YPC receives $100K because of WCT item

A community member recently donated $100,000 to the Youth Pride Center ( YPC ) after reading a Windy City Times article about an event thrown by youth in early October.

The donation, which was not anonymous, but the name of the individual will be revealed later, is for “specific purposes,” said YPC founder Frank Walker. Walker added that there are many legal restrictions on what the money can and can't be used for. For example, the donation can't be used for personnel or political activities.

According to Walker, the donor said that when he was growing up, he did not have access to anything like YPC, and there weren't any mainstream organizations ( non-clinical ) run by people of color and specifically for youth of color.

Walker said that the money will go toward education incentives, cultural programming and possibly innovative health programming geared toward youth even outside of the center.

Because of the donation, Walker also expects that the youth center will be able to double the number of youth taken on several road trips to LGBT youth centers across the United States.

YPC honors supporters at IIT gala

Wed, 10/31/2007 - 13:41 — Admin

Courtesy Photo
Ill. state Rep. Connie Howard

By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

Youth Pride Center, 637 S. Dearborn, last week celebrated its fourth anniversary with an awards ceremony and performance showcase at Illinois Institute of Technology.

The program for the Oct. 24 event, held at Hermann Hall, 3241 S. Federal St., was emceed by Meggan Green, YPC’s director of development and communications, who spoke on the year’s theme, “Youth at Hope, Not at Risk.”

“So many times we tell our young people that they are ‘at risk’—they’re at risk for not graduating high school, they’re at risk for not getting a good job, they’re at risk for not succeeding generally in life. …(But) there is nothing inherent in these youth that is going to keep them from reaching any and all of these goals,” Green said.

Dance, song and spoken-word performances by YPC youth were alternated with awards presentations.

State Rep. Constance A. “Connie” Howard (D-Chicago), one of the YPC’s most enthusiastic supporters, was among the honorees. She said the news all too often focuses on youths getting into trouble, but her work with YPC has shown her that most youths have potential.

“Rarely do we hear about (young people) who are doing some great things—who are going to school, getting their education, doing great things in the community. I’m so proud that I know so many young people who are in that category,” Howard said.

She earlier this year met with YPC youth to emphasize to them the importance of their participation in the political process, a point she reiterated at last week’s event.

“I want you to be in touch with your own state legislator…and I want you to tell them that you want them to support any kind of legislation that has to do with HIV/AIDS, especially in the African American community,” Howard said.

“We need to keep this momentum going,” she added.

Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, was named YPC’s 2007 Youth Advocate of the Year.

Brown said that she had long been working with young people. “It’s important for us—especially as elected officials—to make sure that we’re reaching out to all of the community. …That’s why I reach out to the gay and lesbian community.”

Other honorees included Let’s Talk, Let’s Test Foundation, Pie Hole Pizza Joint, South Side Help Center, Carlos Estes and RCM Group, Inc.

Windy City Times Article

Black gay youths share their views by Amy Wooten Windy City Times Sunday Oct 19, 2008 Four gay and lesbian youth shared their views on what they consider to be hot topics in hopes of educating the larger community about what it is like growing up young, black and gay on Chicago’s South Side.

Four Youth Pride Center (YPC) members, ranging in age from 17-21, held the event, titled "Our View," at the Lakeview Lutheran Church, 835 W. Addison, on Oct. 9. Modeled after the popular daytime show The View, the youths discussed hot topics, interviewed special guests and invited the audience to discuss issues with them.

The youths-three openly gay men and one lesbian-discussed various issues, such as being out on the city’s South Side, people who are on the down low, the growing numbers of youth on Halsted Street and more. They even discussed the proposal for an LGBTQA-friendly Chicago public high school. Three of the four youths disagreed with the creation of such a school, fearing violent attacks and segregation.

Among the guests invited to join the youth at the table were officer Jose Rios (who serves as the 23rd Police District’s LGBT liaison), Broadway Youth Center Director Joe Hollendoner and YPC founder Frank Walker.

The youths asked Rios about the high number of youth on Halsted Street and the complaints from the area’s business owners and residents.

According to Rios, more youth are flocking to the area than ever before and, as a result, area police are trying to engage the community. Rios told the youth that he doesn’t attribute the area’s higher crime rate to the youth, and understands where LGBTQ kids are coming from.

"I was a Latino gay youth on Halsted, too," Rios told them.

"There are more youth on Halsted than ever," Hollendoner said. "But we can choose to look at that as a problem or an opportunity and be excited about that."

Rios said that the high number of youths is causing tension, because one side claims people are afraid to come out of their homes and businesses are losing money while the other side feels that youth are being unfairly targeted and misunderstood. Rios said that area police have to be certain that they are neither too strict nor too lenient when it comes to youth.

"Some concerns the business owners have are valid," Rios said. "But one group will make it hard for everyone."

The youths interviewed Hollendoner as well, who also spoke about the number of youths flocking to the Lakeview neighborhood.

"There are more youth on Halsted than ever," Hollendoner said. "But we can choose to look at that as a problem or an opportunity and be excited about that."

Both Hollendoner and the youths agreed that Halsted does not have much for LGBTQ youth to do that isn’t provided by social service agencies.

According to a recent survey of Halsted youth at night, Hollendoner said that youths want social spaces and events afforded to young, straight folks that aren’t educational, but are "fun and sexy."

Several of the youths on the panel, as well as the audience, noted that there are youths who do not feel comfortable going to the Center on Halsted for its youth services, and prefer to go to other organizations that they feel better speak to them and their needs. Many expressed a desire for more option