Post by Tekpatzin on Jun 15, 2004 9:50:13 GMT -5
My response to the Sun Time article and to the two elected (Democrats) officials....
To Mr. Jeff Schoenberg & Ms. Flowers,
I am the Executive Director of YSS (youthstrugglingforsurvival.org). We are a youth empowerment organization based in Aurora and Chicago and we were one of the urban youth groups that presented workshops on spirituality and rites of passage (and not new age workshops or touchy feely programs) at the recent "Stronger Roots, Stronger Branches" spiritual/ritual conference and I must reply to the Sun Time article which quotes you (and Mary Flowers) as saying that this was a "touchy feely, new age, hot tub" experience and that the money could have been better spent.
Were you in attendance to make credible these ignorant accusations?
This conference in our opinion is long overdue for us, the people of color, many of us represent the indigenous people of this land. I can name some 14 different youth organizations from Chicago and Aurora that we collaborate with regularly in working and empowering youth through/via "non-traditional" programs such as our rites of passage programs.
The whole conference touched on many multi-cultural issues that many prevention/intervention agencies throughout the state of Illinois have omitted (or not educated about) when working with youth and people of different cultures. There is a lot of ignorance in the adult populations which is why this whole country and planet is in the sad shape it is in. Politicians in general add more negativity than positive energy and your statements only attest to that.
The conference provided us with a space to teach state agencies about the urban arts and rites of passage programs that are needed now more than ever.
If you would like to learn more about our multi-cultural youth work and how we help empower our urban and suburban youth than visit our web site (address below) or attend one of our many events or youth summits. That way you can see what real authentic work is like and you can actually talk to the youth.
Your statements were based on ignorance of the problems that we face in trying to educate our youth about our traditions, our rituals and our spirituality. By using the native American sweat lodge within the sobriety movement or initiating young people with vision quests or other rituals we are able to truly guide them to their true power, which is internal and not an external pursuit of money or materialism. Basically stated our young people need to learn our own cultures and our rituals and spiritual walk is an integral part of that. Many of the traditional programs have been failing our young people and it's high time someone in the state took note of that.
The people that hosted the Summit know all too well that "culture is prevention" especially when our young people of color continue to drop out of high school and fill the prisons of this state. What the hosts did should be applauded and we need more of these events/summits so we can educate people like you about our cultures.
Having it in Oakbrook provided many of the urban dwellers with a chance to see what "the other side" live like. The people that attended the conference were from all over the state of Illinois and having it in Oakbrook made it easier for driving in and out of this area.
Take the time to learn before speaking out in the newsprint about something you know little of.
Mitakuye Oyasin (we are all related, a Lakota Sioux saying and not new age).....
In memory of our ancestors and young people,
Frank Tekpatzin Blazquez
Executive Director of YSS
www.youthstrugglingforsurvival.org (Chicago-Aurora)
RED NOIZE
ILL NOIZE
Southwest Youth Collaborative (Southwest side of Chicago)
Alternatives (northside of Chicago)
University of Hip Hop (southside of Chicago)
Urban Arts Action Movement (southside-Chicago)
Kuumba Lynx (northside-Chicago)
Chicago Tribe (northside-Chicago)
Brickheadz (northside-Chicago)
B.U.I.L.D (northside-Chicago)
Generation Y (southside-Chicago)
Synergy (southside-Chicago)
and all the thousands of young people throughout Chicago, the burbs and the state of Illinois...that know what it's like to be denied our cultures, our rituals and our way of life........
"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey
To Mr. Jeff Schoenberg & Ms. Flowers,
I am the Executive Director of YSS (youthstrugglingforsurvival.org). We are a youth empowerment organization based in Aurora and Chicago and we were one of the urban youth groups that presented workshops on spirituality and rites of passage (and not new age workshops or touchy feely programs) at the recent "Stronger Roots, Stronger Branches" spiritual/ritual conference and I must reply to the Sun Time article which quotes you (and Mary Flowers) as saying that this was a "touchy feely, new age, hot tub" experience and that the money could have been better spent.
Were you in attendance to make credible these ignorant accusations?
This conference in our opinion is long overdue for us, the people of color, many of us represent the indigenous people of this land. I can name some 14 different youth organizations from Chicago and Aurora that we collaborate with regularly in working and empowering youth through/via "non-traditional" programs such as our rites of passage programs.
The whole conference touched on many multi-cultural issues that many prevention/intervention agencies throughout the state of Illinois have omitted (or not educated about) when working with youth and people of different cultures. There is a lot of ignorance in the adult populations which is why this whole country and planet is in the sad shape it is in. Politicians in general add more negativity than positive energy and your statements only attest to that.
The conference provided us with a space to teach state agencies about the urban arts and rites of passage programs that are needed now more than ever.
If you would like to learn more about our multi-cultural youth work and how we help empower our urban and suburban youth than visit our web site (address below) or attend one of our many events or youth summits. That way you can see what real authentic work is like and you can actually talk to the youth.
Your statements were based on ignorance of the problems that we face in trying to educate our youth about our traditions, our rituals and our spirituality. By using the native American sweat lodge within the sobriety movement or initiating young people with vision quests or other rituals we are able to truly guide them to their true power, which is internal and not an external pursuit of money or materialism. Basically stated our young people need to learn our own cultures and our rituals and spiritual walk is an integral part of that. Many of the traditional programs have been failing our young people and it's high time someone in the state took note of that.
The people that hosted the Summit know all too well that "culture is prevention" especially when our young people of color continue to drop out of high school and fill the prisons of this state. What the hosts did should be applauded and we need more of these events/summits so we can educate people like you about our cultures.
Having it in Oakbrook provided many of the urban dwellers with a chance to see what "the other side" live like. The people that attended the conference were from all over the state of Illinois and having it in Oakbrook made it easier for driving in and out of this area.
Take the time to learn before speaking out in the newsprint about something you know little of.
Mitakuye Oyasin (we are all related, a Lakota Sioux saying and not new age).....
In memory of our ancestors and young people,
Frank Tekpatzin Blazquez
Executive Director of YSS
www.youthstrugglingforsurvival.org (Chicago-Aurora)
RED NOIZE
ILL NOIZE
Southwest Youth Collaborative (Southwest side of Chicago)
Alternatives (northside of Chicago)
University of Hip Hop (southside of Chicago)
Urban Arts Action Movement (southside-Chicago)
Kuumba Lynx (northside-Chicago)
Chicago Tribe (northside-Chicago)
Brickheadz (northside-Chicago)
B.U.I.L.D (northside-Chicago)
Generation Y (southside-Chicago)
Synergy (southside-Chicago)
and all the thousands of young people throughout Chicago, the burbs and the state of Illinois...that know what it's like to be denied our cultures, our rituals and our way of life........
"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey