IPN & AIDS Project Announce $500 GSA Grants!

The AIDS Project of Central Iowa and Iowa Pride Network are proud to announce 

$500 GRANTS FOR HIV/STD EDUCATION

Three Iowa high school Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) will receive $500 grants for creative educational projects related to HIV/STD risk and prevention. The deadline for grant applications is December 1, 2011 at 5pm.


Funds will be awarded by December 31, 2011, and funded projects must be completed by March 31, 2012. For more information and to apply, click HERE  

IPN Hires Outreach Coordinator

IOWA PRIDE NETWORK

HIRES OUTREACH COORDINATOR

DES MOINES— Iowa Pride Network has hired Dana Stuehling as its Outreach Coordinator.  Dana is a 2011 graduate of Smith College in Northampton, MA where she studied Sociology, focusing on race, gender and sexuality.  Dana will be responsible for enhancing Iowa Pride Network’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth leadership and organizing projects and providing outreach to Gay-Straight Alliances.

“As an anti-oppression activist, this is a perfect fit for me. It's extremely important that we challenge discrimination and oppression. Iowa Pride Network provides the vehicle for our students to understand social justice and I am proud to work with them in creating a more welcoming state for all people,” said Dana.

During her tenure at Smith, Dana worked with Students for Social Justice and Institutional Change and co-chaired the working group, Queers and Allies; both groups focused on working for LGBT rights within the college community and at a national level.  As a student, Dana acted as a resource for local GSAs, the local domestic violence shelter, the Smith Community Service Office, and with cultural bridges to justice™, a national consortium of anti-oppression trainers.

“We are thrilled to have Dana as our Outreach Coordinator.  Her expertise and organizing experience will allow us to grow the network and enhance our programs to meet the needs of our students across Iowa,” said Ryan Roemerman, Iowa Pride Network Executive Director.

Iowa Students Respond to the Murder of Marcellus Andrews

IOWA STUDENTS RESPOND TO THE MURDER OF MARCELLUS RICHARD ANDREWS

Des Moines, Iowa– August 25 – Iowa Pride Network’s Leadership Team, made up of high school and college students from across Iowa issued a statement today regarding the brutal killing of 19 year old Marcellus Richard Andrews in Waterloo, Iowa. 

 

“This Sunday, many of us were getting ready for our first day of classes. However, as we all now know, one person was not. Upon hearing the story of Marcellus Richard Andrews, we were deeply disturbed that such violence and persecution happened here in the state of Iowa; however we were not entirely surprised that this sort of incident happened. We know firsthand that discrimination and bigotry both exist here, as in other places in the nation, despite our outward progressive appearance.

Let us not as citizens become so naïve as to think occurrences such as these are confined to places that are always elsewhere and never “here,” ever close to home. This has served as a reminder that the fight for equality is not over. We as youth need to vocalize what is happening in our schools and communities to better ensure the safety of all. We need to report every incident, every time so that issues such as these do not go unnoticed. By bringing these issues to the forefront people can become educated and help eliminate tragic events like this one. It is our hope that one day all youth will feel safe to live out in the open, as who they truly are.”

              Benjamin Alley, University of Iowa

Holly Wilson, Southeast Polk High School

Sean Hernandez, University of Iowa                                      

Dane Buchholz Iowa State University

Rachel Anderson, Grinnell College                                         

Alan Toussaint, University of Iowa

Joy Dannelly, Roosevelt High School                                     

Mika Covington, IWCC

Nicholas Muntz, University of Iowa                                        

Brittany Banks, Waldorf College

Stephen Boatwright, DMACC                                                   

              Sara Puffer, University of Iowa

IPN to Present at First Federal LGBT Youth Summit

IOWA PRIDE NETWORK TO 
PRESENT AT FIRST-EVER FEDERAL LGBT YOUTH SUMMIT IN D.C.

Des Moines, Iowa– June 2 – Iowa Pride Network has been invited to the nation’s capital to present at the first-ever Federal Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Youth Summit on June 6 and 7th. 

Iowa Pride Network is a statewide nonprofit organization working to make schools and colleges safe for all students by empowering students to combat bullying, homophobia, tranphobia, and hate. The network has become a nationally recognized leader in student leadership development and safe school policies.

Ryan Roemerman, Executive Director of Iowa Pride Network will present on a policy panel discussing strategies to improve public policy at the state, local and national levels to create safe and suppotive learning environments for LGBT youth.

Erin Kraber and Alexandra Nassif, both students at the University of Iowa and Sarah Mowitz, recent Roosevelt High School graduate, will co-present a workshop with the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance entitled, "The Power of Youth Leadership in Passing and Implementing Enumerated Bullying Policies at the District and State Level."

