The Inside Scoop
May 2019
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Thank you for reading Youth Pride, Inc.'s May edition of
The Inside Scoop!
This edition will fill readers in on YPI's plans for Rhode Island Pride and what community partners are doing to fundraise for us throughout the month. You will also read about our new hires and recent Meet and Eat with Beneficent Church.
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Rhode Island Pride is less than three weeks away! The annual Pridefest and Illuminated Pride Parade is happening Saturday, June 15 on South Water Street in Providence from 12-7pm.
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We encourage our friends and allies to stop by our booth and see what we have to offer! For a suggested donation of $25 you can sport YPI's newest t-shirt (pictured left). Festival goers are also welcome to grab a YPI temporary tattoo, play Match-The-Pride-Flag, pick up a Pride coloring book, get resources, and meet YPI staff, youth, board members, and volunteers!
The Illuminated Pride Parade kicks off at sunset. We will be marching as a group of energetic youth splattered in illuminated body paint. Interested GSAs and youth groups are invited, and encouraged, to march with us! There is no cost, we just want to extend this fun opportunity to as many youth as possible. To register, email [email protected]. All groups will receive their own sign to carry with their name and our logo.
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After weeks of applications and interviews with strong, capable candidates, YPI has officially extended job offers to two applicants. Staff are excited to onboard a new Center Coordinator and a Director of Youth Services starting in June of 2019.
Next month's edition of
The Inside Scoop
will have a comprehensive write up of our new staff members, so keep your eyes peeled!
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YPI welcomed members of Beneficent Church's congregation to a Meet and Eat this month with our youth. Brenda Westberry, Chair of the Justice and Witness Committee for Beneficent, reached out to our organization with the intention of strengthening the connection between YPI and the church. The night was filled with hamburgers, hot dogs, trivia, and great conversation.
Beneficent is a Christian congregation and member of the United Church of Christ (UCC). They pride themselves on being a diverse, open, and affirming community, welcoming people from all backgrounds into their congregation. Brenda, along with other members, hope to see more LGBTQ individuals embraced by religious institutions.
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Who is Giving Back to YPI During Pride Month?
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YPI has received several offers from community partners to collaborate on Pride Month fundraisers and initiatives. We are overwhelmed by the outpour of excitement and creativity demonstrated by these groups. We would like to sincerely thank each and every individual that had a hand in setting up or facilitating these events that are giving back to YPI during the season on Pride. Thank you Dave's Coffee, Ocean State Ghostbusters, JDP Theatre Co., and Rock Spot Climb Lincoln!
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Stop by Dave's Coffee during the month of June and pick up a cup of their exclusive new Big n' Fruity blend only available during Pride month! Made with Ethiopian beans, the aroma and taste have hints of tropical fruit. Dave's will also have Pride Pins and limited edition Big n' Fruity pint glasses for sale. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to YPI!
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Ocean State Ghostbusters will be at McCoy Stadium 6/4/19 during Kids S.T.E.M Day for Charity. Check out their slime lab, a rocket launch, and experiments in between innings. When You purchase your tickets through OSG, proceeds are donated to YPI. Read more about the event and OSG in the below section.
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JDP Theatre Co. will be showing two performances of The Laramie Project on June 21 and 22. at the Assembly Theatre in Harrisville, RI. The production tells the story of
Matthew Shepard, an openly gay 21 year old in the small town of Laramie, Wyoming, who was brutally murdered in 1998. Donation jars made by YPI youth will be at each performance.
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Rock Spot Climbing in Lincoln will be hosting a Pride Climb Night on June 22 s
tarting at 7pm, with blacklight climbing beginning around 8:30pm. A free one month membership will be raffled off and plots of wall space where customers can design their own images using blacklight reactive tape will be available for purchase;3'x3' space for $5 or 7'x7' space for $7. Proceeds will be donated to YPI!
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Monthly Spotlight
Ocean State Ghostbusters
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Ocean State Ghostbusters (OSG) is graciously fundraising on behalf of YPI at McCoy Stadium's Kids S.T.E.M day on June 4th. This event is a chance to encourage kids to learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. There will be fun educational activities and demos for kids to enjoy at the event, as well as science experiments on the field between innings and a rocket launch. OSG will be there for meet and greet, photo-ops, and to host a Slime Lab. When you purchase your tickets through OSG, half will be donated to YPI, you will receive a
$2.00 Free Credit to the ballpark, and will be entered to win an exclusive OSG Pride baseball cap
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After the PawSox fundraiser, OSG will have Pride-inspired iron-on Patches and T-Shirts available to support YPI. T-Shirts will be available all of June through their Teespring store and Patches will be available through message on any of their social media outlets while supplies last.
