NYRA Freedom Volume 12, Issue 3

Contents

NYRA Chooses New Executive Director
NYRA-Philly Hosts Know Your Rights Night
This Month’s Mission
Calendar
Blog
News
NYRA in the News
Other News

NYRA Chooses New Executive Director

The metaphorical white smoke has risen from the conclave, and the Directors of NYRA have made their selection.

“It’s official,” announced NYRA Secretary Katrina Moncure. “NYRA’s new Executive Director is Bill Bystricky.”

“He’s done a great job as our Campaign Director,” said Vice-President Jeffrey Nadel. “He has certainly earned the confidence of the Board of Directors and we’re thrilled to have him as our new ED.”

In August 2011, Alex Koroknay-Palicz announced his intention to step down from the office of Executive Director. The Board of Directors gathered resumes from across the country to find the best replacement.

“It was a long process,” said President Usiel Phoenix. “We had to make a careful selection for such an important role. But Bill stood out from the beginning as a well-qualified candidate dedicated to youth rights. In the end, there was no other candidate who even came close.”

Bystricky, a member of NYRA since the late 90s, has many years of volunteer experience in political activism and has written extensively about youth rights. He has also worked as a high school teacher and as an administrator for an after-school program.

“He knows the battlegrounds of youth rights,” says Phoenix. “He knows political activism, and he knows how to run a non-profit. Frankly, we were lucky to find someone with his qualifications. I know he’ll help take this organization to great places.”

When informed of his promotion, Bystricky said, “I feel honored. NYRA is at the forefront of a vital political movement. I hope I’ll prove worthy of the role that’s been entrusted to me.”

NYRA-Philly Hosts Know Your Rights Night

On February 16, 2012, the National Youth Rights Association of Philadelphia, led by the chapter’s founder, Jeffrey Nadel (who also serves as our national Vice President), and the chapter’s Vice President, Devin DiSabatino, hosted Know-Your-Rights Night at the University of Pennsylvania. NYRA-Philly partnered with Penn’s International Affairs Association to host the event, which included a film-screening and an expert panel discussion.

The event started with the film “10 Rules for Dealing with Police” produced by the Flex Your Rights Foundation that teaches audiences how to confidently assert their rights during police encounters. The film was followed by a panel discussion and question-and-answer period featuring Penn Law Professor David Rudovsky, a renown civil-rights and public-interest lawyer, prolific author, and revered scholar of constitutional law, and criminal defense attorney NiaLena Caravasos.

This Month’s Mission

If you didn’t hear about this one yet, get ready.

Recently in Garrett, Indiana, student Austin Carroll was, not admonished, not even suspended, but expelled for using a swear word. A high school senior. Off-campus. At night time. In a message meant only for friends who choose to follow him on Twitter.

The message did not promote violence, express hatred, or harass anyone. It was merely a meditation on uses of the F-word in the English language. And for that, he has been jerked out of school and stuck in an alternative school.

As you might guess, not everyone supports principal Matt Smith on this. Last Friday, Smith called police to put down a student protest. Smith didn’t want to hear what his own students think of how he’s running their school.

But Smith hasn’t heard the last of this because NYRA is about to weigh in.

Take Action

Please email principal Matt Smith at msmith@gkb.k12.in.us (and please cc fix-garrett@youthrights.org ). Let Smith know what you think of his school snooping through students’ Twitter feeds and punishing students for their word-choices.

But what do I write? you ask. For those with writer’s block, here’s an example. Copy it if you like, or write your own. The important thing is that Matt Smith hear the call for freedom no matter how hard he plugs his ears.

Calendar

April 2 – Informal NYRA Chat
8 PM – Midnight Eastern Time
In the NYRA chatroom
Join the chat online here: http://www.youthrights.org/community/chat
Or with an IRC client, go here: irc.nerdfighteria.net:6667 (or :6697 for SSL); room: #nyra

April 16 – #16toVote on the 16th
All Day – Tweet about the voting age and include the hashtag #16toVote
Follow NYRA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/youthrights

April 17 – Informal NYRA Chat
8 PM – Midnight Eastern Time
In the NYRA chatroom
Join the chat online here: http://www.youthrights.org/community/chat
Or with an IRC client, go here: irc.nerdfighteria.net:6667 (or :6697 for SSL); room: #nyra

April 24 – Chapters Meeting
8 PM Eastern Time
Each NYRA chapter should send at least one representative.
In the NYRA chatroom
Join the chat online here: http://www.youthrights.org/community/chat
Or with an IRC client, go here: irc.nerdfighteria.net:6667 (or :6697 for SSL); room: #nyra

May 7 – Informal NYRA Chat
8 pm – Midnight Eastern Time
In the NYRA chatroom
Join the chat online here: http://www.youthrights.org/community/chat
Or with an IRC client, go here: irc.nerdfighteria.net:6667 (or :6697 for SSL); room: #nyra