The Inside Scoop
September 2019
|
|
Thank you for reading Youth Pride, Inc.'s September edition of
The Inside Scoop!
This edition talks about our upcoming Gala, Dassault Systemes' day of volunteering at YPI, our call for winter coats, and an introduction with our newest interns!
|
|
 |
Last Call for 25th Anniversary Gala Tickets!
|
After only one month of opening ticket sales, we are almost sold out! We have VERy few tickets left, so don't miss your chance to celebrate everything YPI is doing for LGBTQ youth across the state on October 10th at Skyline in Providence. Live music with Hasbro's band
Toys 2 Men
, cash bar, 3-course plated meal, awards, silent auction, valet parking, and beautiful views of Providence are just a few things our guests will enjoy throughout the night. Tickets can be purchased through our website.
|
We would like to take a moment to sincerely thank all of our event sponsors. Their generosity in supporting the Gala means a lot to us, and their sponsorship directly gives back to our youth.
|
Thank you to Amgen, our premier sponsor and Hasbro Toys, our platinum sponsor. Our gratitude also goes out to our gold sponsors: Ageless Innovation,
Amica, BankRI, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Big Brother Big Sisters Rhode Island, Gordon School, IGT, Lisa Carcieri, and Rhode Island Pride. We cannot wait to celebrate with everyone in October!
|
Fall Session of OUTspoken
|
OUTspoken is YPI's leadership program that allows young folks to
develop leadership skills while learning about advocacy, community involvement, and cultural awareness. OUTspoken takes place in our space, twice a week for six weeks. The upcoming fall session will begin in late October, dates to be announced ASAP on our social media pages and website. If this time period does not work for you, YPI also offers OUTspoken in the spring and over the summer.
For more information, email Center Coordinator and OUTspoken Facilitator, Jesus Holguin at [email protected].
|
|
|
|
In the Kitchen with
Dassault Systemes
|
Dassault Systemes is a multinational software company that specializes in 3D design. Employees from the Johnston headquarters participated in a statewide volunteer day of service on September 13th. For the second year in a row, a small group of volunteers spent the morning at YPI preparing a dinner for our youth to eat at a future YPI Wednesday Night Dinner. The menu consisted of chicken sausage, and peppers and onions uptop a bed of rice pilaf. Chocolate chip cookies from scratch were whipped up for dessert.
We enjoyed spending the morning with members from Dassault Systemes and look forward to partnering with them next year! Extra special thank you to Frank Blais for spearheading this effort.
|
Grab Your Coats
and Head to YPI
|
As the cooler weather crepes in, the sweaters and coats come out. As you begin changing out your summer wardrobe for the fall and winter seasons, consider donating the coats you're no longer using to our Basic Needs Pantry.
Youth can access our Basic Needs Pantry on an as needed weekly basis for food, clothes, toiletries, and school supplies. Coats and heavy sweaters are often requested by our youth during the cooler months and your donation of lightly worn, clean jackets would be greatly appreciated.
|
|
|
|
Alex Bettis
Interning Clinician
She/her/hers
Alex is thrilled to join YPI in the summer of 2019 as a clinician for the Thirteen and Under group on Thursday evenings! She is originally from Tennessee (and she still says y'all!), where she received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Vanderbilt University. Alex moved to Los Angeles for her clinical residency at UCLA in June 2017, and then she moved to Providence in July 2018 to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University Medical School. Her clinical training specializes in working with teens who experience depression, anxiety, and self-harming behaviors, and her research interests are how to better understand the way teens regulate their emotions and behaviors to improve our treatments for vulnerable youth. Outside of her time at YPI and Brown, you can find Alex volunteering with Planned Parenthood, lounging at the beach, watching videos of dogs (*hopefully getting one soon!), and going to any and all live music around town.
|
|
Bridget O’Donnell
Bachelor of Social Work Intern
She/Her
Bridget is a junior at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI but is originally from New York. In addition to her BSW course work, she also studies French and speaks it, not to mention having just studied in France for four months from Jan-May 2019. Languages in general really interest her, and she loves learning them. Music also interests Bridget. She plays the violin and has been playing music for ~14 years. Back in New York, she has one dog named Lily who is 11 years old and she misses very much while away at school. Bridget chose YPI for her internship site because she “never had a place like this available to me growing up and I wanted to see what it was all about and the types of services offered. I am really excited to get to know everybody, learn more about what goes on here, and how I can help others.”
|
|
Monthly Spotlight
David Wilson & Family
|
|
The Wilson family experienced the tragic lose of their beloved family member, David Wilson, on September 20 2009. One of YPI's clinicians are close to the family and brought to our attention all the ways the Wilson's are acknowledging the ten year anniversary and giving back to YPI in the process. Kathy Wilson is David's mother, and was kind enough to share the story of David's passing with me, and the world. Below are a few questions I asked Kathy. The link at the bottom will bring you to David's tragic story of how a beautiful life was taken too soon, all because of a senseless workplace
tradition
.
What can you tell us about your family?
We are an incredibly close family who became even closer after David passed away in 2009 at the age of 24. He passed just two months before his older sister gave birth to her first child. David was to become an uncle for the first time. We keep his memory alive and all five grandchildren know who he is, and speak about him often, even though they never met him. We celebrate David's birthday and anniversary of his passing every year.
|
|
What are the upcoming events planned at Harborside? Who will be performing drag?
September 7 of this year we planned a memorial for David's 10 year anniversary. Two local Drag Queens, Viza D. Klein and Jennie Talia both donated their time (and tips we later found out) to our event. We sold over 100 tickets and many many raffle tickets as well.
Who are the beneficiaries?
We raised just over $4,000 total at our event! This money will be split between YPI and East Greenwich Animal Protection League.
|
|
What made you choose YPI?
David was gay and came out to us about two years before he passed. He wrote an essay in a class at URI that told about his childhood and how he would cry in his room as a young boy, wishing he could be "normal". It breaks my heart that he ever felt he wasn't normal. I know Molly Heller personally and when she told me about YPI I wanted to help. I donated all of David's clothes (and there were a lot of those!) about two years ago [to YPI's Basic Needs Pantry].
|
|
Share Your Coming Out Story on MillionRainbows!
|
|
MillionRainbows is the newest online platform where LGTBQ youth can safely share their coming out stories and experiences. Simultaneously, the platform serves as a great source of inspiration for LGBTQ individuals who are not currently out but want to feel inspired for when they do tell their own coming out story, online or in person. Friends, family, and allies are also encouraged to read through the submissions in order to gain more understanding of, and compassion for, the coming out process and all the baggage that can come with it, especially for young people. Ultimately, MillionRainbows wants to highlight the unique challenges LGBTQ youth face every day.
Eric Schwartz, founder of MillionRainbows, is on a mission is to collect one million coming out stories from around the world by the end of 2019. Submit yours today!
|
|
|
|
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.
|
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.
|
|
Our Programs and Services
|
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]
|
|
|
|
If you have a story you feel should be included in an upcoming newsletter, email [email protected]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
