Our research during Pride Walk 2009, revealed that the number one thing that homeless youth request coast to coast, is someone they can talk to about the trauma they experience everyday. This is why Operation Shine America speaks out so strongly about, The Trevor Project. We discovered that 5 out of 10 of the homeless youth we interviewed thought seriously about taking their own lives. That number rose to almost 82% of the LGBTQI youth that we spoke to. And we learned that almost 40% of homeless youth identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, or Intersex (LGBTQI). This means that a huge causal factor in youth homelessness is queerphobia.
These next 2 years must go down in history, as a profound time when America woke up, to one of the greatest youth epidemics of our time. The positive actions that we take for homeless youth must be remembered in the hearts of all those participating, as the moment when taking a life into your own hands......means something positive. We need to reach out to these youth. We need to open our hearts and minds to their suffering - even when they stand strong and nonchalantly say, "It's okay. I can handle it. The streets are my home."
We must learn to say to them, "Yes. I understand that. Probably the only real home you have ever known. You also have a home in my fierce heart. And I will do whatever it takes, to get you everything you need, to have the life you truly deserve." Still, some of these youth are not coming back. Some exist now in a box, 20 feet underground. They are an underground nation of children, that have survived the intense and unbearable languishment of our society's complete rejection of them. Some of these youth are not interested any longer in being assimilated back into a society, that has for the most part, completely abandoned them.
Our mission at Operation Shine America is to incorporate these youth, not assimilate them. We have discovered that homeless youth have a great deal to offer us. By trying to assimilate them, we are asking them to abandon entire street families, that have in some ways saved their lives. The homeless experience comes with intense suffering and incredible social barriers that sometimes feel unbearable. Yet, these remarkable homeless youth have taken their suffering and created entirely new societies, with aspects of success that have yet to be achieved in our more common societies. We have much to learn from one another. As we learn to incorporate these amazing homeless communities, we will learn a profound sense of honor. We must learn to celebrate them instead of reject them. As we do this, all of our communities will evolve and grow with the power of coexistence. Ask the advocates that fight endlessly on the front lines, "What do you see in homeless youth?"......they will speak of beauty that has no words, strength that has no earthly match, loyalty that lives even beyond the grave, and a fierce passion that drives us all to be the best we can be.
It is also important for our community to take a moment and rest. To know that it is okay to not know exactly what to do. It is okay to work so hard, and yet feel like we have not even scratched the surface. This is our collective heart speaking. This is our opportunity to allow it to be heard. We will take all the anger that has welled up inside of us, from being continuously placed in a state of hopelessness - and focus it into direct actions that will make a positive impact.
The core cause of homelessness is the break down and loss of healthy vibrant empowered communities. Now is the time to reclaim our communities. We will take back our dignity, our hopes, our dreams, our power, our lives, and the beautiful and remarkable lives of these youth. We will stand with these homeless youth as EQUALS, and speak out against injustice.
Our genuine respect for homeless youth is born out of our understanding to see the meaning of justice in even the most difficult of situations. These youth have been forced to choose between unspeakable things and death - between breaking laws and survival - between the love they have for their street families and the individual programs of recovery that are offered. That they are even alive is a miracle.
We must also remember those who have passed away. We must nurture a special kind of unity to resolve this nationwide epidemic. Our walk must be a vigil. A vigil is a time of wakefulness......a perfect analogy for homeless youth and their advocates waking up all over the world. This is a time to honor those noble ones who have passed, those who are present, and those who are yet to come. We are all making a difference. We celebrate our hard work, in surviving what may often feel unbearable, in waking up even though it is sometimes hard, and in growing up - because we must - in order to move forward. We are learning how to love so deeply, that even our pain becomes a perfect circle back into the authentic nature of who we really are.
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LISTEN
Listen to your heart. To your fellow advocates. To your community. To the homeless youth centers and programs in your area. Listen to your mentors and to those who inspire and empower you. Listen to that silent passion that runs through your fierce heart and soul. Listen to the collective voice that pushes you to make a positive impact. Listen to the homeless youth. And you will know EXACTLY what must be done in your area to make a powerful and positive impact.
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ABOUT OPERATION SHINE AMERICA
Please email Operation Shine America: noble.echo@gmail.com. Let us know what you are doing in your area and who is involved. We would love to help promote your organization.
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