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August 24, 2010

Production of Dog Sees God at Coffeehouse

On Friday, August 13th, 2010 at the PFY Coffeehouse a group of dedicated participants premiered their own production of the off Broadway hit Dog Sees God. They spent many weeks in preparation, working hard to make the play come together for opening night. Our participants are very adept at producing entertainment for Coffeehouse that is emotionally impacting, educational and entertaining for their peers. This play was a hit and everyone in attendance loved it . Brittney, a dedicated participant took on the huge role of director where her strong background in theater was obvious. Brittney was involved in many productions in her high school and at SUNY Fredonia including Suessical the musical, Footloose, and Terror In The Trees. She was also in choir, often as a soloist, for many years and directed the Rent Showcase here at Pride for Youth last year. Rebecca, who played the role of CB’s sister has also been involved in theatre for many years. Rebecca’s first role was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when she was just seven years old at her summer camp. She continued going to sleep away theater camp for five years participating in ten more shows. Quoted from Rebecca, “each show has taught me something new that I carry with me everywhere. But the most important and recurring theme I’ve gotten from each show is definitely that working with those you love doing a thing you love is something you keep with you forever.” In the matter of a few weeks the show was put together. The youth rehearsed a few times per week putting in a lot of hard work to make this play possible. One participant, Sam, that played the part of CB, the main character, was very convincing in his role captivating the audience with true emotion. All of the roles played in this show were alluring and entertaining, making a wonderful play. The play focuses on many issues that hit close to home for many of our participants here at Pride for Youth. Dog Sees God is set in a high school setting and addresses issues such as coming out, homophobia, social stigma, social isolation and suicide. With an emotionally gripping yet humorous twist the play gives everyone something they can relate to. It is also quite the eye opener for how the seemingly less impacting issues can escalate into more severe crises. The cast: CB: Sam CB’s sister: Rebecca Beethoven: Thomas Matt: Katerine Tricia: Sarah Marcy: Yelena Van: Mary Van’s sister: Lisa Special thanks to Lisa for putting in extra hard work and helping direct and build sets. Stage Crew: Jeff Amanda Mike

August 3, 2010

Annual camping trip!

We were very fortunate this summer to be able to take 16 of our youth on a wonderful five-day camping trip to the Boston/Cape Cod area. This trip was not only fun but also very meaningful. Our youth get a chance to interact with staff and build friendships with their peers on a weekly basis here at Pride for Youth. But a trip like this really deepens these relationships and creates lifelong memories.

We packed up the vans to leave bright and early Monday morning and set off. Arriving at the campgrounds was quite exciting after the five hour ride. We immediately unpacked and ran off to the pool. The campgrounds were packed full of fun. The jumping pillow was a favorite among our kids, and some staff as well! We cooked up dinner barbecue style and all enjoyed each other’s company. Following dinner that night we did some fun team building activities. Everyone enjoyed “knee-tag” and a good old-fashioned game of Manhunt.

On Tuesday we packed ourselves in the vans again to head off to Salem! We started off at the Witch Museum. They gave us a lovely tour and a greater understanding of what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. We also took a tour of a horror movie museum. We spent the rest of the day shopping around the cute old fashioned town.

Wednesday we spent in Boston. We started off touring the famous Boston aquarium. I’ll never forget how excited one of the kids, an aspiring marine biologist, was to have that experience. After the aquarium we hopped on a boat for a five hour whale watching tour. They brought us way out into the open sea at an exhilarating speed to see the whales. The perfect weather held out for us right until the very end of our boat ride. Then back to camp for dinner and activities we went. With a little struggle we managed to get our fire started. We made smores and played improv acting games right up until bed time.

Thursday morning came quite quickly and we departed for Provincetown. Once again the weather was perfect for the two hour ferry ride. We all enjoyed our time out on the water. The kids were so excited to shop around Provincetown and enjoy the beach. The kids were very excited to be in such a LGBT friendly town. When we arrived back at camp it was time for our last camp fire together before departing home the next morning.

The end of the trip came quickly for all of us. Friday we found ourselves back on the road heading home. We asked the kids to each name their three favorite parts of the trip. The majority said their favorite parts were the day in Salem, the jumping pillow at the campgrounds, and the opportunity to get to know their counselors and peers so much better.