Y.E.S! Youth Fair May 2, 2009

COALITION AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE

Santa Barbara County, California

A project of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Say Y.E.S! to Change!

Youth Empowerment for Safety! Sat & Sun (May 2nd and 3rd)

We are witnessing a change in our nation that is reflected in our community. People are coming together, speaking out and getting involved. This positive energy has the potential to combat negative and destructive trends both in our community and in our culture. People are finally saying they are mad as Hell, they want to be heard and they want to do something about it.

On February 28th, the West Downtown Neighborhood Group brought together a diverse group of Santa Barbarans to protest against violence in our community. They marched on State Street with banners and signs demanding “SAFETY NOW” and “Queremos Paz.” Among the marchers were council members Helene Schneider and Iya Falcone, who addressed the crowd. Organizer Christina Pizarro hopes to keep this energy moving forward proactively to address more than safety concerns in an area that has been historically neglected.

What people need to think about is that for those of us who have the good fortune to live in this area we don’t merely live in a neighborhood; our immediate community extends from Goleta to Carpinteria and what happens in many neighborhoods affects everyone who lives in this community.

With a spirit of community, the Coalition Against Gun Violence is presenting a new event: Y.E.S! Youth Empowerment for Safety: To Inspire Community and Youth Activism for Safety and Non-violence, in collaboration with La Cumbre Jr. High School and Santa Barbara Teen Coalition.

CAGV’s 14th Anniversary Celebration Presents Two Special Events

Y.E.S.! Youth Fair

Saturday, May 2, 2009 
11:00am – 4:00pm 
La Cumbre Jr. High School 
2255 Modoc Rd • Santa Barbara

• An afternoon of multi-media, interactive displays, art, and music themed around the issues of youth and non-violence. La Cumbre Jr. High will also be hosting their annual car show, including food and music.
• CAGV and SB Teen Coalition will be showing "Juvies," a short but powerful documentary film about juvenile detention, as well as the film, "Teen Truth, An Inside Look at Bullying and School Violence." "Juvies" and "Teen Truth" films will be followed by panel discussions with student participation.
• Zaxxr Guerro Llewellyn, an activist artist from Seattle, will exhibit his installation, "Walk the Line Project" – a strand of 15,000 bullet casings representing the average number of people murdered in the United States annually. This exhibit of bullet casings will extend the length of the school track with students holding up fact sheets along the route designed to give information about violence.
• Art works, photo displays and posters by youth themed on the impact of violence. Topics for displays include the impact of violence in the media, alternatives to violence, and the issue of tolerance.
• Music by local young artists to be playing outside while people are visiting the displays and the "Walk the Line Project."
• Youth speakers or poetry readers conducting soapbox readings.
• Local youth-focused organizations with display tables.

Organizational meetings weekly in March and April, on Mondays, 4:30-6:00pm. All welcome! Location to be arranged. Please call CAGV at 564-6803.