We are initiating a “Rural Storytelling Project”. We hope to train a cadre of storyteller/trainers. Teams of these individuals will hold events in all the little cities around South Dakota to teach people to tell their own stories to challenge and engage their communities on LGBT equality. This program is based on the successful efforts of Minnesotans for All Families during the Amendment fight in MN. We are recruiting 20-30 potential leaders from around South Dakota. We will consider 1) leadership potential; 2) prior contributions to the movement; 3) commitment to this project; 4) diversity and intersectionality; 5) geographic diversity (i.e. East River and West River). If selected you will attend training in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 16 & 17, 2015 with most rooms, tuition, and most meals paid by BHCFE (through a grant from PFund). The team will meet with representatives of LGBT groups and leaders from around the region for organized conversation and brainstorming session. Saturday night will include an event at a local gay club. By the end of the weekend, we will have the general shape of a curriculum to take to South Dakota communities and a vision for the LGBT movement in South Dakota. By the end of the MN meeting we will have a plan to finalize the curriculum. The current vision is for team members on each side of the state to meet separately a few times. Then the whole cadre will do a day-long meeting in Chamberlain, SD tentatively set for August 22, 2015. The goal of the presentations will be to engage participants in conversations about their own stories and to equip them to engage people in their communities in their daily lives. The idea is that the demand for equality should go viral. For each presentation we will recruit a local sponsor. Initially these people will likely be friends or family of cadre members. This person will help the cadre organizer to locate a space to hold an event, publicize the event, and recruit participants. We also hope that many of the local sponsors will eventually join the cadre or take on other leadership in the movement. Our goal is that within 5 years we will hold a presentation within 25 miles of every one of the 311 towns in South Dakota. If you are chosen to participate in the program, you must commit to attending both trainings (Minneapolis and Chamberlain). You must also commit to help organize events in your region and to participate in events organized by another member. The closet is deep in South Dakota. Our events are designed to give LGBT people and their allies the permission and support they need to come out of the closets. By having out leaders and allies visit small communities around the state, we raise visibility and encourage those who are hiding to rise up and make a difference in their communities. This project is designed to be an absolute game changer for South Dakota. We hope to fundamentally transform the landscape in South Dakota. TO APPLY SUBMIT THE COMPLETED APPLICATION TO [email protected] or BHCFE; Attn: David Patton; P.O. Box 9504; Rapid City, SD 57709-9504 by March 2 at 5pm. Decisions will be announced by April 3, 2015. The app is available under the Get Involved tab at bhcfe.org.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 01:19:01 +0000
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