Stand up, speak out, be free

Politics aside, I can’t help but think about all of the recent news coverage of young people across the globe passionately speaking up for freedom and their rights. Visions of youth in Egypt and Libya fill my mind. When I think about what their realm of experience must be like in a place where all are not treated equally or where one can’t dress as they choose, support the political movement of their choice and express their opinions and views without fear I think young people in the United States are so fortunate.

Would young people in the US agree? Well hopefully they do but I think they would tell us it isn’t as simple as we would like to think. Certainly on the more macro level teens living in a city like ours in Minneapolis don’t have to face the challenges like their peers in Cairo or Tripoli today but they face the universal challenge of growing up, figuring out who they are going to be while navigating the complex route of friendships, peer pressures and changes that come with coming of age. As I watched YPC’s recent performance of Mean I thought about the young characters that were not free from criticism, bullying and attack for expressing their freedoms. If we can’t let our teens express their choice of religion, sexuality or just accept each other for who we are regardless of our shape, size or fashion sense then maybe there are more similarities between those in Cairo and Libya and those down the street.

Why do teens come to YPC? They come to YPC to raise their voices. They come to find a place where they can express themselves and are free to stand up for what they believe in. They come to share their lessons with others. They come to find others who regardless of background, religion or race share something with them.

Why should you come to YPC? You should come to YPC to recognize the talents and stories of these young people who are speaking up. You should come to YPC to support a place that gives young people the stage to express themselves.

So whether you attend the performances of Mean this weekend, attend the Glitterball Rock the Cause event on April 8th, come to a fun filled evening at the annual Cattle Call event April 10th, or the Creating the Future fundraising breakfast, I hope you raise your voice in support of YPC, in support of young people in our community, in support of the right for each of us to be who we are and to enjoy the freedoms we have.

I hope to see you at YPC!

-Jodi Lebow, YPC Board Member

Empowerment? by board member Joan

Last summer, I had the honor of interviewing Rita Cannon, the YPC alum who wrote the screenplay for MEAN (Watch Video). At the time she had no idea what she was going to write, and was very nervous about the challenge ahead of her. Jacie Knight (Founder/Artistic Director) had recently asked her to help out with the development of the play. Jacie had some ideas, but she specifically sought out Rita because she wanted someone younger and closer to the realities of bullying. To Rita, “help out” meant, you know, give her opinion, brainstorm, co-write some scenes maybe. But after their first meeting, Rita said she realized that “help” really meant “write the play.” Before she knew it, her name was on the season’s brochure: MEAN. Written by Rita Cannon. She knew she couldn’t back out now. But the cool thing was that even though Rita had never taken on such an enormous, important project before, she knew she could do it… because Jacie knew she could do it.

That is the magic of YPC: Empowering youth to reach farther than they ever thought they could go. I am proud to serve on the board of an organization that truly makes a difference, not just for the audience, but for the kids who are involved in YPC who grow into confident, talented, creative leaders in our community.