As many of you know, change is buzzing around SMYRC these days. We’ve got some exciting things on the horizon, but in order to get there we’ve got to shift our programming back a bit. Since October we’ve been open about 25 hours a week, Tuesday through Saturday, and have had so many fantastic groups along with Friday night drop in hours, thanks to many fantastic volunteers and the facilitation and organization of youth and Steering Committee. We found out recently that we have to cut our hours back to just 15 hours a week. Steering Committee has decided to move back to a three nights a week schedule, so SMYRC will be open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 4-9pm again, starting on February 1st.

Attached is the updated calender for February!

Some other changes that they made were this:
-Steering Committee will be moved from Wednesdays at 6pm to Wednesdays from 7-9pm. The space will be closed to anything but Steering Committee.
-Saturdays will always be an informal Dinner and a Movie.
-GenderCrash (a group for trans and gendervariant youth) will still exist as it does on the second Wednesday of the month from 4-6pm but will be held in the art room for confidentiality.
-Many of the groups you saw the past few months will continue to happen informally for the next few months, during drop in hours—so if you need your fix of art group, creative writing group, feminism, etc, keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates!

More emails and Facebook updates will be sent out in the next few weeks as things continue to transition at SMYRC. Please feel free to send any questions you might have about what is going on, or come by Steering Committee for more regular, in depth updates. Coming to Steering Committee also means that YOU have influence over some of the changes that are happening at SMYRC through this organizational transition.

Other upcoming events:
The Oregon Queer Youth Summit is happening again this spring and it’s up to you all to help plan it! They’ve been meeting Monday early in the evening downtown at Pivot. Contact 1988edominguez or call/text 503.780.5521 for more details.

This Monday, January 30th is Outside the Frame: films produced by young filmmakers who have experienced homelessness: "For the second year in a row Outside In’s Guerilla Theatre youth have created films about issues that are important to them. Young filmmakers first participated in a three-week intensive film internship. Interns learned to use filmmaking equipment and wrote, storyboarded, recorded, directed, acted in and edited their pieces. Youth worked from pre-production to post-production with support from Portland Youth Media to create films based on their experiences, in an effort to inspire and educate their peers and the community."http://www.pcs.org/blog/item/outside-in-screening-original-films-by-homeless-youth/ Doors open at 6:30pm, screening is at 7pm at The Armory– 128 NW 11th Ave. Portland, OR (Voodoo Doughnuts and hot chocolate will be served!)
This event is free and open to the public but please reserve your seat at brownpapertickets.com

See you all in February!

feb 2012 calender.docx

program descriptions.docx

I completely forgot to attach the January calender with that email I sent out to you all! Sorry about that–here it is!

january calender.docx

group descriptions jan 2012.docx

Upcoming events to take special note of:

Friday, January 13th, 4:15pm
Before Drag Night starts, come check out the NEW space that SMYRC will be moving to! We’ll be meeting at SMYRC at 4:15pm to head over as a group.

Wednesday, January 18th, 6pm
Join Steering Committee to start working on the layout of the new space. Where should the drag closet go? What about the hair salon? The art room? The planning starts now!

Thursday, January 19th, 5-9pm
Thursday night Dinner and a Movie presents a special screening of "Austin Unbound", a documentary about a Portland man who is deaf and trans. The screening starts at 7pm, with a talk back afterward with Austin himself. This event is open to all SMYRC volunteers and your friends and family.

Monday, January 30th, doors at 6:30pm, screening at 7pm
The Armory– 128 NW 11th Ave. Portland, OR
(Voodoo Doughnuts and hot chocolate will be served!)
Outside the Frame: films produced by young filmmakers who have experienced homelessness
"For the second year in a row Outside In’s Guerilla Theatre youth have created films about issues that are important to them. Young filmmakers first participated in a three-week intensive film internship. Interns learned to use filmmaking equipment and wrote, storyboarded, recorded, directed, acted in and edited their pieces. Youth worked from pre-production to post-production with support from Portland Youth Media to create films based on their experiences, in an effort to inspire and educate their peers and the community."http://www.pcs.org/blog/item/outside-in-screening-original-films-by-homeless-youth/

This event is free and open to the public but please reserve your seat at brownpapertickets.com

PHEW! Keep an eye out for upcoming emails on even more exciting events happening at SMYRC!

We had such a great November at SMYRC, and it’s come to a close with two fantastic events, our annual Harvest Feast and a Know Your Rights training. But December has so much to offer as well! There are many exciting things happening on Thursday, December 1st for World AIDS Day:

World AIDS Day Walking Vigil with the Sisters
7pm – 9pm
“Join the Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as we observe World AIDS Day 2011 by bringing the Veil of Shame and the Veil of Remembrance to the community. Our walking vigil will start at Scandals at 7pm. We’ll visit several establishments and end at CC Slaughters, where we will have a short ritual to burn the Veil of Shame. Free HIV testing will also be available at CC’s from 9pm to 11:30pm. We will be walking rain or shine! Please consider joining us as we remember those we have lost to HIV/AIDS but also as we celebrate life!”

The Living Vigil
6:30-8pm

“Living Vigil returns again for World AIDS Day. This year, we are proud to announce that the event will be at the Q Center.

This year’s partners include the Q Center, Metropolitan Community Church, the Community of Welcoming Congregations and Pride NW. Open to the public, suggested donation if you have it. All net proceeds will go to the HIV Day Center, run by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.

This is not a faith-based event, but it meant to strengthen ties between the faith-based community and the larger LBGTQ population. For many years, faith-based organizations have done tremendous work on behalf of those with HIV, usually with little or no fanfare.”

These are just a few of the events happening tomorrow. Check out the World AIDS Day NorthWest calender for a long list of events happening ALL DAY, including educational events, vigils, art and food, and plenty of free HIV testing locations all over Portland!

