Community Compass is a service of OITM. GLBT organizations from around the state are invited to provide brief — 200 words or less — descriptions of recent or upcoming activities and events. Send your submissions to us by email by the 15th of the month.
Outright Vermont’s Very Exciting Month
Outright Vermont has a month full of eclectic activities planned for September! All youth ages 22 and under are invited to attend the following events.
Alternating Mondays: Womyn’s Social/Support Group and Trans Group from 6:30p-8pm. Wednesday nights: Drop-In – come learn something new or just have some fun. Upcoming Drop-in events for September: we’ll be heading to the last VT Expo game of the season, seeing a very funny movie, having a Peer Outreach Worker meeting and some fun thoughts on the new hip cartoon Spongebob Squarepants.
The VT CARES AIDS walk hits Burlington the last Thursday of the month. Join the Outright Team to walk and show your support.
Friday Nights you can always find the Youth Activist meeting happening from 5:30-6:45pm, followed by the longest running activity at Outright: Friday Night Group. Come by from 7-8:30 pm and meet lots of queer youth from around the state, check in and find out what is going on.
The first Saturday of the month we are putting on our comfy shoes and hiking Mt. Philo. Finally, Sunday Sept. 15th slam poet Alix Olson comes to town and she’s stopping by Outright in the afternoon, 2pm-4pm to lead a poetry workshop for youth.
For more details, specific dates, times, or to get on our mailing list: contact us at Outright VT at 1-800-GLB-CHAT or 802-865-9677. Check us out online at www.outright.org
R.U.1.2? Launches Popular Education Initiative This Fall
R.U.1.2? will begin a new program that offers a series of workshops and seminars covering a variety of issues faced by the queer community. The “Popular Education and Life Skills Series ” will pick up on R.U.1.2?’s past success with the Summer and Winter Semester initiatives. Those programs invited community members and agencies to teach 6-week long courses on everything from public speaking and economics to yoga and LGBT-storytelling.
Mike Bensel, an R.U.1.2? Board member, called the Popular Education series “an amazing opportunity for R.U.1.2? to expand upon its social programming and offer practical and fun programs with tangible benefits.”
Like the Summer and Winter Semesters, this series will offer participants personal and professional contacts with the center as well as other queer-friendly agencies and individuals.
The Popular Education Series may include seminars like: How to fix your own car/bike, Buying your own home, Family planning, and interview/resume skills. R.U.1.2?’s new AmeriCorps VISTA position, made possible by Burlington’s Community Economic Development Office will help extend the Popular Education series to a wide and diverse audience, including the low-income LGBTIQA community.
“We want to make sure it’s a community-driven effort,” Bensel said. “Right off the bat we want the community’s input and communication.”
In the past, R.U.1.2? board members have used direct surveys and participant comments to assess the community’s needs. A lot of the feedback from the last educational series explained how committing to a six-week semester often put a strain on people ’s volunteer, family and work schedules. The new Popular Education series responds by incorporating the same quality, intentional programming in one-time monthly seminars, trainings and interactive panel discussions. This program is a way for R.U.1.2? to respond to and anticipate community needs.
If you have ideas about popular education activities that you think R.U.1.2? should pursue, email khristian@ru12.org or call 802-860-RU12 (7812)
PS: Check the Calendar (or our ad!) for info on our benefit performance of “The Life and Art of Isadora Duncan” with Lori Belilove and Peter Kurth at FlynnSpace.
Shape Pride at the Pride Vermont Annual Meeting
Tuesday, September 10 is the Pride VT Annual Community Meeting. Any and all are invited to attend and give feedback about the June events as well as learn more about what the Pride committee does in those other months of the year. We will be presenting our achievements from this past year and looking to set goals for the upcoming one. Elections for Executive positions will also be taking place. The meeting is at the McClure Multi-Generational Center, 241 N. Winooski Ave, Burlington and will start promptly at 7pm and go until 9pm. Refreshments will also be provided. For more information about Pride VT, please call Brian at 859-9238 or Kenny at 288-1588.
