REACH LA NEWS

REACH LA’s Executive Director Martha Chono-Helsley has been selected to attend the British Council and VSO’s Global Xchange program in Durban, South Africa from January 17 to February 6 and in Belfast, Northern Ireland from March 7 to 27.

Global XChange is a UK program comparable to the United States’ Peace Corps program. Typically, Global XChange matches small groups of UK volunteers with peers from one other country. The bilateral teams spend several weeks or months on a volunteer project in the UK in addition to time spent on a project in the home country of the other participants.

The upcoming program marks two firsts: Global XChange’s first multilateral team and the first project in which Americans will participate. In Durban and Belfast, Martha will join four other Los Angeles community activists and peers from the UK, France, South Africa, Sierra Leone, and Rwanda to observe local organizations, exchange best practices, and explore cross-cultural approaches to serving at-risk youth.

“I am incredibly honored to represent Los Angeles and the United States in this once in a lifetime experience. I am very excited to meet our program partners and work on strategies that will bring hope and inspiration to youth all over the world.”

The Durban and Belfast exchanges will be followed by a youth exchange. Between June and December, groups of 18-24 year-olds from each country will live and volunteer for three months in Durban followed by three months in Belfast. The American participants will be nominated by the five LA nonprofits.

“I am delighted to launch Global Xchange in the United States,” said British Council USA Director Sharon Memis. “We are inspired by the individuals selected for Global XChange from Los Angeles; they all do exemplary work with LA youth. We look forward to seeing the results of their time abroad, and to seeing the new international partnerships that emerge from the exchanges.”

To follow the journey of the Multilateral Community XChange participants by reading the daily blog.

REACH LA bids a fond farewell to Kafi Battersby after ten years of dedicated service and support. Kafi began her journey at RLA as an assistant in the computer lab in 2001. She quickly moved into a peer health educator position where she eventually became the program manager for the HIV prevention programs. During her tenure she provided risk reduction counseling to thousands of young women at sexual risk, hundreds of young gay men, volunteers and staff members. Kafi was instrumental in developing the Peer Health Advocates and G2G Leaders, “she was the role model that all of the leadership and current health programs were based upon,” according to Executive Director Martha Chono-Helsley, “Kafi’s dedication to REACH LA programs, staff and to her clients will be her legacy.” On behalf of REACH LA’s Board of Directors, Management Staff, Leaders, Peer Health Advocates, clients, and volunteers we wish Kafi all the best in her future endeavors.

It is truly amazing to look at all the work that REACH LA accomplished in 2009: 25 young men attended the Ovahness Men’s Retreat; 200 women and men attended the Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day conference, 300 youth attended the Fire & Ice Skate Party, Legends from West Coast helped us produce six Ovahness Academy Workshops; 25 RLA volunteers ran HIV, STD prevention games at Oakwood’s Glove Affair Dance; three G2G representatives attended Reproductive Freedom Day in Sacramento; two G2G Leaders went to the western region reproductive justice advocacy training with Choice USA; one G2G Leader went to Washington DC for public policy training; one staff person graduated from the HIV Prevention Leadership Institute in Atlanta; three Ovahness Leaders went to NAESM Conference in Atlanta; one staff attended US Conference on AIDS in San Francisco; one staff went to SisterSong Membership Meeting in Washington DC and educated legislators on healthcare reform; 400 people attended the Ovahness Ball 4: L’Acte Finale; staff trained 50 volunteers to run RLA HIV prevention games for 1,300 LA area youth at Macy’s Passport Fashion Inform Night; staff and leaders raised $600 by walking in 2009 AIDS Walk LA; one G2G Leader went to Swaziland with Project Africa; one Ovahness Leader was awarded the Colin Higgins Courage Award; one Ovahness Leader received the Millennium Scholarship for college; staff provided HIV testing and counseling to about 50 people since beginning in July; staff trained 20 peer health advocates who then took over 200 friends and family members to HIV testing; 60 young men and resource volunteers attended the Ovahness Summit to develop personal goals for self and community improvement; six college interns helped develop video projects with RLA Leaders for the newly developed RLA YouTube channel (Ovahness TV); and close to 60 people attended the RLA holiday party where 4 Ovahness Leaders were promoted, two volunteers were acknowledged and 2 individuals and one coalition group were celebrated. One staff member was honored by In the Meantime; another was honored by Connect to Protect Coalition; 4 staff members became certified HIV Testing Counselors; one staff member completed Phemobotomy 1 licensing. One staff member completed graduate school, another complete his BA from CSUDH. And although REACH LA went from 9 staff members to 3 full-time staff at the end of July 2009, RLA continued to produce new projects, events and community resources with help from its many loyal friends, leaders and peer health advocates! Congratulations everyone on all the accomplishments - we made it to 2010 and REACH LA is moving ahead. The Board, Staff, Leaders and volunteers would like to thank our generous supporters who have helped our organization this past year. We are optimistic that better times are ahead.