Promoting CommUNITY - For Teens
Overview
This inspiring educational series (a parallel offering to the adult series) invites middle- and high-schoolers to explore ways to build awareness, compassion and kindness in their everyday lives. Each month centers around a new theme, offering opportunities to connect beyond our differences, foster meaningful relationships, and grow as better friends, allies and community members. We will explore the monthly themes in two meetings per month, taking guidance from:
Guest speakers. We'll hear from cool guest speakers who bring fresh insights on each month’s theme, helping us better understand and support one another.
Book clubs. We'll dive into curated reads tied to the monthly topic, sparking thought-provoking and heartfelt conversations. Participants must purchase or source library copies the books*.
Together, let’s gain the skills to be active allies and create a stronger, more unified community. Join us and be part of something meaningful!
Themes
February: Understanding Racial Equity (details below)
March: Gender Equity and Empowerment
April: Disability Awareness and Advocacy
May: Ageism and Age Discrimination Awareness
September: The History and Experience of Refugees and Immigrants in America
October: LGBTQ+ Inclusion
November: Interfaith Dialogue and Religious Inclusion
Non-Y members are welcome to attend any or all of these sessions, but will need to sign up for a free Community Membership in order to register.
March: Gender Equity and Empowerful
Join us as we break down what sexism and gender oppression really mean, from its history to how it shows up in our daily lives. We'll talk about the harmful effects of stereotypes and objectification, and discuss simple ways we can challenge these ideas. We'll also explore how gender inequality affects our health and well-being, and how we can work toward a more fair and supportive world together. This event is part of the Promoting CommUNITY series and invites you to learn, connect, and take action. Don't miss out on this chance to make a real difference and be a part of the change!
Cookies, Cocoa and Book Discussion
DATE: Thursday, Mar. 27, 4 to 5 p.m.- LOCATION: Corner Hut (Youth Wing)
- COST: Free
- REGISTRATION: Link coming soon!
- BOOK*: We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – this is a short read, only about 50 pages!
*Tsunami Books has generously partnered with the Y to offer a 20% discount to the first 10 customers who purchase We Should All Be Feminists from them! Just mention the YMCA book club when you check out.
Summary: In this personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from the much-admired TEDx talk of the same name—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.
April: Disability Awareness and Advocacy
Join us as we explore Disability Awareness and Advocacy, focusing on the importance of respectful, inclusive language and the barriers individuals with disabilities face in our communities. We'll also discuss how we can become better allies and advocates for people with disabilities. This event, part of the Promoting CommUNITY series hosted by the Eugene Family YMCA, invites us to learn, connect, and take meaningful action to build a more inclusive and supportive world. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, grow, and become the best community members and neighbors we can be!
Speaker Meeting
- DATE: Thursday, Apr. 3, 4 to 5 p.m. in the Corner Hut (Youth Wing)
- COST: Free
- SPEAKER: TBA
Cookies, Cocoa and Book Discussion
DATE: Thursday, Apr. 17, 4 to 5 p.m.- LOCATION: Corner Hut (Youth Wing)
- COST: Free
- BOOK*: Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig
*Tsunami Books has generously partnered with the Y to offer a 20% discount to the first 10 customers who purchase Sitting Pretty from them! Just mention the YMCA book club when you check out.
Summary: Growing up as a paralyzed girl during the 90s and early 2000s, Rebekah Taussig only saw disability depicted as something monstrous (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), inspirational (Helen Keller), or angelic (Forrest Gump). None of this felt right; and as she got older, she longed for more stories that allowed disability to be complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling.
Writing about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn’t fit, Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life.Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. By exploring this truth in poignant and lyrical essays, Taussig illustrates the need for more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity. Sitting Pretty challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we set to work to write an entirely different story.
