NYRA Freedom
ISSN 1933-5229
Scott Davidson and Adam King
Volume 6, Issue 3
March 14, 2006
Contents:
Introduction
Local Leader Campaigns for a Proposal to His School Board
NYRAthon 2006 Underway
NYRA Still Needs Office Space
Resolution 00-l Amended
NYRA-NYC Update
Internet Restrictions on Myspace and Other Sites
NYRA-Flagstaff
Staff Changes and Requests
Upcoming Events
News from the Web
Conclusion
Introduction
By Scott Davidson
The next few months should be significant ones for NYRA. We have the opportunity to raise a lot of money through our annual fundraising contest. NYRA-NYC has an enormous opportunity to bring youth rights to the world’s attention through Gale Brewer’s voting age bill. Youth rights activists continue to found NYRA chapters throughout the country, and NYRA is working on fine tuning its internal policy in order to function even better.
Local Leader Campaigns for a Proposal to His School Board
By Adam King
Adam King, one of the leaders of NYRA’s Chapter Formation Division, has undertaken a project in Asheville, NC.
King is working to introduce a position to the school board that would give a non-voting seat to a student representative chosen by the county’s students. He has worked extensively to make this project a success.
He appeared on his local television news station on Thursday, February 23, 2006, as the first story on two newscasts.
King has the full support of his school’s principal, many teachers, the student council, and many parents. He was originally planned to present his idea to the Board of Education on Thursday, March 2, 2006. However, it was postponed until Thursday, April 6, 2006.
For more information, read his blog entry at http://blog.youthrights.org/2006/02/27/the-need-for-student-representatives
NYRAthon 2006 Underway
By Scott Davidson
NYRA’s annual fundraiser, NYRAthon, is underway. Last year NYRAthon raised almost 4000 dollars, which allowed the organization to hire its executive director full time. NYRA feels that it has an opportunity to break the record set last year, which will provide a valuable service to the youth rights movement.
NYRAthon functions in the form of two contests that take place simultaneously; one between the members, and one between the various chapters. The chapter that raises the most money between March 7 and June 7 receives 100 dollars worth of NYRA materials (flyers, buttons, etc.)
he contest between individual members has three winners. The prize for first place is $100, the prize for second place is $50, and the prize for third place is $25. Additional prizes may be awarded. The contest between individual members also runs from March 7 to June 7.
Keith Mandell, who was one of the people behind the creation of NYRAthon last year, has said that NYRA may organize a service-based contest next fall.
NYRA members are strongly encouraged to participate in these contests. Last year many people participated, and it led to a significant influx in donations. Fundraising is essential, and it is important for everyone to do all they can.
All money should be sent to NYRA headquarters at:
NYRA – 1703 Farragut Ave. – Rockville, MD – 20851
Enclosed in the envelope donors should include:
1. Money (cash or checks made out to NYRA)
2. Paper with donor’s name, address, e-mail, and chapter he or she is affiliated with (if any), plus any other info it may ask for.
If you have any questions regarding NYRAthon, please email NYRA President Robert Reynolds.
All donations are tax deductable.
NYRA Still Needs Office Space
By Adam King
NYRA had to vacate its office in Takoma Park in January due to the sponsoring organization’s need for space.
If any members are aware of an office in the area available at no charge, please email NYRA.
NYRA members should also note that NYRA’s address has changed once again. Members should NOT send mail to the address in Takoma Park, MD, or to the non-existent PO Box address in Washington, D.C.
For the time being, ALL mail should be directed to 1703 Farragut Ave., Rockville, MD 20851.
Resolution 00-1 Amended
By Scott Davidson
At its Feb. 19 meeting, the NYRA board of directors in attendance voted unanimously to amend Resolution 00-l. Res. 00-l, which had not been changed since it was passed six years ago, limits the issues upon which NYRA can act. Essentially, it limits NYRA to rights issues affecting young people in the United States.
Prior to the February board meeting, the first clause of 00-l limited NYRA to issues affecting people “in their teens and twenties.”
