Monthly Archives: March 2016

Education, LGBTQ

Fusion: Need for LGBTQ Inclusive Sex Ed in Del Norte’s Schools

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CRESCENT CITY, CA– Growing up queer in a remote Northern California town of just 7,500 people, I experienced firsthand how a rural school can fail to meet the needs of LGBTQ students. It’s a failure with dire consequences.

I experienced abuse in a relationship for the first time at age 13, in part because I lacked any knowledge of what it means to consent. And without healthy queer relationships to model, I presumed my partner’s manipulations were normal. Suffering abuse, dealing with intolerance in my community and lacking any institutional support to speak of, I developed some unhealthy coping mechanisms: I was self-medicating by age 14, and self-harming at 15. At the time, I hated myself and was feeling ashamed. In an attempt to leave Del Norte, I had my first experience in sex work at 16, with a man three times my age.

Sadly, this ripple effect is not altogether uncommon among LGBTQ youth, especially for those of us living in geographically and culturally isolated areas. When we don’t see ourselves reflected in the world around us, when we are systematically marginalized and when our very identities are painted as deviant, we can become that self-fulfilling prophecy.

California took a positive step toward addressing the problem with the passage of AB 329, otherwise known as the California Healthy Youth Act, late last year. The bill expanded on existing law to ensure that students will receive “comprehensive” sex education, including “affirmative” examples of same-sex relationships and education about gender identity.

But how will it actually play out in the classroom? If taken seriously and applied thoughtfully, the new law could make a huge difference in the lives of queer youth, especially those living in rural communities. So, I went to my local high school, Del Norte High, to ask queer students: What would you like to see covered in your new, “comprehensive” sex-ed classes?

Read the rest of the article here: http://fusion.net/story/284851/queer-lgbtq-sexed-ab329/

To read more about writer, Jacob Patterson and her Rise Up; Be Heard! Fellowship with Fusion, check out our article here: http://www.redwoodvoice.com/local-youth-journalist-selected-for-fusion-fellowship/

Community News

Local Youth Grant $11,000

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On Friday evening, youth leaders granted $11,000 to 14 organizations in Del Norte and Tribal Lands in collaboration with Building Healthy Communities. Manuel Saavedra, age 20, says the grant-making process was an opportunity for them to experience having the decision-making power. “It usually feels unattainable,” Saavedra says, “You often hear people say ‘If only I could change this.’ This opportunity let us get behind the steering wheel and get to choose what work we want to see create those changes in our community.” While Saavedra says the responsibility was intimidating, it was also exciting, and he saw his team grow as leaders. “Sometimes, I would take a step back and just watch everyone. It made me really proud seeing everyone step up to that leadership role.”

The youth leaders forming the Youth Philanthropy team, Manuel Saavedra, Steven Williams, Tyler Harrison, Teng Lee, Alex Fallman, Ryan Wait, and Chris McDonald, started work in November of 2015, and dedicated countless hours of volunteer work to manage the grant-making process from start to finish. The group learned a lot from the process, and further developed as leaders.

Michelle Carrillo, Youth Program Manager with Building Healthy Communities, says she also saw the youth “develop a deep respect and appreciation for people’s time and a higher level of care for what people in the community are trying to do.” The group received 21 grant applications, and unfortunately, had to decide what projects to partially fund and what applications to turn down. “It was so hard to say no to any of them,” says Carrillo, “All of the applications were great, and many of them were actually submitted by youth who had never written grants before, and that was exciting.”

Richard Myers with the Golden Eagle Freestyle Wrestling Club, received a grant for his youth wrestling group located in Weitchpec that currently has 19 youth attending and “one and a half well-used mats.” Additionally, the Tribe recently declared a state of emergency in Weitchpec due to the alarming rates of suicide, occurring within weeks of each other. “There was a call-out for male mentors to help our youth,” he says. “And I wondered what youth are doing for themselves to release stress and excess energy. Wrestling changed my life, and I knew I could use it to help. There were a lot of youth who wanted to wrestle, but had no transportation to get to classes that were a two hour drive away.”

“The grant won’t just be for wrestling,” Myers adds “It will be used to bring in more physical activity opportunities to our underserved community. I am very grateful for what Building Healthy Communities is doing.”

Carrillo summarizes, “I have a sincere appreciation for how much time the youth leaders put into this. It just shows how much they care about this community. They are not the leaders of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today.”

Photo Credit: Nancy Raskauskas-Coons