical lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and ally figures throughout history. Most figures featured in the museum lived before the age of the Stonewall Rebellion, a time much more limiting and oppressive to the LGBTQ community, thus offering insight into the political and social climate during the fight for social justice and civil rights.
The museum montage series is titled,
From Nostalgia through Now and Beyond
, and hopes to drive home the message that "where there is hope, there is love". Stephen Mead is the curator of the museum and works tirelessly to locate and credit each artwork's creator/copyright holder.
Above Photo:
Dance Away the Heartache, artist unknown.
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Mission:
Youth Pride, Inc. is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of youth and young adults impacted by sexual orientation and gender identity/expression while working to end the homophobic and transphobic environments in which they live, work and play.
Values:
LEADERSHIP:
YPI is committed to creating the leaders of today. Youth voices drive our process, and we seek to develop the leadership skills necessary both within the organization and outside of it.
AFFIRMATION:
YPI believes all youth must be affirmed for who they are and how they express themselves. We are committed to making that a reality in all of the environments in which young people live.
COMMUNITY:
YPI believes building strong connections is essential to youth success and empowerment. We strive to create a caring, respectful and diverse community of young people and adults.
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Your tax-deductible donation helps YPI continue to do the important work we do in accordance to our mission. Your gift would be directly investing in our state's LGBTQ youth so that they may have a chance to share their gifts and light with the world.
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Our Programs and Services
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Youth Pride, Inc. serves over 700 Rhode Island LGBTQ youth and their straight allies a year through a variety of programs and services.
Our Center, located on Westminster Street in Providence, primarily serve as a drop-in and programming space, and is currently open to youth ages 13 to 23 on Tuesday and Wednesday from 3-8pm and Thursday from 3 to 5. Youth ages 9 to thirteen are welcome at our exclusive 13 and under drop-in time on Thursdays from 5-8 pm. All YPI Center services and activities are free to youth. YPI youth get to attend events, workshops, cultural, educational, social, and wellness activities at YPI and around the state.
Our center is home to a Basic Needs Pantry, open to youth in need of food, clothing, toiletries, and school supplies. We offer one on one counseling with in-house clinicians. Our clinicians facilitate and supervise three peer-support groups.
YPI also offers support to those who work with youth through policy and advocacy, and by providing professional development workshops and technical assistance to service providers and educators.
For more information on getting involved with YPI as a volunteer or if you or someone you know is in need of our services, contact [email protected]
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If you have a story you feel should be included in an upcoming newsletter, email [email protected]
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