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Intro
The Freechild Project has
found that across the nation a growing
number of homeless young people are realizing their collective
power through activism and education. They are working
together in loose knit networks and through organizations
dedicated to empowerment.
Point to Ponder
"I
have seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness,
starving hysterical naked..." From
Allen Ginsberg's poem,
Howl.
Resources
The following organizations and
resources have been identified by Freechild to provide information about the growing movement
among homeless young people for social change.
Organizations
Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets
1411 E. Olive Way,
Seattle, WA 98122
Phone: (206)726-8500 Email:
peacehype@msn.com
PSKS works with a volunteer staff of homeless and
street-involved young people to provide assistance and address
community misconceptions about homelessness. The PSKS model
empowers young people to design programs and participate in
decision-making while promoting dialogue between street-involved
youth and other community members.
Coalition for Homeless and Housing in Ohio's Youth Empowerment
Program
The Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), under COHHIO’s
umbrella, is a homeless youth program comprised of seven youth
councils, consisting of youth ages 10-24 who all experienced
homelessness in various ways around the state of Ohio, dedicated
to empowering youth through leadership, advocacy and education.
This effort encourages youth to take control of their life
situations while building self-esteem and improving the quality
of life for themselves and other homeless youth.
The Back
Door
PO Box 46067, Inglewood RPO, Calgary, AB T2G 5H7
Phone:
(403) 269-6658 Email:
backdoor@thebackdoor.ca
'"The Back Door" is
not just about getting young people off the street. It is
designed as an environment which seeks to discover, understand
and communicate the factors which indicate the need for social
change in our community. The fact that people are living on the
street is only part of much larger social questions. We believe
that if social change is to be achievable, our society must go
beyond our traditional ways of thinking.
Pongo
Publishing
A volunteer, non-profit
effort with Seattle teens who are in jail, on the streets, or in other
ways leading difficult lives. We help these young people express
themselves through poetry and other forms of writing. In our work we
ask the teens to speak from the heart about who they are as people,
and the teens often respond by writing about traumatic losses that
occurred when they were little children, losses such as the death of a
parent, abandonment, neglect, abuse, and a parent's addiction.
Other Information
National Network for Youth
Provides important legislative information about youth
homelessness, including a brief on current federal policy, and a
useful tool for you to contact your politician.
National
Alliance to End Homelessness - Ending Youth Homelessness
Includes dozens of resources, publications, and more that can
inform and educate young people and adults about the need to end
youth homelessness.
The McKinney-Vento Act: Educating Children and Youth in Homeless
Situations
Site includes resources and updates, as well as the history, the
legality, and other useful details surround the Act.
"Rooster"
From the
story: "''Rooster' had followed a different trajectory than many
street kids, and his transformation was an inspiration to many
of his peers gathered to mourn his passing." This is the
story of one homeless youth activist in Seattle who was murdered
for his convictions.
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