AFSC Youth Organizers Converge In The Bay Area

AFSC Staff from Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Baltimore, Oakland, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle came together July 20-23 in the Bay area to explore ways to improve the impact of our work and create more ways to cross pollinate our local work. The common thread between staff who came out to the meeting was our youth focus.

The meeting was hosted by AFSC's Pablo Paredes who's doing some pretty dynamic youth work in the Bay. Pablo has brought together an amazing group of young folks who have founded, or birthed the 67 Suenos movement. 67 Suenos youth organizers played a huge role in developing the weekend agenda, preparing meals, and keeping everyone energized. BIG ups to 67 Suenos crew!

I'm super pumped about the projects that will be coming out of this gathering. Look for more news about our Migrant Youth Voice Project making bigger national waves, and we also are beginning initial plans to roll out a youth organized national tour call...LOVE BOMBS!

We also had the chance to show the locally produced short documentary, "Last Best Option" which focuses on SCAP work we've been doing in Atlanta this year. Check it out:

LAST BEST OPTION from T.J. Hicks on Vimeo.

There was also talk of doing a 2013 national youth conference that would be youth organized, youth attended, and youth lead! So we're on the move ya'll!


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Love Bombs Hit Atlanta!!

Student Career Alternatives(SCAP) yearly awareness/fundraiser was a big success on several levels::))

Level One: The turn out was awesome! Managed to pull in several distinctly different crowds in multiple locations. There were a ton of fresh faces! SCAP organizers did an amazing job promoting the show.

Level Two: We had hoped that the crowd would be younger this year. It was! So many high school students came out thanks to all the work Moondogs, Paper Champion, Nina, Hunter, and others did. Although I'm actually a fan of what some call the young radical usual suspects, and I'm comfortable in a crowd full of friendlies, it was really great to have SOOO many new people

Level Three: The music was really great. I go to so many shows where you have three or four acts playing to the same genre, it's nice to have some cross pollination in the Atlanta music scene.

Check them out for yourself:
Criminal Records Bands:
Moondogs
http://www.facebook.com/MoondogsATL
Paper Champion
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paper-Champion/124394310923839?ref=ts

5-Spot Bands:
The Back Pockets
http://www.myspace.com/thebackpockets
Brefontaine
www.brefontaine.com
Sonen
http://www.myspace.com/sonen
Dark Dark Dark
http://www.myspace.com/darkdarkdarkband


Thanks everyone who came out! Thanks everyone who worked to make it happen!!!
Special Thanks to Molly McLaughlin for creating our amazing Love Bombs back drop with all the hearts, Lisa Kinne for creating our poster, Criminal records for letting us use their space for free, the sound guy Ian(nicest sound guy in Atl) @ 5-spot, Joey Arbuckle for running sound at Criminal, Josie and Edric Figueroa for making shirts, Josie also took pics, Erica Schoon for organizing the auction area, Brett Davidson, Ben Grad for the amazing photos, John Zientowski, and Jenell Holden for workhorsing all night, and Nina Montgomery for emceeing with Brett at Criminal. SCAP works cause of ya'll:)

Photo's by Josie Figueroa and Ben Grad!




To Learn more about SCAP visit:
www.scapatl.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=60700687&v=wall&story_fbid=154444804596056&po=1&notif_t=share_comment#!/group.php?gid=84046300674

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/550089638

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee