REACH LA NEWS

LBGTQ YOUTH VIDEOS @ MEDIA STUDIES SPRING SCREENING

WEDNESDAY MAY 6th at 6:00PM
BROAD PERFORMANCE SPACE
PITZER COLLEGE • 1050 N. MILLS AVE • CLAREMONT • 91711

MEDIA ARTS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE PRESENTS
Student lead media in community projects

The Pretty Boy Empire - Video Letters to ObamaThese video letters were created at the first ever Gay Youth of Color Inaugural Ball in Los Angeles - featuring LGBT Hip Hop artists, including Melange Lavonne, Deadlee, and Last Offense
MASJ student: Rebecca Nachison
Pretty Boy Empire - Project Adviser: Maurice Lopez
(aka the Pretty Boy King of Hollywood)

Unheard Voices of Transgender Youth
A series of short videos by transgender youth of color about issues of self-esteem, spirituality, social stigma and “clocking”. Produced in collaboration with Children’s Hospital Transgender Youth Program.
MASJ Students: Ivana Horvat and Hannah Fox
CHLA Project Adviser: Bamby Salcedo
Participants: The CHLA Transgender Youth Risk Reduction Program.

The REACH for OVAHNESS Talk Show
Two episodes of a new talk show made for and by young black gay men about issues that are important to this community.
MASJ students: Paul Bergman and Jacqueline Legazcue
REACH LA Project Advisers: Tyrone Carter, Greg Wilson, Chris Blades, and Kafi Battersby.
Community Guests/Show Hosts: The Young Men’s Ovahness Leadership Team from REACH LA - Kyle Butler, Stephan Daniels, Devaughn Sherman, and Robert Howell

ALSO AT THIS EVENT - REACH LA’s YOUNG MEN’S OVAHNESS LEADERSHIP TEAM will be selling cool t-shirts and canvas bags designed in-house by the REACH LA Social Enterprise Team to raise money for their youth HIV prevention program.

For more information about this event contact:
Gina Lamb lambgina@yahoo.com

LEARN FROM LA’S BEST!! This Saturday from 3:30pm-6:pm!

Ovahness Academy: Elements of Vogue
Saturday, April 25, 2009 .
Learn how to master the 5 elements of Vogue Fem w/Of the Year’s Enyce Chanel, Stacy Chanel, and Joey Mizrahi.

Hollywood Dance Center, 817 Highland Avenue, Hollywood, 90038
(between Santa Monica and Melrose)

For more information contact Chris at 213-622-1650 x108

REACH LA presents

Learn it! Learn It Well! @ the OVAHNESS ACADEMY
A series of workshops geared to fiercely improve performance on the runway.

@Hollywood Dance Center
817 Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038

First workshop starts this Saturday!

For more information contact: 213-622-1650
Chris_reachla@earthlink.net/call x108
Sean_reachla@earthlink.net/call x103

The OVAHNESS Fire & Ice Skate Party on Friday, February 20th was a huge success! Two-Hundred youth participated in REACH LA’s HIV risk reduction counseling sessions to gain free entry the event. REACH LA Peer Advocates helped youth obtain free HIV and STD testing while they waited for the doors to open. Free testing was provided by the LA Gay and Lesbian Center’s POW Mobile Testing Unit. DJ Ben rocked the house with a great mix of sounds.
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A REACH LA OVAHNESS EVENT

FIRE & ICE Skate Party
Friday, February 20, 2009

World on Wheels
4645 1/2 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
Event begins at 9:00pm
General Admission $10
First 200 Youth under age 24 are eligible for a FREE admission - Ask at the door
Free HIV Testing provided by LA Gay and Lesbian Center

Justin Early author of Street Child: An Unpaved Passage made a huge impression on the OVAHNESS and G2G Leaders when he made a guest appearance at the first REACH LA Book Club night on 1/28/09. OVAHNESS Leaders Kyle Baker and Robert Howell hosted a lively discussion between Justin Early and the audience. Justin read a powerful chapter as part of the presentation as the audience read along with their own well worn copies. Many of youth admitted that this was the first book that they had read cover to cover since high school.

Friday, February 20th, 2009
Event Begins at 9:00pm
@ World on Wheels
4645 1/2 Venice Blvd.
LA, CA 90019

Admission is $10.00
The first 200 youth under the age of 24 are eligible for free admission – ask at the door.

FREE HIV TESTING provided by LA Gay and Lesbian Center
For more information please contact Tyrone Carter at 213-622-1650 x104

REACH LA has received generous grants from The Collin Higgins Foundation and The National AIDS Fund to support the prevention outreach efforts and leadership development of the OVAHNESS Young Men’s Health and Leadership programs. “This funding comes at a critical time when public service funds are being cut and agencies are closing their doors,” said Executive Director Martha Chono-Helsley, “we are extremely grateful for their support.”

REACH LA’s Greg Wilson, Assistant Manager of the Ovahness Young Men’s Health Program was selected to participate in the 2009 class of the CDC/ASPH’s Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership. “It is a great honor for Greg to be accepted into this program,” says Executive Director Martha Chono-Helsley, “his selection indicates that the CDC is making an investment in our work by selecting both Tyrone and Greg to be a part of such a prestigious program.” Tyrone Carter, Manager of the Ovahness Young Men’s Health Program recently graduated in September 2008 from the Leadership program. According to Carter, the Institute program was quite challanging but provided the opportunity to learn from the best HIV prevention people in the U.S. The CDC/ASPH’s Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership program includes 4 intensive week long sessions that cover topics of program development, best practice implementation, program evaluation, epidemology, and organization leadership.

REACH LA was selected to be a beneficiary of Macy’s Passport Fund. On September 26, REACH LA staff,G2G and Ovahness leadership teams and volunteers headed out to Barker Hanger in Santa Monica to participate in Macy’s Passport: Fashion Inform night. The REACH LA team facilitated activities that taught youth about HIV/AIDS, STDs and risk reduction. Armed with “rub-on” tattoos, REACH LA discussed how HIV can be transmitted thru sharing needles.
Others manned the “Fishing for Answers” game, where youth threw pingpong balls into brightly colored fish bowls that identified either a HIV, STD, pregnancy prevention, or substance abuse questions. REACH LA Volunteers from Oakwood School proudly ran the popular “Tongue Billards” game that helped players learn the importance and ease of barrier use. All game winners were awarded with “Macy’s Bucks” that were redeemable for a variety of prizes. All of REACH LA’s volunteers were rewarded with the opportunity to see the Macy’s Passport fashion show complete with fashions by Ed Hardy- Christian Audigier, Ben Sherman, Levi and Calvin Klein. REACH LA rode in style to and from the event in the Power 106FM provided their “party bus.” (more…)