Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Empowerment Through Adversity"

Empowerment Through Adversity

"With effort we can accomplish anything" 

Please join me today on Google+ Hangout for #APYDCON "Empowerment Through Adversity," accessing and sharing tools to empower Youth. 3:15PM EST / 12:15PM PST

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Best Practices For Youth Conference"

2012 Best Practices For Youth Conference

August 6 - 10, 2012

I'm excited to be presenting at the 2012 Best Practices for Youth Conference - a Unique Online Event August 6 - 10, 2012. 

My Workshop EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ADVERSITY is Wednesday August 8th at 3:15PM EST/12:15 PST.  I hope you will join us as the event is OPEN to the public and will stream live through YouTube as a Google+Hangout on Air! 

Register or Learn More at - http://apydconference.sisgigroup.org 

Or you can  go directly to: http://apydconference.sisgigroup.org/conference/live-stream

to find out more about my workshop -

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ADVERSITY. 

Feeling empowered to partake in the entire conference. 

Save time and a few bucks by clicking this link to register:

http://apydconference.eventbrite.com/?discount=Cornelius

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ADVERSITY - What issues have you faced in your life that may have disempowered you?  How are you handling the situation?  What options and/or outlets are there to help access your power to be empowered?  The arts (writing, dance, drawing, photography, acting), Spiritual and meditative practices, health and fitness, education tools. How do we use and access the tools to empower the younger generation?  Join Cornelius Jones Jr. in a conversation about strategies to empower and support youth through adversity. Share your stories for the discussion by emailing youthconference@sisgigroup.org Subject - Empowerment through Adversity. You can also tweet your ideas, questions or suggestions at #APYDConEmpower @ideas4youth or @CorneliusJonesJ. All issues on adversity are welcome.  This conversation on Google+ is open to all ages.

Conference Mission

The Alliance for Positive Youth Development provides valuable training and professional development for youth development professionals in an effort to improve and increase the positive outcomes on issues impacting young people. The Best Practices Conference promotes innovative and dynamic ideas from around the country on the future of youth development, engagement and leadership including the role of technology and its impact, and strategic approaches to the most pressing issues facing young people.

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Alliance for Positive Youth Development"

The Alliance for Positive Youth Development

APYD

Good morning A.A+W and FUTURE readers. In today's social world, I would say that the Youth is our main priority. As the world continues to grow and we continue to age, the younger generation need the tools and support to sustain our economy, our cultures, communities, and our wellness. I recently became an Advisory board of member of The Alliance for Positive Youth Development due to my commitment around issues that impact Youth who are LGBT identified, Youth who struggle with bullying, and young aspiring artists.

The Alliance for Positive Youth Development, a SISGI Group initiative, works to increase the positive outcomes for youth in the U.S. Please take a moment to watch this video that shows a visual of what the APYD does. Learn more about how you can get involved in moving the needle on youth development at:

http://sisgigroup.org/apyd

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Loving to Death"...NotEnoughGood.com

Loving to Death

by

Thenera Bailey

President, The SISGI GROUP and Founder, NOTENOUGHGOOD.COM

David Kato was probably murdered because of how he loved. That was his only crime. Not because he treated people badly. Not because he stole or created terrorism. His murder probably occurred because he was an openly gay man and an outspoken advocate for gay rights in his country. He was bludgeoned to death on January 26, 2011 just a few weeks after winning a court injunction against the magazine that called for the death of many of Uganda’s gay citizens.

At his funeral, rather than sharing remarks about the loss of a beautiful person or the ways that David’s life touched and empowered others, Regardless of how you might feel about someone in life it seems unforgiveable to speak badly about him or her while acknowledging his or her passing. It seems an extreme and cruel action when the individual is not alive to neither defend nor address your actions. But somehow it has become a popular method at the burials of LGBT citizens around the world. Here in the US, a religious group actively seeks out funerals of LGBT citizens as a way to spread their beliefs against homosexuality. It seems so counter to the messages of love and respect for your neighbors that are throughout Christian scripture.

Over the weekend, I watched a 2009 Lifetime movie called Prayers for Bobby. Sigourney Weaver played Mary Griffith, a devoutly Christian women who’s son was gay and eventually killed himself, in part because his close knit and religious family indicated their disgust for his actions and pushed for him to change. Unable to change as they requested, even after therapy, prayers and a consistent desire, he took his life by jumping off a bridge into oncoming traffic. Mary Griffith struggled with his death and her understanding of scripture and allowed the minister at his funeral to speak negatively of her child and his lifestyle. Eventually Mary comes to understand how wrong she was and becomes a strong advocate for gay rights. Unfortunately, she had to lose her son to get to this place of understanding.

In Uganda, living as a homosexual can bring you a sentence of life in prison. In many other places it can lead to capital punishment, torture or exile. For those involved in human rights and for individuals who are working for social change, we must continue to understand these types of larger social policies around the world. Most importantly, we must continue to question the harshness of laws around the world.

