Dear Friends,
The New York City Domestic Violence Hotline receives an average of a thousand calls from teenagers every month.
Columbia University’s Center for Youth Violence and Prevention has recently discovered that sexual and dating violence are extremely common among NYC youth. In their study, more than one in six young people reported experiencing sexual violence at some point in their lives.
In a study of urban female adolescents ages 14 to 23 who presented for health services at Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, approximately one in four reported having an unwanted sexual experience in the past year.
Empowering Ourselves is committed to working to reduce the violence among young people in New York City and cities across the nation.
In 2010, we were featured on CNN. We conducted 13 presentations on non-violence and the importance of respect for self and others in 6 cities; with over 700 young people participating in the workshop. And we launched a website, empoweringourselvesnow.com, which streams a 75-minute film version of the workshop. Educators across the country use the website as a resource.
In 2011, Empowering Ourselves is especially focused on combating youth violence. This campaign will begin with “A Rally to Promote Peace and Empower Young People” on June 25, 2011. The rally will take place in Raymond Bush Park, which is located at the corner of Monroe Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard in Brooklyn, NY. The rally will be from 12pm-6pm.
–We have inspirational speakers who will present alternative strategies to violence and conflict-resolution techniques.
–We will showcase musicians and spoken word artists who are dedicated to uplifting young people.
–We will promote music that does not normalize violence or encourage young people to view themselves as “niggas”, “bitches”, and “hos”.
To help make this event a success, we need your financial support.
Please make a donation at:
http://empoweringourselvesnow.com/support.html
or
Empowering Ourselves
℅ Jarrett Mathis
P.O. Box 380043
Brooklyn, NY 11238
People who make a donation of at least $50 will receive a free DVD of the anti-violence rally.
With warm regards,
Jarrett Mathis
Founder, Empowering Ourselves
For more information please visit our website:
empoweringourselvesnow.com
To view the CNN feature click below
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010/10/10/harris.anti.n.word.cnn?iref=allsear
