Rites of Passage News

Meet the Staff Vice President

WE BELIEVE

Saliha Nelson Northwestern University Graduate, BS

ELDERS are the ANCHORS of the community

Programs Manager, Artistic Director & Newsletter Editor Shedia Nelson Hawai`i Pacific University Graduate, BA

PARENTS are the COACHES and

RITES

OF PA SSAGE

YOUTH are the DRIVERS for CHANGE!

Urgent, Inc.’s mission is to empower young minds to transform their communities.

MAR 2013 CH ISS

UE

Mentor Candice Anderson, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, BFA Mentor Terrance Cribbs-Lo`rrant Bethune Cookman, BA, Florida International University, MS pending Intern Mentor Angela Pascoe Barry University MS pending Youth Advisory Tanisha Fleming Turner Tech SHS

Inside this issue: Events 2 Advice/ Events

3-4

Poetry

5-6

Calendar

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Who inspires the best in you?

URGENT, Inc. Center for Empowerment & Education CE2 1000 NW 1st Ave., Ste 100 Miami, FL 33136 (O) 786.439.154 (F) 866-811-7778 Shedia Nelson, Programs Manager Cel: 305.586.6694 www.urgentinc.org Email: Shedia@urgentinc.org WE VALUE: Patience Responsibility Learning Teamwork Innovation Compassion Reciprocity

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RITES OF PASSAGE NEWS

Miami Dade County Bar Association: Horizons Committee Provides Fieldtrip

When: Saturday, March 30th Career Panel and Mock Interviews

Join the PAINT PARTY! EARN COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS

Friday, March 22 Non-School Day

Sunday, March 10th

Attire: Business Casual Must bring typed resume

Wednesday, March 6th at Edison High School Hands on Cover Letter Workshop VISUAL ART AND CRITICAL ISSUES

Dance Theater production Limited to 10 members Where: Little Haiti Cultural Center

When: Wed, Mar. 13th

On Time: 3-5pm

Become eligible for Summer Career Mentor Paid Internship SUBMIT 1-3RD TERM GRADES, NO D’S OR F’S POLISHED TYPED: RESUME

EMPLOYABILITY READINESS FORMS

Teamwork

“She Kept Her Bra On!: Chroni-

Innovation

CAREER RESEARCH

Compassion

cles of Teenage Love Affair” Original youth led interactive theatrical production

ATTEND 12 EMPLOYABILITY SESSIONS

COVER LETTER THANK YOU LETTER INTERNSHIP APPLICATION PHONE/BUSINESS ETIQUETTE

DEMONSTRATE ALL CORE VALUES: Patience Responsibility Learning

Reciprocity

Complete PORTFOLIO

SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013

due MARCH 30, 2013 TO QUALIFY FOR INTERNSHIP

TICKETS: $15/ADULTS $5/STUDENTS

Snaps! Poetic Youth Expressions All Natural I don’t have to put make up on in the morning to feel beautiful I don’t need a guy to please me and tell me how pretty I am when I already have my family telling me so I don’t need plastic surgery to change this gorgeous creation God made me on this earth.

I don't need technology, chemicals or even people to tell me how I should look, what to wear, how to talk or walk because at the end of the day I’m Me! And no one will ever change that about me!

By Marguerite St. Julien

DEAR BLUE RAIN...

Dear Blue Rain, Why am I arguing over petty stuff when people be texting me and posting stuff? They make me so mad, like...

Sincerely, Frustrated

Dear Frustrated, It’s not so much what people say about you, it’s what you respond to that matters more and how you choose to respond. If you know what’s being said about you is not true whether it’s a text or post, do you need to post or text back? How about talk to them? Take a moment to think before you post, text or message someone in the heat of the moment. Sometimes what you say, post, text or message could not only hurt someone’s feelings, it may trigger that person, possibly you’re best friend, to hurt you, others or themselves.

Our friends and family can be mirrors of what we like and don’t like in ourselves. Usually our greatest flaws in ourselves is what aggravates us most in our relationships. It gets on your nerves because you do it, too. What happens when you choose to be compassionate, listen and watch your friend’s reaction to what you say? You don’t always know what you say or do affects others especially if it’s through a post, text or message. You can’t delete what you said, why delete a true friend if you can talk to work it out? Would you be you’re friend? Think about it. We all have strengths and flaws. We all are a work in progress.

