NYRA Freedom, Volume 11, Issue 1

NYRA Freedom

ISSN 1933-5229
Volume 11, Issue 1
January 13, 2011
Editors: Julian Gutierrez, Jackie Ferro, Emily Sanders, Lauran Potter
Publisher: David Moss

– Introduction
– National Youth Rights Day
– NYRA’s 2011 Annual Meeting
– The Program Documentary
– NYRA-LA Weighs In On Daytime Curfew
– Get Connected
– NYRA Freedom Is Looking For Talented Youth Rights Journalists
– Calendar
– Blog
– News

Introduction

Happy New Year, everyone! We’re very excited about 2011 and look forward to many more victories for youth rights. As we plan our year we are very pleased to congratulate NYRA Co-Founder, Avi Hein who recently made #4 on the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s list of most influential Jewish tweeters. Our own Dave Moss continues to blog for the education page on Change.org, this month taking on corporal punishment and daytime curfews for youth. Despite a great organizing effort, we did not win any money in last month’s Findlaw contest but thanks to our supporters we came in a very close 4th place, boding well for future contests.

National Youth Rights Day

Last year, NYRA was honored to take part in the first ever celebration of National Youth Rights Day. As we begin the New Year, April 14th grows closer bringing with it the second annual National Youth Rights Day! To help spread awareness about youth rights, help us by joining the celebration. Last year several chapters planned events to celebrate NYRD. The day is a great opportunity to introduce peers to NYRA and to get them involved in events to discover what we’re all about. NYRA-Nanuet hosted an event at their school, asking people to wear blue to support NYRA and youth rights. NYRA-Austin paraded through the streets of their town, educating many pedestrians on youth right issues and inviting them to get involved. NYRA-DC also hosted an event, a happy hour to raise money and to bring together NYRAnians old and new. As this year’s NYRD approaches, the time to start planning events is drawing near. Help support NYRA by taking advantage of this day. With your support we can make a significant impact in regards to youth rights on April 14th. Those interested in planning their own NYRD events should contact Alex Koroknay-Palicz.

NYRA’s 2011 Annual Meeting

Mark your calendars now; NYRA’s 2011 annual meeting will take place in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., on August 6th and 7th of 2011. The annual meeting, held every year since 1998, is host to a congregation of dedicated NYRA members and activists from around the country for a weekend of presentations and discussions about various topics related to organizational growth and youth rights ideology, and even some pretty good barbecuing. This weekend is also the culmination of the annual election of the NYRA Board of Directors, with meeting attendees the first to hear the results. We hope that our early announcement can help minimize travel fares for those interested in coming, and temporary residence is typically available for those who need it in the homes of local NYRA members. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming months.

The Program Documentary

NYRA Staff are very pleased to announce that we are in the final stages of arranging fiscal sponsorship for a documentary film project that will aim to expose the behavior modification industry. The film will be called “The Program Documentary” and is the brainchild of Hollywood filmmakers Katherine Daniel, Garrett Shannon and Kyle Kubler. We can’t tell you too much until it’s finished but we can say that they have a lot of interesting shoots plan and we’re confident that the final project will be a shocking look into the world of the abusive teenage behavior modification industry. Check out their website at http://theprogramdocumentary.com to learn more.

NYRA-LA Weighs In On Daytime Curfew

Recently, councilmembers in San Juan Capistrano, California considered proposals to enhance their existing curfew laws. Amongst the new ideas considered were a daytime curfew during school hours and increased fines for the parents of young people who dare to go outside. Realizing that council members weren’t completely sold on the idea and that they clearly hadn’t seen NYRA’s comprehensive research on the subject we decided to act. The National Office led outreach efforts to the Mayor Sam Allevato and other council members letting them know about our position on curfews and reminding them that they don’t work. Dave Moss covered the upcoming decision for Change.org and newly formed NYRA-Los Angeles plans to get involved at the ground level. Hopefully we can help guide the San Juan Capistrano City Council to make the sensible decision. Check out the piece on Change.org and sign the petition, or contact the council yourself using the links below.

Change Piece:
Going Outside Isn’t a Crime

Change Petition:
Curfews Don’t Work – Don’t Lock Down Students During School Hours

San Juan Capistrano City Leaders:
http://www.sanjuancapistrano.org/Index.aspx?page=53

Get Connected

Our website is full of ways that you can get involved, from contributing to our forum, reading our blog, sharing your experiences or even joining an action team or starting a local chapter! You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to make sure that you don’t miss any of the latest news. Be sure to check out the following links for a variety of ways that you can connect with us.

Like us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/YouthRights

Make sure you’re signed up for membership
http://www.youthrights.org/membership.php

Post to our forums
http://forums.youthrights.org/

Start a chapter
http://www.youthrights.org/chapterform.php

Join a NYRA Action Team
http://www.youthrights.org/actionteams.php

Share Your Youth Rights Story
http://www.youthrights.org/shareyourstory.php

Share Your Ah-Ha! Moment
http://youthrights.org/ahhamoment.php

Got your own idea? Email us at nyra [at] youthrights.org or call (202) 835-1739

You can also support the NYRA by making a donation. Every donation helps us continue to do the work that we do for youth, and you can be eligible for membership with just a $10 donation!
http://www.youthrights.org/donate.php

NYRA Freedom is Looking for Talented Youth Rights Journalists

For a decade, the NYRA Freedom has been hitting email inboxes around the country. We’ve covered every youth rights issue imaginable and now we’d like your help to cover even more and to reach more folks. Are you a a NYRA member with a gift for writing and a passion for our advocacy work? Then we’d love to have your help putting together articles for our monthly newsletter. Very soon, we will be unveiling a new website and improving our online outreach
systems. We want to match that with improved content. If you’re interested in helping out – please email dmoss [at] youthrights.org and join our staff!