Youth Pride 2012
On Saturday, May 19th, thousands will attend the Massachusetts Youth Pride celebration. It is a one-day annual festival that celebrates the year round commitment of diversity of youth within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Meetings to be held at the Eastern Bank Back Bay Community Room on Dartmouth Street. Every Sunday at 11 a.m.
Registration is now open for both the festival and the march. Applications are available to download www.bostonpride.org. Registration for the festival will close on May 15.
Volunteers are needed to help with the festival and march. The Youth Pride Volunteer application will be available on line soon. Please note, Boston Pride wants nothing but the best for the youth and to give them a safe environment so please be aware all volunteers will have to consent to a CORI check.
Massachusetts High School joins You Can Play Project
The Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) Athletics Department released a video this month joining the NHL's You Can Play Project. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I9RmYY9Trk. NMH is the first high school to make a video as part of the Project.
BAGLY Opens The Clinic @ 620 for Comprehensive Health Services
First of its kind clinic serving LGBT youth and young adults
BAGLY, Inc. is proud to announce the grand opening of The Clinic@620, a first of its kind comprehensive health services clinic and service center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and young adults. The Clinic@620 represents a unique collaboration between BAGLY, Fenway Health and JRI Health, and is supported by funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and individual donors.
“We are honored by our state’s investment in this exciting new initiative aimed at strengthening and promoting the health of LGBT youth, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to work in close partnership with Fenway Health and JRI Health,” said Grace Sterling Stowell, BAGLY’s Executive Director. The Clinic@620 was developed in response to the needs identified by the young people whom we serve, and we are delighted to be able to bring this resource to our communities.”
The Clinic@620, located at 14 Beacon Street, Suite 620, in Boston, will offer comprehensive risk reduction counseling, rapid HIV testing, Hepatitis A and B vaccinations and Hepatitis C screening, STI screening and treatment, and culturally competent referrals to HIV/STI partner services, primary and mental health care, and health insurance enrollment. In addition to its clinical services, BAGLY also expects to offer workshops on job skills, computer skills and GED attainment, as well as opportunities for young people to participate in creative projects including creative writing and video production.
“The Clinic@620 will revolutionize the landscape of health services available to LGBT youth in greater Boston by providing a bridge between youth-led, community based programs and clinical services,” said Jessica Flaherty,BAGLY’s Director of Programs. “It is designed to respond to the disproportionate burden of HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STIs) among young men who have sex with men and transgender women.”
BAGLY is a youth-led, adult supported social support organization that creates, sustains and advocates for programs, policies and services for the LGBT youth communities. BAGLY is the oldest and largest LGBT youth organization in the state, and has over 30 years of experience working with this population, especially those who are most at risk.
