Date: Fri, 28 Jan 1994 04:54:31 -0500 From: jwalsh@wilkes1.wilkes.edu (jeff walsh) Subject: National Coalition on GLB Youth Information Please place this in the youth folder in the QRD. Thanks. ----- WELCOME TO THE COALITION The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth (The Coalition) is a new organization of groups and individuals formed to serve the needs of these young men and women. Our goal is to help them to become happy, successful, confident and vital gay and lesbian adults by providing them with the information, resources and support necessary to do so. We focus on effecting change at a grass-roots level, through effective use of modern, mass communications to reach the largest audience, and to provide coordination and organization for the movemenbt as a whole. The Nineties, more than any decade previously, finally seem to hold the promise of integration for gay men and lesbians into the broader community. And with this confluence of changing attitudes, newly-won political power and evolving sense of community responsibility, a new set of priorities will be recognized, foremost of which must be our youth. Now is the time to take on an increased level of responsibility in assisting our younger counterparts -- gay, lesbian, bisexual and questioning youth -- on their journey of self-realization, self-acceptance and coming out. CONTACTING THE COALITION The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth (The Coalition) is a non-profit organizaton and relies on the gernerosity of those who care about the well-being of young gay men and lesbians to fund our programs. All of our projects are the work of volunteers who are graciously donating their professional expertise. If you would like to make a difference in the life of a young gay man or lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning youth, we welcome and appreciate your interest and assistance. You can contact The Coalition at: The Coalition PO Box 24589 San Jose, CA 95154-4589 phone: 408-269-6125 fax: 408-269-5328 ----------- MEDIA PLACEMENT PROJECT/AFFILIATED AUTHORS PROGRAM The Media Placement Project is an initiative of the National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth [The Coalition] intended to educate on issues relevant to young gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and questioning youth. - First and foremost, it is designed to get information into the hands of teens trying to come to terms with their sexual orientation and identity, during a period when they typically have few places to turn. - Second, to educate the general public to foster a safe environment more conducive and supportive to the "coming-out" process. The Coalition solicits articles from qualified authors for placement in suitable publications. - Articles aimed at gay and lesbian youth will be targeted for placement in publications which these youth are most likely to read, including school newspapers, local newspapers and teen-oriented magazines. - Articles intended to educate the general public will be placed in appropriate national publications. If you are a writer who is interested in making a difference in the life of a young gay man or lesbian we would like to hear from you. We especially encourage contributions from gay and lesbian youth and are actively working to build a base of young writers who can be the voice of their gay generation. The Affiliated Authors Program is the Coalition's primary resource to obtain articles and we hope to provide an outlet for gay and lesbian writers. Works of Fiction When it comes to positive stories featuring gay youth, one quickly realizes that there is a dramatic shortage of such work available. Our goal is to foster the growth of fiction about and for gay youth. We have a particular editorial leaning towards stories that help teens build self-esteem and feel good about being gay, countering the negative impressions they have received throughout their lives. This is by no means to say that we are only looking for stories with happy endings, but rather just that we see a need for more work of a positive nature. - Stories of general nature where the protagonist "just happens" to be gay, and that element is worked into the story. - Coming-out stories where the main characters are gay youth - Stories of teen romance, with the romantic interest and involvement featuring individuals of the same sex. - Fictional accounts of episodes in the lives of gay/lesbian figures of historical interest. Editorial Information Due to the unique nature of our readership and subject matter, we would appreciate if you would keep the following points in mind as you write material for use by The Coalition: - When writing to gay or heterosexual youth, you should consider yourself to be addressing young men and women 13 - 24 years in age. Otherwise, consider your audience to be the same individuals that would read a local newspaper, Time or People magazine. - These articles will often be placed in school newspapers or in general circulation periodicals. Therefore, we must maintain the same standards of editorial discretion that they do, and ask that you keep this in mind with regards to phrasing and situations. - The Coalition encourages all gay men and lesbians to come out when the time is right for them. We ask that you keep individual's needs and desires for privacy in mind, and do not wish to provide a vehicle for "outing" persons who wish to remain otherwise. And minors should always be referred to by their first name only, unless their complete name is central to the article, they are the author or they explicitly authorize such identification. - Articles can be submitted in a variety of formats, although we prefer that they arrive on or via electronic media. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP If you are interested in making a difference in some young man or woman's life, we would love to hear from you! To join the Affiliated Authors Program, contact The Coalition at: The Coalition/Affiliated Authors Program PO Box 24589 San Jose, CA 95154-4589 phone: 408/269-6125 fax: 408/269-5328 You can also reach us through e-mail on America On-Line at NCGLBY, or on the Internet at ncglby@aol.com. ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION The Coalition works first and foremost to defend the freedoms of gay youth, by identifying, promoting and advocating for their needs. We work to ensure that their voice is heard in a public forum and that they no longer remain an invisible minority. Our activities in this area include the following: Media Placement Project: An Affiliated Authors Program enlists the assistance of gay and lesbian writers to author articles on issues affecting gay youth. These articles are placed in a variety of local and national publications to reach gay youth, as well as the community at large. We are also working to foster the development of young gay and lesbian writers who can be the voice of their generation. Speakers Bureau: The Coalition will soon offer a referral service to provide access to individuals knowledgeable on the issues affecting gay youth, for appearance in forums of public discussion such as talk shows, news programs and local publications. Presentation Toolkit Project: The Coalition plans to offer a "how to" toolkit for local gay service organizations to host presentations to high-school and college groups to inform them on the issues of growing up as a gay or lesbian teen. INFORMATION AND ORGANIZATION The Coalition believes that it is essential that gay and lesbian youth have access to the resources necessary to make better, more-informed choices for themselves. We focus on a grass-roots approach, helping local organizations better serve their clients, in order to reach the greatest number of people. Gay & Lesbian Youth Resource Database: This compilation of national resources is intended to provide ready access for gay and lesbian youth to local service organizations. We will offer this information in a variety of formats including print, CD-ROM and on-line access through electronic information networks. Magazines for Gay Youth: The Coalition fosters the development of newsletters and magazines for gay youth through financial sponsorship, marketing assistance and business guidance. Our first project has been to provide seed capital to a new Washington, DC-based publication titled YOUTH Magazine. The Coalition Forum: An electronic on-line forum is being designed to serve two key purposes. First, to provide an anonymous means of access to all of our information for gay youth with access to computers. And second, to provide a means of sharing and disseminating information, ideas and tools among the organizations serving gay youth. OUTREACH AND SUPPORT The vast majority of gay and lesbian youth are today in the closet, although record numbers are beginning to make the choice to come out to their friends and family. In order to help more of these young men and women come to the individual choice that is right for them, The Coalition develops and distributes standardized tools for use in local outreach activities. Gay Youth Organization Starter Kit: The Coalition is developing a starter kit which will be provided at no cost to students organizing gay/lesbian youth groups in their schools. Plans are to include a "how to" guide for establishing and running such a group. A library of materials will also be included to provide broader access to information on growing up as a young gay or lesbian. Resource Connection Project: A portfolio of designs for campus newspaper advertisements and posters will be produced, with financial support for printing and placement, if necessary, to facilitate the awareness of support organizations for gay youth-school groups, community centers and P-FLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbians And Gays) contacts. Role Model Project: The Coalition plans to sponsor production of videos and articles on growing up gay successfully. Designed primarily to provide a positive self-image and sense of identity to gay and lesbian youth, they will also serve to inform and educate the general public. ------- Thank you for your interest in the Coalition.