Scott Davidson proposed an amendment to that text, which reads “young people” rather than “people in their teens and twenties.” The board members present at the February meeting agreed with the amendment, which was passed after little discussion.
Some individuals, including former NYRA secretary Rich Jahn and Executive Director Alex Koroknay-Palicz, have criticized the amendment, asserting that the original language was an appropriate limit on the scope of NYRA’s activity.
NYRA-NYC Update
By Scott Davidson
NYRA-New York City opted to cancel its meeting this past weekend, as it could not find a proper venue. At a specially scheduled board meeting earlier this month, NYRA-NYC member Jason Kende discussed what the chapter will need for the upcoming voting age campaign. The national office agreed to provide sample letters, flyer content, and a membership list.
A couple of weeks ago, NYRA-NYC President Ana Hevesi spoke to a group of young people about ageism and youth rights. By all accounts the event was a success. The chapter hopes that more speaking engagements and workshops will take place in the future.
New York City Councilwoman Gale Brewer reintroduced her bill to lower the voting age for municipal elections. She plans to have a Legislative Day for the voting age bill on March 22.
Internet Restrictions on Myspace and Other Sites
By Adam King
A student who attends a school in Pennsylvania contacted the National Youth Rights Association in February. Craig Wilson, a witness to Internet suppression at his school, reported that administrators told students to take certain things off of their personal Myspace accounts, and within hours, the website was blocked on all computers at his school.
“I am very saddened by the lack of coverage of stories of this type,” Wilson told NYRA, “And I hope you will attempt to cover this story as well as you can.” Wilson wrote that only one newspaper even reported on the issue going on at his school.
Although his personal Myspace account was not affected by the administration, he said that his initial thoughts were shock and anger.
“The school is stepping into territory that they have no control over,” Wilson says. “If they are concerned for our well-being, they should act like it, not try to use intimidation or control.”
NYRA-Flagstaff
By Scott Davidson
A NYRA chapter has been founded in Flagstaff, Ariz. There had been some confusion over the whereabouts of the chapter’s charter, (which includes a thirty dollar fee), because they had sent it to the wrong address. Luckily, the post office forwarded it to NYRA’s former office in Takoma Park, where Alex Koroknay-Palicz could pick it up.
The chapter has elected Max Motter to serve as president, Hannah Spence-Schehr as vice president, Laiken Jocdahl as treasurer, and Kyle Stone as secretary. If you live in the area, and you are interested in becoming involved, please email Max Motter at bmxrider42@hotmail.com
Staff Changes and Requests
By Adam King
NYRA is seeking to hire regional captains for chapter formation in the midwest and central regions. If you are interested, fill out an application here: http://www.youthrightsorg/chapterformation.php or contact Adam King..
Eli Gottlieb has been chosen to fill the position as the Northeast Region Captain. To contact him, email him
NYRA is requesting all members with website design and programming skills to apply for the development team. A lot of experience is not necessary, but it would be greatly appreciated. To apply, go here: http://www.youthrights.org/devapp.php.
Upcoming Events
March 19, 2006, 7:30 p.m. EST – Board Meeting on AIM
March 21, 2006, 8:00 p.m. EST – Youth Rights Chat in NYRA Chatroom at www.youthrights.org/forums/chat.
Online Chapters’ Update Meeting – TBA
News From the Web
Student reporters lose to censorship
(http://www.youthrights.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6783)
NAACP Want Fla. Juvenile Boot Camps Closed
http://www.youthrights.org/forums/showthread.php?p=148757#post148757
Conclusion
By Adam King
I feel that this month has been a much more active and productive month than the last. We have more support, more chapters, and more involvement at the local level than ever before. There are members and supporters all around the nation working to help the movement and the organization. People are giving hours of their time to help the cause. If you haven’t helped out NYRA at all this year, you should really get on it. We need members who are willing to volunteer a couple of hours in their spare time, and no matter what, the organization will benefit from it.
