Sunday, June 13th marked the 20th anniversary of Long Island Pride. As with every year, PFY rounded up participants and some high school GSA clubs (Gay-Straight Alliance) to attend this highly anticipated event! Everyone had a lot of fun on this very special day. PFY's participants have a lot of talent, and this showed at the festival when they performed on the stage. Up first was Lorenzo, singing a top R&B hit. Next, Britney and Mary sang “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent. Then, last but definitely not least, The Princess Minaj Hatter Project performed a well-choreographed dance! They all did a great job up there and the crowd loved them. Thank you to all who came to march with us, all who came as supporters, and to everyone who was there celebrating our pride with us. |
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Check out this video from our fundraiser at Kelli’s on May 1st. Thanks to everyone who came out that night, we raised $700 for our summer camp!! http://bellmore.patch.com/articles/showing-support-for-pride-for-youth#video-376788 |
In This Issue:
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PFY Awarded Five-Year HIV/STI Prevention Grant PFY Receives Donation from "RENT" Inspirational Trip to Albany for Peer Educators PFY's a Hit at LI Pride Bellmore Patch Covers Kelli's Fundraiser |
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PFY is proud to announce that it is the recipient of a five-year grant from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) AIDS Institute to address the continuing and emerging HIV/STI needs of LGBT young people in Nassau County. Funds will expand PFY’s peer education program, replicate the national model Mpowerment Project and create a Youth/Adult-Led Consortium on Adolescent Sexual Health. PFY's HIV-related services, supported by NYSDOH since 1995, have been a core part of its operations for many years. State policy requires that all contracts go out for a competitive re-bidding process every 5 years. The new application represented a new AIDS Institute Initiative titled: “Sexual Health Promotion for Young People Through Youth Leadership and Community Engagement.” The initiative puts a focus on youth-driven services and projects that reach across communities to stimulate structural changes. These new guidelines were a natural fit for PFY according to Long Island Crisis Center’s Associate Executive Director, and former PFY Director, Andy Peters. “Youth involvement has been our philosophy from the start,” says Peters. “We’ve also built a positive profile in the community through our LGBT advocacy and training programs.” NYSDOH chose just 16 organizations statewide to receive funding through the re-solicitation. PFY was one of only two grantees on Long Island. The grant, $193,735 per year for five years, will expand peer educator responsibilities to include presenting comprehensive sexual health education workshops to groups of teens and utilizing Internet technology for outreach and education. PFY will launch the model HIV-prevention program Mpowerment, which fosters healthy behavioral choices and peer support among young gay and bisexual men. In partnership with the Nassau County Youth Board, PFY will mobilize youth and adults in the community within the structure of a Consortium to promote supports and resources that sustain positive LGBT sexual health. The grant began June 1, 2010. |
 On Monday March 15th, PFY partnered with Planned Parenthood of Nassau County to take 11 of our peer educators to Albany for an annual Youth Leadership Conference. The conference focused on promoting comprehensive sex-education in New York State schools and was sponsored by Family Planning Advocates (FPA) of New York State. We were 11 of about 300 teens that attended the conference located at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center. The kids had the opportunity to talk to our states legislators about issues that mean a lot to them and their peers. Such issues included school budget cuts, human and civil rights, and changes they would like to see in their communities. |