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Ocean State Ghostbusters is a volunteer, non-profit organization of Ghostbusters fans who uses the large fandom to raise money for local Rhode Island charities. In August 2016
Elise-Noelle and her
husband, Johnny saw the Netflix documentary, G
hostheads,
which explored the movement of charity through Ghostbusters. They were so inspired they sought out the Rhode Island chapter. Upon discovering one has not yet been established, they decided to co-found their own chapter, making them the first ever Ghostbusters Charitable organization in Rhode Island!
OSG currently has ten members and a few aspiring rookies. Their philanthropy work has varied from supporting big organizations to a local family in need.
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When we asked Elise-Noelle why she selected YPI to fundraise for YPI she said, "
Our organization has members, friends, and family in the LGBTQ community who understand the struggles young people face today. How your organization helps, supports, and empowers LGBTQ youth is so important in this age of social media, cyber bullying and adolescent suicide. Kids, teens, and young adults struggle with self-esteem and feel more alone and isolated now. It’s harder for our young people to connect and navigate the world these days. We want to help you continue your amazing work to help these kids in a way we don’t have the resources to, by giving you some monetary support."
OSG has a full calendar of events and are always up to something good. Their most recent event was marching in the Lincoln Memorial Day Parade in which their compensation was donated to
Dare To Dream Ranch
in Foster, RI who helps servicemen, veterans, and their families dealing with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and minor brain injury. You can see their upcoming events on their
Facebook
,
Twitter
, or
Instagram
.
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Drag Queen Story Time - Coming to a Library Near You!
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A newer trend on the rise is Drag Queen Story Hour. It is exactly what it sounds like, Drag Queens conducting storytimes to youth; typically in libraries but not exclusively. In addition to promoting diversity, these
events are meant to be fun and interactive for kids. Crafts and activities are typically scheduled intandam with the storytime. It is truly just like any other activity that would be scheduled for kids to enjoy. The official Drag Queen Story Ho
ur was created by Michelle Tea and RADAR Productions in San Francisco., with their current headquarters in NYC where they "create programming curriculum, produce over a hundred events a year, and provide resources, training, and support to build our growing network of DQSH chapters all over the
world".
Drag Queen Story Hours have happened all over the country, and New England is no exception. Fall River Public Library will be hosting their first Drag Queen Storytime on June 1! In collaboration with Fall River Pride, the library has invited Miss Naomi Chomsky, a RI health care worker and political activist who began dressing in drag three years ago, for an afternoon of fun.
Chomsky will be reading
Julian is a Mermaid
by Jessica Love and
Red: A Crayon’s Story
by Michael Hall. After story time, children are invited to participate in a crown craft activity. Chomsky will lead the activity and also be available for photos. Children are invited to wear their favorite dress-up clothes.
Storytime will begin at 11am on Saturday, June 1 at the Fall River Public Library located at 104 North Main St.
While these events are exciting and interested to many, not everyone thinks they are appropriate. Christian groups have protested these story times around the state, including at the Fall River Library. While they did not success there, they did succeed at canceling a scheduled storytime at the Rogers Free Library in Bristol and are currently protesting at the Russell Library in Middletown, RI. While the June 2nd Drag Queen Storytime is still advertised on facebook, it is not on the Russell Library website calendar.
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Taiwan Becomes First Country in Asia to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
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Taiwan has become the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. The law took effect Friday, May 24, 2019 under president Tsai Ing-wen.
The fight for legalization began in 2017 when Taiwan's Constitutional Court ruled the existing marriage law, which states marriage was only legal between a man and a woman, unconstitutional. The court granted Taiwan's parliament two years to either change the law or enact new laws. With the support and backing of president Tsai Ing-wen, who was elected in 2016 and the first presidential candidate to openly approve of same-sex marriage, parliament went above and beyond with the legalities.
LGBTQ activists are pushing for more inclusive rights all around the world, not just in Asia. Check out the rally of activists in
Northern Ireland
, the only region of the United Kingdom without legal same-sex marriage. Or read up on the government in
Brunei
, a sovereign state on the island of Borneo, and their retracted punishments for same-sex relations.
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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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