Nov. 26, 2008
Student Attends NTIC Training in Chicago, IL
Written by Andre Seward
The other day I had the honor and pleasure to attend the National Training and Information Center Leadership Conference in the wonderful city of Chicago, Illinois. The whole conference was pretty cool. In our first meeting or whatever you call it those attending, including myself were treated to a powerful speech about not being “nice” by Shel Trapp. He really engaged the audience and made us think about positions of power, and where we sit it, in our communities and our country. And how sometimes, not being nice is the way to get people in positions of power over you to listen to you. His speech was very informative and helpful. Afterwards we learned a song about not being nice, and that was pretty fun. Then we did a couple of exercises to help us get to know each other better and to introduce ourselves to other people at the conference. This activity was helpful to me, because otherwise I might have kept shy the rest of the conference. Another thing that I enjoyed about the whole conference was how warm everyone was and they made me feel quite welcome. The following days we went through various workshops that improved our leadership skills. The thing that was most beneficial to me in these workshops was how interactive it was. Our interactions and activities basically decided the direction of the conference. Which was really nice, because at some conferences you just sit in chairs and listen to the speaker. Bleh. Also, we got to plan and sort of decide some of what was going to happen at NPA in march. That was really empowering for me. Which reminds me, I got to use the microphone a couple of times during the conference to speak to the crowd attending, which was pretty fun and helped me on my public speaking skills. The structure of the conference was also really nice, we had a lot of breaks which was really quite lovely. Being able to learn things, and interact with everyone and have a position of power was marvelous. I have a very lovely time, and I’m glad I was able to attend and would certainly do it again if I could.
Nov. 25, 2008
Students United writes new chant
Student United, Yo
(Set to the "We Will Rock You" beat - stomp stomp clap)
We don't put up with discrimination!
We all come from the same nation!
Students united, a step above.
We replace HATE with PEACE and LOVE
Come on, Leaers, with all your might!
Students United, let's fight, fight, fight!
Nov. 4 2008
Wallace Scholarship Announced at Wichita State University
Oct 01 2008
SAFE STEP YOUTH FOCUS
Posted by: Danielle
DID YOU KNOW:
Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer (GLBTQ) youth are as much as 5 TIMES more likely to attempt suicide than other young people?
Other statistics show more than 30% of all GLBTQ youth have attempted suicide at least once?
It’s time to take action!! The Safe Step Youth Focus will identify problems and create solutions that improve quality of life for GLBTQ youth in Kansas schools. The Safe Step Youth Focus will be an open forum for discussion, organized and directed by students for students. All concerned students, their friends and family are invited to attend this fact-gathering meeting, which will help us determine future projects to address the needs of GLBTQ youth in Kansas schools. An adult forum will be facilliated concurrently.
Tuesday, October 14
7:00 PM
Rhatigan Student Center
Room 223
on the WSU campus
For more details, directions, or if you are interested in attending but don’t have a ride - call Danielle @ 316.263.7325 or email danielle@hsyd.org!
Sep 23 2008
STUDENTS UNITED SPEAKS OUT AT Board of Education Meeting
Posted by: Danielle
On Monday, September 22nd nearly 50 Students United leaders, community members, supporters, and folks generally interested in discrimination gathered at the USD 259 Board of Education meeting to demand the school district does everything in its power to protect all students from discrimination. Special thanks to all the people who showed up to support the student voice and show solidarity with this issue.
Students United leaders Justin Autrey, Keynon Tucker, and Nicole Cross spoke out at the board meeting with a common message: amend the USD 259 anti-discrimination policy to include actual or perceived sexual orientation as a protected class.
Since several USD 259 board members have refused to meet with students on this issue, students made a special point to say they should be taken seriously about the issues they care about and asked board members to contact Hope Street Youth Development within the next two weeks to schedule a meeting.
One board member has already set a meeting with Students United! We hope that all the board members will realize that now is that time to take action to ensure that all students are safe. (Check back on this site in a couple weeks to find out if the other board members scheduled a meeting with Students United)Kudos to KWCH Channel 12 for taking the time to hear the student concerns and following this issue! Visit the following link to check out the story KWCH did: http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=9055464&nav=menu486_2
As always, feel free to contact Hope Street @ 316.263.7325 if you have any questions or if you are interested in helping support student’s work on the anti-discrimination campaign.
Big Time Opportunity
Posted by: Danielle
Hope Street Youth Development is proud to be an AmeriCorps Service Member service locaton. We are currently accepting applications from AmeriCoprs members.
Member Duties : The role of the AmeriCorps members would be to serve along side HSYD staff in providing trainings and to accompany students in their experience of civic participation and engagement. Specifically, AmeriCorps members would be building relationships with students, connecting students, leading trainings, teaching students how to do research, assisting with weekly chapter meetings at the high schools and encouraging students to take an active role in their community.
Program Benefits :
Education award upon successful completion of service , Health Coverage , Living Allowance , Training .
Terms :
Permits attendance at school during off hours , Requires full time service without outside commitments , Uniforms provided and required .
Service Areas :
Community Outreach , Children/Youth , Education .
Skills :
Community Organization , Education , Leadership , Public Speaking , Teaching/Tutoring , Youth Development
Call Melanie or Danielle @ 316.263.7325 or email melanie@hsyd.org or danielle@hsyd.org if you are interested or if you would like to know more about how to apply to be an AmeriCorps member.