“We’re proud to be invited to participate in this historic summit and for the opportunity to highlight Iowa’s pioneering work regarding safe school policy and student leadership,” stated Roemerman.

Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius will kick off the two day summit along with Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.

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About Iowa Pride Network
Iowa Pride Network empowers students to fight bullying, homophobia, transphobia and hate in high schools and colleges by supporting gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs and providing leadership opportunities and organizing projects centered on social justice. For more information call Iowa Pride Network at 515-471-8062 or visit www.iowapridenetwork.org

Help lead our Movement!

The Iowa Pride Network Leadership Team and Youth Council is a diverse group of youth leaders from college and high schools all over Iowa. As a member of the Leadership Team and Youth Council you will learn skills to become a stronger activist and work towards creating a safer climate at your school for LGBTQ youth and straight allies. You will get support around creating a campaign, event planning or starting a GSA club on your campus. In addition, members are responsible for giving input and helping guide the programs of the Iowa Pride Network. Members will represent the needs of college GSAs and youth activists from their campus as well as plan events and lead peer to peer workshops, leadership trainings, conferences and other organizing projects. 

In addition you'll have opportunity to:

o        Help plan and run youth led conferences or present workshops at local and national conferences

o        Plan and participate in Iowa Pride Network social activities

o        Apply to become a peer-to-peer youth trainer

o        Discuss emerging trends in the LGBTQ and greater social justice movement

o        Provide occasional technical assistance to other GSAs

To Apply:
College Students: Apply HERE
High School Students: Apply HERE

IPN to Launch Weekly Podcast!

 Become a Fan and Like us on Facebook by clicking HERE

We are very excited to announce that we’re currently in production of our official podcast which will appropriately be known as Pridecast. This weekly audio podcast will help us keep students up-to-date on IPN events and other happening across Iowa and be available to anyone, anywhere, at any time.  This will also allow us to connect with like minded persons throughout the country and around the globe!!

This is a very exciting project for us!!  The most exciting part will be YOUR involvement.  This is YOUR podcast.  This is YOUR voice.  We have an idea of what the podcast will sound like, but we are more interested in what YOU want to hear.  What’s going to make the podcast interesting for you?  What will keep you involved week after week?

The last few months have been spent in development and the first show will be released during the first week of June 2011!!  So, during the next couple weeks, we NEED YOUR HELP!  Send us your topic ideas, segment ideas, and show ideas!!

If you have ideas, email them to: outreach@iowapridenetwork.org with the “pridecast” in the subject line! 

NO idea is a bad idea... we want them all!!! Looking forward to hearing from everyone!!  And...WELCOME TO PRIDECAST!!!

Sincerely,

Billy Dohrmann

Pridecast Producer

"Make it Better, Iowa" Project Launches!

 View the Main website HERE!

About the Project

The mission of the project is to use theatre training and storytelling to help make Iowa a better place for LGBT youth to grow up. Make it Better, Iowa  is a collaboration between Working Group Theatre, The UI Center for Human Rights, and Iowa Pride Network with support from Prairie Lights Bookstore and Hotel Vetro. It is divided into 3 parts. Read about them below to find out how you can be a part of Make it Better, Iowa.

Part One: The Training

Theatre Training for WGT Company members with Dr. Karen Mitchell, a Theatre of the Oppressed/Forum Theatre specialist from the University of Northern Iowa. Don’t know about Theatre of the Oppressed? Dont know about the Theatre of the Oppressed?  Read up.

Part Two: The Workshop

April 2nd: 9am-12pm, 1:30pm-4:00pm

IP COMMONS

WGT and UICHR will offer a free public workshop, open to anyone who works with LGBT youth and is interested in using theatre as a tool to combat oppression and facilitate discussion.  Led by Dr. Karen Mitchell with assistance from WGT. Interested in participating? Send an email here to register and receive more details.

Part Three: The Event

IOWA CITY— Working Group Theatre has teamed up with The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights, Iowa Pride Network, Prairie Lights Bookstore, and The Hotel Vetro to present Make it Better, Iowa. It will be held Sunday, April 17th at 4pm in the Hotel Vetro’s Grand Ballroom. The event will feature a theatrical performance, personal storytelling and a Skyped in appearance by Dan Savage who will be talking about the release of “It Gets Better” the book. Prairie Lights will have the book available for purchase at the event and a portion of all proceeds will go to the Iowa Pride Network and United Action for Youth. Admission is free and open to the public.

Check out the "Make it Better, Iowa" website!