Vermont CARES Steps Out
Vermont CARES annual AIDS Walk Vermont takes place on September 26, 2002. Register at the top of Church Street in the grounds of the Unitarian Church at 5pm – the walk begins at 6pm. Call 800-649-2437 or register online at www.vtcares.org/aidswalk.htm
The money raised in Vermont stays in Vermont to support people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS. Our prevention activities have connected many folks in the LGBTQI community to critical community resources. The dollars raised at AIDS Walk Vermont help to support these essential services.
You've read the papers. You've seen the TV. You know the score. Take the Next Step!
AIDS Walk Vermont.
MPM Needs Volunteers, Has Entertainment Books for Fundraising
Each month, Mountain Pride Media (MPM) acknowledges the individuals who help get Out in the Mountains (OITM) out into the community by attending the monthly “stuffing.” Thanks to Tania, Roland, Dustin, Judy, Daryl, Elizabeth, Marsha, Dan, Rick, Stephen, Denny, and Richard. The September "Stuffing" (October Issue) will be on Thursday, September 26th starting at 5:00 p.m. at our office, above The Daily Bread, in Richmond, Vermont. Please feel free to stop by, say hello and help out.
We are also looking for new distribution volunteers. We currently have routes open in Bennington and Springfield (VT) as well as Keene, Lebanon, and Hanover in New Hampshire. Distribution Routes take an hour or less a month to complete. This is a great way to help keep Out in the Mountains out in the community. If you are interested in becoming a distribution volunteer please contact us at circulation@mountainpridemedia.org or call us at 802-434-6486.
Mountain Pride Media is seeking Board and Committee Members. These are longer term positions without which we could not publish. On the paid front, we’re looking for Ad Sales representatives, who sell ads part-time to businesses and make a small commission while helping to support our community’s newspaper and make sure it continues to grow in quality. If you have skills that would be beneficial to Mountain Pride Media and Out in the Mountains or if you just want to get more involved, please contact us at mpm@mountainpridemedia.org. We would love to meet with you.
Mountain Pride Media is excited to be offering Entertainment Books for sale again this year. A portion of each sale is donated back to Mountain Pride Media. These books make great gifts with 2-for-1 offers and discount coupons for up to 50% off from a wide range of local and national restaurants, hotels, resorts, entertainment venues, and other merchants. The Vermont Edition sells for $30 and can be picked up from our Richmond Office or a board member. You can also order online through our website (www.mountainpridemedia.org), just look for the Entertainment Book banner ad. Don't forget your out-of-state family and friends: there are over 150 fifty editions available!
SafeSpace Now Includes Incident Documentation
SafeSpace is an LGBTQQ anti-violence organization that supports queer victims of hate crimes, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Our organization strongly believes that a vast majority of the attacks against and within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning community are never reported. Even if victims and/or witnesses don’t report incidents of violence and discrimination to the police, it is important that they report these incidents to SafeSpace – these reports underlie our organization’s advocacy work and help us to define the problems and develop appropriate responses.
In addition to incident documentation SafeSpace also provides the following services to LGBTQQ survivors of violence. All of our services are free and confidential.
SafeSpace Support Line – Victim advocates are available to answer your call from 10-6, Monday through Friday. We provide emotional support, referrals, and advocacy to LGBTQQ survivors of violence.
Direct Advocacy – Victim advocates are available to accompany you to court, the hospital, the police, or other agencies and to assist you in obtaining the services you need.
One-on-one Support – Victim advocates provide one-on-one support which may include safety planning, education, referrals, as well as emotional support.
Support Group – SafeSpace offers a support group to give survivors a place to tell their stories, share information, and offer and receive support. These groups are offered periodically and usually run for 12 consecutive weeks.
Education and Outreach Programs – We provide informational programs for the purpose of educating people about violence in the LGBTQQ community.
If you want to learn more about SafeSpace programs and services please call Kara DeLeonardis, MSW, SafeSpace Executive Director, or Mike Bensel or Martha Dyson, Advocates, @ 863-0003 (V/TTY), 866-869-7341 (toll-free), e-mail Info@SafeSpaceVT.org, fax 863-0004, P.O. Box 158, Burlington, VT 05402.