Anti-War March, September 24th

September 24th anti war march in DC was an amazing gathering. YLSN staff and volunteers worked hard to organize a peace parade leading from Mt. Pleasant to Adams Morgan to Dupont Circle and then joining the larger march. We made over a hundred arm bands, wrist bands and sashes to pass out and lead the larger march with our banners and music.

Our mission for the day was to build awareness around and collect donations for our newest initiative, NOLAMAYA (New Orleans Louisiana Musicians Artists Youth AID). The focus of NOLAMAYA is to organize New Orleans artists now relocated in DC and provide them with instruments, housing, donations, and gigs. We raised over $200 in donations. We also ran into our supporters from all over the country. One of which being Ursula, a 16 year old youth organizer from Milwaukee.

Ursula and YLSN

In the September 24th anti-war march, we were reunited with Ursula whom we met at the Great Labor Arts Exchange in 2004. She attended again in June 2005 and informed us of her activities since 2004. She began organizing her peers in Milwaukee to speak out against the war and other community issues.

She traveled from Milwaukee with her youth contingent to speak out against the war. At the Arts Exchange earlier this year, Ursula and YLSN staff facilitated a Youth and Labor workshop and initiated the Youth and Labor Culture Fund which will incorporate more youth from around the country in GLAE next year and years to come.

Youth Leadership Support Network is spearheading this project to increase awareness about the labor movement to young people and bring more DC youth to the arts exchange.

For more information on attending the Great Labor Arts Exchange in June of 2006 or information about Youth and Labor Culture Fund, contact Sheila Mirza at 202-215-3817 or dcfresh@gmail.com

YLSN Moves to North-East, DC

In Early September, YLSN moved from St. Stephen’s Church in Northwest, DC to Trinidad/Ivy City neighborhood of Northeast, DC. We are treating this new, smaller office, as a community art and media space. With help from our newest volunteer, Tarik Perkins, co-founder of Rising Roots International (www.risingroots.org) media project in Kingston, Jamaica, we have set up a small computer lab. In November, we will begin training community members basic computer skills including web design, internet research, excel, powerpoint, and other programs.

In addition, we have begun painting banners and teaching young people visual arts skills. This new space also houses our DC Youth Activism Archives with information of youth movement history including Paul Robeson, Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, and student/campus organizing in the 80s and 90s around anti-apartheid and war on El Salvador.
We will begin poetry and theatre workshops in the upcoming months. For more information on these projects, volunteer opportunities, or developing collaborations, please contact Sheila Mirza at 202-215-3817 or dcfresh@gmail.com