The Last Few Weeks Have Been Quite Busy!
Updates from District 202 as we move forward!
The last few weeks have been quite busy as you can imagine. The first letter generated a lot of good feedback especially over the Pride Weekend, but also some confusion.
Let me be clear: District 202 is not shutting down. We are simply entering what we call our “cocooning phase” to refocus how we connect with GLBT youth and the programs we offer. We’re not closing; we’re simply retooling.
I did a lot of thinking about this 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in the last few weeks. I was surprised to learn that the group the police tried to round up was not a bunch of gay men—it was a mix that included mostly drag queens, street hustlers and especially youth.
Those who were most marginalized within the GLBT community ended up inspiring the rest into action.
Perceptions of youth today often parallel those in 1969. When we think of who leads our GLBT community, how many of us often overlook the youth within our community? A few days after realizing this, I ran across a Harry Potter book as we were packing up to leave the building. Someone had dog-eared and bookmarked a page that had this one highlighted sentence:
I was very guilty of this when I first joined District 202’s board of directors. With time, my underestimation of our youth turned into an appreciation of their capabilities, especially when mentored. Recently, we updated our mission, vision and values—a task that few adults enjoy. What normally would take weeks if not months for a group of adults to complete took a group of seven empowered youth less than 90 minutes with very little foster from the two adults in the room.
We aim to create more examples like this in the years to come. District 202 is a little more than a week into our cocooning phase, and we’re narrowing our programming exploration to these two veins:
1. Building GLBT Youth Community across Minnesota: District 202 had to become physically smaller to become a larger organization. Our old space drained valuable resources that will now be allocated to the funding of newer and more relevant programming. We’ll connect the youth who are out to and accepted by their classmates with the youth who are closeted or are out and alienated by their peers. GLBT youth within the Twin Cities are sometimes as isolated as those in Greater Minnesota. We’ll blend secure web technology with social events to build community initially within the Twin Cities and then quickly across the state.
2. Developing Youth Leaders Though Adult Mentorship: Years ago, District 202 offered a mentorship program that connected youth with pre-screened professional adults within the GLBT community for college preparation, career development and community service. We intend to study similar mentoring programs locally and nationwide and possibly restart a more structured mentoring program this fall.
Our cocooning phase is only possible thanks to our fantastic staff. Jason Bucklin will focus on GLBT youth community building across the state. Betsy Petersen will be rebuilding our mentoring program while also managing our finances. And Jon DeVore is responsible for development and maintaining our online infrastructure. You’ll be hearing more from them in the weeks to come.
Here’s how you can help: First, spread the word about our efforts to your friends and colleagues. There is a perception that District 202 has shutdown, and this is far from the truth. Next, continue to email us your memories, feedback and requests to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or the email address below.
Finally, give of your time now and in the months to come. Shortly, we will be emailing a formal call for volunteers based on our specific needs so watch your email.
We’re moving forward thanks to your encouragement and support!
Thank you,
Curt Prins
Acting Board Chair
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P.S.—In the rush of the last months, I forgot to acknowledge and thank all of you—former staff, former board members, donors, volunteers and of course our great alumni—for fostering this idea that hatched on Linnea Stinson’s kitchen table in 1992 to who we are today. Thank you all for your hard work and commitment to GLBT youth.