Thank you to everyone who supported ALSO's Second Annual Turkey Trot! Over 640 people ran over the  gorgeous Ringling Causeway. We owe a huge amountof gratitude to our host, Mark Becker, General Manager of the Hyatt. In addition to hosting the event, Mark served on the Turkey Trot Committee, our thanks other committee members Greg Taylor, Bill Geller, ana Pat Jones, Race Coordinator Extraordinnaire!

To see photos from the ALSO Turkey Trot 2011,

Please visit:

http://public.fotki.com/Frederick/events/also-turkey-trot-11/

Questions or comments, please call Sue Westcott at ALSO (941)951-2576 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Do you know of a Gay owned or friendly business? ALSO Youth suggests you advertise with our friends at Rainbow411.com.  For every business referred, Rainbow411 will give back to ALSO 10% of the profits for each sale.. every year that business renews! Advertising with Rainbow411.com help ALSO and provides your business with outstanding visibility! 

Statistics don’t lie, but they don’t always show you the truth either.   When you reduce people to behaviors, numbers, and trends, the aspect of humanity you are trying to gauge or measure is poorly translated into math, and so many people ignore statistics, assuming they are not as accurate as our first hand observation, anecdotal evidence, or assumptions.   Surveys, polls, and statistics are fairly accurate at some things though, and when it comes to determining the safety and well being of the youth in our community, it is probably best to take a balanced approach and use our common sense and observation as well as seek direct input from the youth we hope to help.  Who better to teach us about youth issues, then the youth themselves!

In Sarasota County, students are asked to participate in one of two surveys given annually depending on the student’s grade level.  One survey is known as the “Youth Risk Behavior Survey” (YRBS) and is largely based on a CDC survey as part of their “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System” (YRBSS).   These surveys are taken statewide and across the nation and they serve as a fairly accurate barometer of the behaviors our young people self-report.    Students are not required to participate in this survey and the entire process is voluntary.   Local results from these tests are released yearly through the “Safe & Drug Free Schools” (SDFS) committee, a group open to the public and charged with the responsibility of determining the suitability of guest speakers and presentations in local schools, and working together to present solutions to issues youth are facing in our schools.  

This year’s survey results are from the 2008/2009 school year when 1,129   9th and 11th graders took the YRBS.  The majority of Students were white (70.9), non-white Hispanic or Latino (10.1%), or African-American (8.3%).   The YRBS also includes state and national survey results and compares them to our local results.   The YRBS is not currently available on the website for the school district, but is available to the public upon request – we also have a few copies at ALSO that are available for review and discussion.

Many of the areas in which risky behaviors increased since the last survey were drug/alcohol related, un-safe sex related, or associated with violence.  Over 44% of respondents had at least one drink of alcohol in the last 30 days, and 36% of respondents reported riding in a car with someone who had been drinking 1 or more times in the last 30 days,.   Teen drinking is not a new phenomenon, but teenage binge drinking (defined in the YRBS as have had 5 or more drinks in a row), is on the rise with 28% of students reporting a drinking binge within the last 30 days.     Also, Marijuana use within the past 30 days has spiked from 19% in 2006 to 28% in 2008.   Particularly alarming was the doubling of students reporting Cocaine use in the past 30 days, going from 4% in 2006 to 8% in 2008.  While such a low percentage might seem like just a fluctuation, when you turn those numbers back into real teens with real world problems, it’s a big deal, and it matters to every one of us living in this community.

Students in Sarasota County are taught about HIV/AIDS (as 89% of students reported), but condoms are not discussed in detail or frequency, and are not made available to them at school for free.   This mixed message about safe/un-safe sex has led to an increase in teen sex and a decrease in condom use.   In 2006, 40% of students reported having had sexual intercourse at least once -- in 2008, 48% reported having had sex.  In 2006, 11% of students reported having had sexual intercourse with four or more people in their lifetime – in 2008, 17% reported having had sex with 4+ people.   Youth reporting use of a condom the last time they had sex also decreased in frequency from 2006 (66%) to 2008 (51%).  In other words, more students are having sex, they are having sex with many more partners, and they are using condoms less.  Clearly an abstinence only + HIV education curriculum does not work – teach students about condoms, make them available for free, and protect students and our community!

Violent behaviors such as bullying and fighting on school property are also on the increase since 2006, with students reporting being in a physical fight on school campus in the last 30 days up from 12% to 14%, and 25% of students reporting being bullied on campus in the past 12 months.   Not surprisingly, over 9% of students reported not going to school on 1 or more days because they felt unsafe, and 17% of students report actually attempting suicide at least one time in the past 12 months (a disturbingly high number).  GLBTQ youth are especially at risk of missing school because of teasing and name calling, attempting or considering suicide, and are often involved in violence because of bullying (though our district does not record such data on this survey).   One thing our district survey does do is ask students whether they have been a victim of teasing or taunts because someone thought they were gay, lesbian, or bisexual.   Overall, 15 % of students reported such abuse at school (that’s 16.5% of girls and 20% of boys).    Clearly, much improvement is needed in our local schools to protect our youth from needless bullying, worry, and violence.   Inclusion of this question and questions like it illustrate a willingness to address GLBTQ issues is Sarasota Schools, but continued participation with and feedback to/from the schools is vital.  ALSO is continually working to improve our dialogue with the Sarasota School District, local principals and counselors, and the teachers and students themselves, and we encourage our donors, supporters, allies and friends to do the same!  

 

Friends and Supporters,

First and foremost, thank you for your continued support of ALSO Out Youth! We have faced many challenges the last few years, and with your help we have made it through and are now seeing a record number of youth at our drop-in Center, expanded programs, and a new sense of accomplishment in making our community a better place for our LGBTQ youth and their families and friends.

Our Executive Director, Sue Westcott, and our board of directors have really stepped up to promote our renewed message and vision.

With a reduction in grants and business donations, we have expanded our events and have found innovative ways to fund our programs. But your continued support now and in 2012 is needed more than ever.

One important initiative is our Mentor Program which will become operational in 2012. As part of that program we hope to send several youth to Orlando to distribute voter registration forms during Gay Days at Disney. ALSO is part of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation's "Gulf Coast Gives" website (www.gulfcoastgives.org/projects/452). Our current project is to help fund our Mentor Program, and any and all donations are greatly appreciated.

We also will be having Hudson Taylor of Athlete Ally (www.athleteally.org) visiting Sarasota and our area schools in 2012 to spread this organization's important message of learning appreciation of differences and overcoming anti-gay bullying in athletics. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting event.

Again, THANK YOU in helping to make 2011 a success for ALSO. We look forward to many, many more years of providing support and resources to our GLBTQ youth.

All the best,

Greg Taylor, 

President of the ALSO Board