Other happenings in December:

Thursday, December 8th

7:30pm-11pm

World Trade Center

121 SW Salmon St

Building 2

Portland, OR 97204

“Against a landscape of greed, sexual politics, and the cries of a sweeping AIDS epidemic, a lost America teeters on the tipping point of an unknown future. This story of love, power, and identity follows characters as diverse as a Mormon housewife, an ex-drag queen, and the fiery attorney Roy Cohn. It’s 1985, and an Angel with steel wings is hurtling toward Earth. Angels In America: Millennium Approaches.”

SMYRC has 10 free tickets. Reserve yours today by emailing jess@smyrc.org

Monday, December 19th

Gay Skate!

7-9pm

Oaks Park

7805 SE Oaks Park Way

Tie up your roller skates and come skate with SMYRC! Sign up to get a ride in the SMYRC van by emailing jess@smyrc.org or meet us there!

Friday, December 30th

Open Mic Night

8-10pm

at SMYRC

We open for drop in at 4pm that night but make sure to be around at 8pm for the last Open Mic Night of 2011! Whether you are an experienced performer, just getting onstage for the first time, or just want to cheer your friends on, Open Mic Night is fun for all.

Saturday, December 31st

New Year’s Eve Drop In Hours

4-9pm

Send off 2011 with SMYRC! Drink hot cocoa, share your new year’s revolutions, play the Wii or just hang out!

And attached is our monthly calender, so check out all the groups happening at SMYRC in December! Stay warm and glittery, SMYRCers!

december calender.docx
group descriptions dec 2011.docx

When: Tuesday, November 29th from 6-9pm
Where: SMYRC, 3024 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland 97212 (off the #6 bus line)

Food will be provided by the Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Capstone class from Portland State University, but if you have a favorite dish you’d like to bring and share, you are more than welcome to.

We can’t wait to see you!

Here ya go!

See you in November!

november calender.docx
group descriptions nov 2011.docx

Halloween has come and gone and we’re all settling into the brisk chill that is autumn in Portland. Need something to do to keep the chill away? Want to come eat dinner and hang out with other rad queer youth? Head over to SMYRC Tuesdays through Saturdays!

Attached is November’s calender for you all, check out some of the great stuff we have going on!

Upcoming things to know about for November:

Sunday, November 13th is Communi-T: Portland’s Trans Resource Fair at the Q Center. Join for the kick-off event leading up to Trans Day of Remembrance! Meet service providers in a nonclinical setting, sit in on a workshop, participate in a variety of ongoing activities, and enjoy the tasty refreshment table. Communi-T is an interactive event to connect trans and genderqueer individuals to address health, legal, and social needs unique to the community.

Sunday November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Keep an eye on our website and Facebook for details about local TDOR events!

Monday November 21st is Gay Skate at Oaks Park. Email to reserve your spot in the SMYRC van or meet us there!

Wednesday, November 30th is the Living Room’s Harvest Feast Potluck and Candlelit Vigil (in recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance), from 4-8pm. This is open to all youth, ages 14-20 AND any members of PFLAG Clackamas County and/or Gay and Grey Portland. Bring yourself, your friends, and your favorite dish or dessert. Please note that you are not required to bring food to attend. Please indicate what type of food you will bring when you RSVP, so we don’t end up with 75 pumpkin pies! (RSVP at to Brenda at thelivingroomcoordinator@gmail.com)
Tuesday, November 29th is SMYRC’s Harvest Feast with Gay and Grey from 6-9pm at SMYRC. Food provided by Molly’s Portland State University Capstone class (those same lovely folks who put on our amazing Halloween party!)

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

It’s been entirely too long since SMYRC’s last email update. Why, you may ask? Because there are so many new and exciting changes happening at SMYRC and we’ve been busy preparing for them!

SMYRC is now going to be open 5 nights a week!

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at SMYRC will have a variety of groups that Steering Committee spent weeks scheduling. We’ve got an art group, a theatre group, fitness and yoga groups, a queer people of color group, a trans/genderqueer/gender non conforming group, a weekly dinner and a movie and so much more! Dinner or snacks will be available at every group. Every Friday at SMYRC will still be drop in as you know it, open 4-9pm for LGBTQ folks between the ages of 12 and 23 to stop by and hang out. And if you want to join in on any of the groups, no need to sign up, just show up and be ready to participate! And if you want to facilitate a group, email jess@smyrc.org.

Attached are the calender for the month of October–take note of October 2nd (AIDS Walk 2011) and October 17th (Gay Skate) as well–and some more detailed information on the groups that are going to be offered at SMYRC. Most months will look similar to this, but every 6 months, groups will be up for reevaluation and rescheduling–so if you want to start a new group, make sure you are coming to Steering Committee to propose your idea!

SMYRC’s new schedule starts on October 5th, so show up starting at 4pm for Skill Development group at 4pm (where we will be planning what types of topics folks want to cover and doing some public speaking exercises) and Steering Committee at 6pm.

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful fall weather. See you soon!

group descriptions oct 2011.docx
october calender.docx

Featuring both SMYRC perfomers (sign up starts at 5pm) and performers from Portland’s Kings for a Cause fundraiser (benefiting SMYRC and Camp Kindle ) which is happening on August 12th.

This show is open to the public so bring your friends and family!

***

Next Wednesday, August 17th , come to Steering Committee at 6pm for more planning of SMYRC programming (new groups! new hours!) that will start in October.

And then, Friday, August 19th, 7-10pm , come to the Fez Ballroom for “Makin’ it Better,” an all ages, drag show fundraiser put on by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. (even though it is all ages, a photo id is required for entry.)