Student Spotlight
Student activism is alive and well on UC's campus! This page is dedicated to highlighting the work of students as they experience activism at various levels. Have something you want to share with the community, email Kimberly Fulbright at Kimberly.Fulbright@uc.edu.
Getting REAL at the Advocates for Youth Urban Retreat in Washington, D.C.
9/17/2009
Student contributor: K.D. Miller, Director of LGBTQ Affairs, Special Interest Cabinet - SGA
During September 10th through September 14th, one hundred and twenty young people from twenty-four different states and four countries came together at our nation’s capital to: assemble together around a common cause, gain knowledge by being educated by fellow peers, and lobby congressmen in Washington D.C. The common goal shared by all the youth at the Retreat is to stand up for major rights and policies concerning reproductive health and social justice. All of the youth spent one day visiting their own Senators and Representatives to ask for support of the REAL (Responible Education About Life) Act which would put funding in place for comprehensive sexual education in our school systems. I was fortunate to attend the Advocates for Youth Urban Retreat as a member of GenderBloc. Earlier this year GenderBloc was selected to be a campus organizing team. Campus organizers are one of the many groups supported though Advocates for Youth. It is our goal as campus organizers to push forward the movement of reproductive health and/or social justice on our campuses.
While at the retreat there were sessions on Queer Theory, Religion and Reproductive Rights, and Street Harassment just to name a few. The youth attending gathered in their own groups planning a year’s worth of change to happen all across the nation and world. The thing that seemed most amazing to me was that there were people who were working on projects that ranged from being allowed to distribute condoms on a college campus, to educating peers on transgendered rights, to being a resource to young women of color, and yet we all gathered as an effort to gain ideas and knowledge of how we can have our voices heard. The youth that attended the retreat were also fortunate to have Kate Michelman, a long time activist of women’s and reproductive rights, speaking on the power of a personal story as a key note speaker.
One of the most important things that came from the retreat was the potential for peer education. I spent most of my free time discussing LGBTQ rights and queer theory, while simultaneously learning about the problems young men and women of color face concerning reproductive rights and sexual education. I was amazed at the amount of knowledge that was passed from peer to peer as a result of mere conversation.
The final day in the nation’s capital was a chance for the young people to show what they had learned over the weekend as we went to Capitol Hill and lobbied our Senators and Representatives. Comprehensive sexual education has been proven time and time again as the most effective way to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Recently abstinence only education stopped receiving funding and the funding has yet to be re-allocated. The REAL Act would put a policy into place that would allow this funding to go toward comprehensive sexual education. Comprehensive sex education would be outlined in the following ways, it would be age-appropriate and medically accurate, it would stress abstinence while not leaving behind those who have had or are having sex, it would provide accurate information about all contraceptives and barrier methods as a means to prevent pregnancy and prevent STI’s. Also, equally important, it would encourage family communication about sexuality, it would cover the components of a healthy relationship, as well as dating and sexual violence.
It was our goal to provide both personal stories and statistics that would support the REAL Act and convince our Senators and Representatives that it would be beneficial to the youth of the United States. After a quick debrief from our visit to Capitol Hill it seemed that lobby day was a success and that we had gained quite a bit of support. However, there is still much work to be done and many Senators and Representatives that need to hear from their constituents about the importance of this act.
Overall the trip to the Urban Retreat 2009 I believe was very beneficial and worthwhile. We are making change every day for the betterment of our society; it is our right and our responsibility to be a part of that change. I encourage you to look more into Advocates for Youth and their affiliate groups, especially amplifyyourvoice.org which is a youth led blog site that deals with issues regarding reproductive rights and social justice. I also encourage you to get involved in supporting the REAL Act by writing, emailing or calling your representatives.* Also do not hesitate to contact me to ask more about Advocates, Amplify, Campus Organizing or the retreat itself!
*Want to get involved?
More information about the REAL Act (S.611) can be found http://thomas.loc.gov.
If you would like to write your representative you can find their information at https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml.
If you would like to write your senators you can find their information at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
The more voices heard the more change we can make!
K.D. Miller is the Director of LGBTQ Affairs, Special Interest Cabinet – SGA for 2009-2010. You can reach K.D. via email at kdmiller88@gmail.com