Sincerely, Blue Rain

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WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTHRITES OF PASSAGE NEWS

Celebrating FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA and SOUJOURNER TRUTH Isabella van Wagener, gained her freedom in 1828 and later took on the name Sojourner Truth. During the Civil War she supported black volunteer regiments. She was an early crusader for women's rights to vote and helped put an end to slavery.

Truth met presidents Abraham Lincoln in 1864 and Ulysses S. Grant in 1870, and delivered her signature "Ain't I a Woman?" speech at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851.

For almost 10 years, the National Congress of Black Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of black women and their families, has pushed for Truth to be memorialized in the Capitol. In respect and honor for the slaves who helped build the Capitol, Truth's sculpture will remain on permanent display in the underground visitor center's main space, called Emancipation Hall.

An excerpt of her speech adapted to a poem: That man over there say a woman needs to be helped into carriages and lifted over ditches and to have the best place everywhere.

Nobody ever helped me into carriages or over mud puddles or gives me a best place.

And ain't I a woman?

I have born 13 children and seen most all sold into slavery and when I cried out a mother's grief none but Jesus heard me. . . and ain't I a woman? that little man in black there say a woman can't have as much rights as a man cause Christ wasn't a woman Where did your Christ come from?

From God and a woman!

Man had nothing to do with him!

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down, all alone together women ought to be able to turn it rightside up again.

Join the Paint Party!: URGENT, Inc. is Creating a Legacy in Celebrating Black History Overtown—Join URGENT, Inc.’s Paint Party!: an initiative for building literacy through arts and culture. Come celebrate preservation of Historic Dorsey Park on Friday, March 22, 2013 from 8:30am—3:30pm.

A community paint-a-thon fund raiser in efforts to bring people together to help transform Dorsey Park in commemoration of the Negro League Baseball. Paint with local mentoring artists and internationally renown and celebrated artist Kadir Nelson!

REVITALING MIAMI’S HISTORIC

DORSEY PARK, HOME OF OF THE NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL IN OVERTOWN!

Dorsey Park located at 1701 NW 1st Ave., Miami, FL 33136. Please register to participate. Call (305) 915-3195 or email: Emily@urgentinc.org

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RITES OF PASSAGE NEWS

What’s Happening in Rites of Passage Reality Works: Simulated pregnancy is tiring.

The Game of Life

MOCA: Women on the Rise workshop celebrating self through art (Photo in Center)

Simulated real care parenting

Teen Dating Violence discussion

Experiential Learning

Rural camping in Jupiter, FL with Sierra Club

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RITES OF PASSAGE NEWS

She Kept Her Bra On!: Campaign for Girls-Well-being produces “Chronicles of Teenage Love Affairs”, a youth-led production

With the support of Macy’s for donating over $600 worth of bras for the past 3 years and school board member of district 2, Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall championing a teen dating policy with a peer led curriculum for Miami Dade Public Schools is helping to elevate girls well-being!

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Rites of Passage Youth Development Girls Club Meetings For Who: Girls ages10-18 Closed: Holiday and Spring Break, Teacher Planning, Early Release Days and inclement weather

Where: Edison Park Elementary Where: Media Center

When: Tuesdays Time: 2:30-5:00pm Room: 203 Where: Edison Eduplex SHS

*For more information: Call (305)586-6694

500 NW 67th St., Miami, FL 33150

6161 NW 5th Ct. Miami, Fl 33127

Work America, Inc.

When: Wednesdays Time: 2-4pm

When: Wednesdays and Thursdays

430 NW 9th St. Miami, FL 33136 When: Mondays Time: 6:30-8pm

Time: 3–5pm Rm: C-149 Where: B. T. Washington, Sr.

Girl Power

1200 NW 6th Ave. Miami, FL 33136

6015 NW 7th Ave., Miami, FL 33127

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31 Hands 2 Help, Inc.: Passage to Womanhood 3rd year partnership Sierra Club Miami Inner City Outings 8 year partnership Dade County Bar Association Horizons Committee, 7 yr partnership

THANK YOU COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Mi-Lola—Miami International Latinas Organizing Leadership and Advocacy, 3rd year partnership IT Women—Information TechnolProgram funding provided ogy, 3rd year by: partnership

9 yr partnership

Thank you for re-funding

Rites of Passage for 2012-2013 The Rites of Passage Program is generously funded by The Children’s Trust. The Children’s Trust is a dedicated source of funding created by voter referendum in 2002 to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County by making strategic investments in their future – because all children are our children.