If this were an issue of individuals of different races loving each other, one might be quick to state how wrong it is to stop people from loving one another. It has become a societal norm for the most part in the U.S. to not make issue of interracial relationships. It was only a fewdecades ago where these same relationships would have been illegal. At the time, bible verses about separation were also used as reasons against race mixing and individuals that went against this societal norm faced persecution. Today, that type of thinking seems almost comical and represents a sad moment in our country’s history. We learned that loving someone of another color is not wrong and does nothing to erode the fabric of the how our society functions. For the sake of more lives, it is hopeful that one day the same will be true for the David Katos and Bobby Griffiths of the world, who love the same gender.

Thank you Thenera for providing this story on A.A+W Wednesday atTheFutureForward.net. To Read this article in its original form and to comment (We invite you to leave a comment and share your thoughts) Log on to:

http://notenoughgood.com/2011/01/loving-to-death/

A.A+W

with Cornelius Jones Jr.

Tune in next Wednesday for more

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness with Cornelius Jones Jr.

Stay connected with me:

www.corneliusjonesjr.com

FaceBook: Cornelius Jones Jr.

Twitter: CorneliusJonesJ

FaceBook Fan Page: FlagBoy Official Fan Page of the Actor

www.theblacktraveler.com

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Artistic Power"...NotEnoughGood.com

ARTISTIC POWER

by Thenera Bailey

President, The SISGI GROUP and Founder, NOTENOUGHGOOD.COM

“Create dangerously, for people who read dangerously. That is what I’ve always thought it meant to be a writer. Writing, knowing in part that no matter how trivial your words may seem, someday, somewhere, someone may risk his or her life to read them.”

~ Edwidge Danticant – Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work

These words are so powerful. I have been a huge fan of Edwidge Danticant since randomly finding her book Breath, Eyes, Memory several years ago. When reading Danticant’s recent work, Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work, she provided me with a new perspective on the power of creative works in the mix of horror, poverty, tyranny, persecution and despair. This book provided several examples of how art and creative outlets can often serve as the only method

of escape or release during times of trial.

Using historic events and the recent earthquake in Haiti as a backdrop, she weaves the personal stories of Haitians, Haitian immigrants and artists along with her own personal account, into a reflective gaze on Haiti. Given the recent return of “Baby Doc” Duvalier to Haiti, many of the tales from his father’s leadership are timely and the work provides an overall glimpse into the many forces that shaped the current situations of this country. With the recent one-year anniversary of the massive earthquake, the book also provides another glimpse into the stories and lives impacted on that day. Highlighting in each chapter the work of immigrant Haitian artists, including Danticant, the reader is left with a stronger belief in the role of art to inform, provide a voice, and to capture life’s greatest and worst

moments.

Though titled the Immigrant Artist at Work, this book rings true to me for any artist that connects awareness building with storytelling. It is also an example of the many ways that artists use their talent as an authentic representation of their culture or personal experience. While reading her story, I thought of other artists who use their talent in this way including the work of my close friend Cornelius Jones Jr. Though not an immigrant, his writing

and plays are as she states, “ a revolt against silence.” He takes on taboo issues that are often never discussed (Homosexuality, Love, Black Gay Affection and Life with a Positive HIV Status) and brings them into the light. Creating a safe place and new perspective for people to see the issues impacting our society. For young people questioning their sexuality and their friends and family, his one-man show Flagboy, provides a conversation starter on the trials and tribulations of coming of age. It is a great platform to support the work of those looking for creative ways to address bullying and LGBT youth. Though often his own personal story, the visual connection to him during a performance allows the audience to better understand what life might be like in his shoes. This task would be nearly impossible in just a conversation, research report, or other works outside a creative form. Like he states, “Medicine is not the only way to find a cure to HIV/AIDS, just as important is finding a method to erase the stigma and save lives.” By using his artistic power, he opens the door for conversation, empathy and love.

For many, the arts might be perceived as fluff to the hard work occurring on issues around the globe. But through reading Danticant’s work one can begin to understand the importance of adding the unique perspective that art brings to some of the world’s greatest challenges. I loved this book so much that this small post does not do it justice, so stay tuned for further discussion.

I would love to hear from others who have read this book. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to buy it. I would love to hear other perspectives in our comments section.

Thank you Thenera for providing this story on A.A+W Wednesday at TheFutureForward.net. To Read this article in its original form and to comment (We invite you to leave a comment and share your thoughts) Log on to: http://notenoughgood.com/2011/01/artistic-power/

A.A+W

with Cornelius Jones Jr.

Tune in next Wednesday for more

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness with Cornelius Jones Jr.

Stay connected with me:

www.corneliusjonesjr.com

FaceBook: Cornelius Jones Jr.

Twitter: CorneliusJonesJ

FaceBook Fan Page: FlagBoy Official Fan Page of the Actor

www.theblacktraveler.com