Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Bay Area Youth Summit THIS SATURDAY

The Bay Area Youth Summit (BAYS) is an event hosted by Aragon High’s Gay/Straight Alliance in San Mateo, CA on Saturday, April 23, 2011.
The main topic of this important summit will be about bullies, and the many ways you can effectively stand up to them and make sure your school is a safe one. The organizing committee, mostly comprised of youth, will offer up other important information such as running an effective Gay-Straight Alliance club but the focus will be how you can help perhaps save the life of your friend.


The Bay Area Youth Summit is committed to giving each individual the power to make a difference. Youth come in all different colors from a myriad of backgrounds, and every individual deserves to have a voice. BAYS can provide youth with the driving force needed to overcome challenges they face in their individual communities, whether they be an unsupportive school administration, bullies, or misunderstanding from their peers. Rather than speaking to the LGBTQ youth community as a whole, the Bay Area Youth Summit will serve to empower each unique individual with the tools and knowledge needed to combat their troubles.


While plans are still in the making, the BAYS organizing committee is excited to announce the first two major speakers who are tentatively scheduled to participate.


Cleve Jones is an outspoken AIDS and LGBT and civil rights activist. He conceived the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt that has become the world’s largest piece of community folk art still today.


Jones career as an activist began in San Francisco during the turbulent 1970’s when pioneer gay rights leader Harvey Milk befriended him. He worked as a student intern in Milk’s office while studying political science at San Francisco State. In 1979, Milk was assassinated and Jones to this day carries on his legacy by speaking out about equality and standing up to injustice, including bullying in our schools and in the community.


Joe Wilson is a filmmaker and producer who won numerous awards for his documentaries about social activists on human rights issues. His latest film, Out In Silence, captures a remarkable chain of events that unfold when the announcement of Wilson’s wedding to another man ignites a firestorm of controversy in his small town Pennsylvania hometown.


It was a desperate mother’s pleas for help for her gay teen who was being tormented at school in his hometown that make Wilson go back to the town he grew up in and make the film. His friendship with the gay teen and his mother made him realize that he had to finally stand up to the hate he was running away from, both in his past life and the hatred that still existed for this youth.


Youth and adult allies from within and outside of the Bay Area are encouraged to attend this important conference. Those who attend this summit can expect an afternoon and evening of informative content, lively interaction, and serious discussions relevant to issues facing youth, parents and administration of schools and communities everywhere. There will also be plenty of time for socializing with others and of course – a fabulous and fun dance to close the day!


The summit is scheduled from noon to 8:00pm. Beginning at 8:00pm an optional dinner/dance will conclude the day’s events.


For more information, offer donations, or register as in individual or GSA group, contact BAYS Executive Director and President of Aragon High School GSA, Jason Galisatus at ahs.gsapresident@yahoo.com.

bayareayouthsummit.org

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