We are abounding with joyous news! The beautiful SOY Mural is up at King

Subway Station as well as a selection of photos created by the amazing 
OUTwords participants. You will also find a photo from the upcoming Stud 
Magazine!
You can find it in the Commerce Court Entrance to the station. We welcome
you all to go visit and take pictures of yourself with the mural and 
photos or take pictures of lovely folks observing these divine creations 
and basking in all of their glory and post any pictures on the Facebook 
Event Page that will be up later on tonight.
Thanks to all of the participants, all of the brilliant facilitators, all 
of the supporters and contributers, all of the organizers, all of the 
artists, every single OUtwords participant and volunteer - you inspire us 
all daily. 
Thanks to you village for your unending support!

This mural honours the spirit of a "dear brother, friend, and cousin to 
all of us who has gone on to the Spirit world; Dylan Jade Corbiere."

Dylan was instrumental in the creation of the mural and brought his 
incredible gifts to the mural and to the space that we all shared. 
Expect to see the plaque created in Dylan's honour arrive in the display 
case in the upcoming weeks.

We would also like to officially introduce our two new part-time staff:

charysse robinson: Events, Outreach & Fundraising Goddess

gabi rodriguez: Arts & Equity Programming Magic Being

They are both much welcome additions to our team and we are excited to 
continue our journey with them beside us.

We would also like to thank Punam Kholsa, our Organizational Mentor who is 
supporting us through our strategic planning and the strategic direction 
of The People Project. Expect to hear more from us in the coming months 
with the launch of our new website.

What's Your Story? LGBTTQQ2SIA Young Leaders' Self-Portraits

This photo exhibit was produced by 10 diverse youth from the LGBTTQQ2SIA 
community as part of the 2010 OUTwords Arts and Leadership program 
facilitated by The People Project. 

What does it mean to be lesbian, to be gay, bisexual, transgendered or two 
spirited and a youth living in Toronto? This photography exhibit subverts 
the ways that mainstream media has negatively or wrongly portrayed the 
LGBT community and challenges stereotypes perpetuated in society by 
creating our own images. By us, for us.

Program participants considered the politics of identity and 
representation in order to create self-portraits that express the 
diversity of sexual orientations, gender performances and all of the many 
intersections of identity that make us the unique and expressive people 
that we are.

OUTwords is A free 5 month program, mashing up media arts, leadership, 
queer-stories and current issues from around the world to fuel an OUTWords 
movement of young Spectrum LGBTTQQ2SIA leaders. 

OUTwords is an intensive arts and leadership program for spectrum youth 
ready to take their ideas, creativity and advocacy to the next level. 
Participants will have access to art, readings, videos, and activities 
that explore our histories and the issues that affect us most today. This 
program encourages critical thinking, creative expression and collective 
advocacy. Participants develop skills in creative writing, storytelling, 
performance, video, public speaking, workshop development and community 
organizing and spectrum networking. Sessions mix up hands on learning with 
group discussion, free writing, guest artists from the spectrum community 
sharing their work and giving workshops, media clips and activities. 
Participants are also supported to perform and/or exhibit the works they 
produce through ongoing mentorship and group projects.

Photographs:

1. Meinthe Mirror, Amefika Afi Browne
2. The Door, Anna Belayev
3. Gay Positive, Gaby Rodriguez
4. Tuff Homo, Heidi Cho
5. Untitled Jae Thuo
6. Javi 3, Javier Cacheiro 
7. Gender Mirror, Lilian Gessner
8. Prince Romeo, Romeo Pierre
9. Fragments, Sarah-Lee Umraugh
10. I got a moustache, Sofia Guerrieri
11. The Barber Shop, Alyssa A.

About The SOY CommUnity Mural:

Birds of a Feather
The SOY CommUnity Mural project was facilitated by The People Project and 
brought together over 100 diverse Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, 
Transexual, Queer, Questioning, Two Spirit and Intersexed youth as well as 
many newcomers and youth of color from across the many groups at 
Supporting Our Youth, a program of The Sherbourne Health 
Center.Participants came together to discuss the significance and import 
of SOY as a safe space and community hub for LGBTTQQ2SIA youth of Toronto. 
We drew upon our discussions to sketch out and paint these ideas into a 
visual that integrates a multitude of voices and ideas. This mural 
acknowledges the challenges that queer and trans youth experience every 
day while celebrating our determination, creativity and brilliance.

Our Concept:
The tree with outstretching branches surrounded by the rainbow represents
the safe haven that SOY provides; a place for LGBTTQQ2SIA youth to meet,
to connect, to nourish ourselves, and to take shelter, to get support, to 
learn, to build new skills, to have fun and to grow our chosen families. 
The birds represent and celebrate the gorgeously diverse and expressive 
LGBTTQQ2SIA youth who are drawn from far and wide to come together, share 
and learn from one another at SOY. We are the color of our community.
The earth is made up of significant words for our community; elements of 
our individual and collective history & identities within which the SOY 
tree is firmly rooted. 

Special thanks to Jordan, Belinda, Reed, George, Hiro, Dylan, Luka, 
Dainty, Brescia, Jocy and all of the amazing staff, volunteers and 
participants at SOY!

This mural project was generously funded by The City of Toronto Arts 
Services.

Supporting Our Youth (SOY) is an exciting, dynamic community development 
project designed to improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
transsexual and transgendered youth in Toronto through the active 
involvement of youth and adult communities. We work to create healthy 
arts, culture and recreational spaces for young people; to provide 
supportive housing and employment opportunities; and to increase youth 
access to adult mentoring and support. www.soytoronto.org

The People Project is a collective and social enterprise dedicated to the 
practice and engagement of people empowerment for social change. Founded 
by youth leaders Kim Crosby and Natalyn Tremblay, The People Project works 
closely with Toronto?s LGBT youth community providing innovative and 
participatory arts and leadership programs and projects. The People 
Project also allies with and supports diverse youth servicing groups and 
organizations in the GTA through equity consultation, strategic planning, 
supporting decision-making processes, evaluation and accountability 
measures, resource development as well as anti-oppression workshops and
trainings. www.thepeopleproject.ca

Kim Crosby
Co-Director and Program Coordinator
2009 Youthline Award Winner "Outstanding Contribution To Community 
Empowerment" 
www.thepeopleproject.ca
info@thepeopleproject.ca
Youtube: The PProject
Twitter: ThPeopleProject
Facebook: The People Project
(416)-557-1397

SOY CommUnity Mural has been generously supported by: 

OUTwords 2010 has been generously supported by:

Please Visit & Support:

http://thestudmagazine.com/