Friday, January 13th,  7 pm (Doors open at 6) Suggested sliding scale $10-$25 at the door / $10 advance (Traditions, Rainy Day, buyolympia.com).  No one will be turned away for lack of funds!

Partners in Prevention Education presents this event as part of its mission to raise awareness about youth homelessness and sexual violence, complicated and often invisible issues that affect many people in our communities.  The evening will begin with a screening of '"Downtowners", a locally produced documentary by student filmmakers Jessica Eskelson and Nichole Ketcherside.  This production involved advocates, service providers, and homeless youth who worked  together for over a year with the goal of helping youth speak out about the issues that effect their lives. "Downtowners" introduces street life from the perspectives of the youth and the community services that help the youth empower themselves to make a difference in their lives and in our community.  Often referred to as "at-risk", "marginalized", or "disadvantaged", these young people live on the fringes of society, and their struggles include uncertainty, instability, barriers to resources, community perceptions, trauma and abuse, and lack of support in creating solutions.  The youths' powerful voices in the documentary inspire a connection and an understanding seldom experienced by those who lack direct experience with the streets. Following the screening, Jerry Fest, youth development consultant and author of "Street Culture: an epistemology of street-dependent youth" will speak. To deepen the discussion, the audience is then invited to participate in an open forum with community leaders.
Contact  Rosalinda Noriega for more information: partnersinprevention@earthlink.net or visit
www.youthchangeagents.org
 
Proceeds will benefit Partners in Prevention Education and The Youth Media Project of Thurston Community Television.
 
Partners in Prevention Education is a coalition of homeless youth, service professionals, students and other community members who are working to raise awareness of the connections between sexual violence and youth homelessness. Our mission is to impact the norms, attitudes, values, expectations, and assumptions that support sexual violence among youth who are homeless.

The Youth Media Project connects Thurston Community Television’s communication resources with under served youth in Thurston County.  Our mission is to help youth share their voices and their stories with the community while supporting skill development, youth leadership and respect for youth voices.

Thank you to event sponsors!   blue.door.design, The Community Sustaining Fund, Community Youth Services , Food Not Bombs, The Evergreen State College Foundation Activity Grant  & The Urban Layers Project