2013 SUMMER PROGRAM: BAY-Peace will be offering a six week summer program which will include an intensive Theater of the Oppressed training with John Scott, a world renowned drama therapist. Participants will learn to facilitate Theatre of the Oppressed exercises that will draw out the experiences of young people who are encouraged to practice more creative ways to deal with the violence and oppression they face. We will be offering youth-led workshops during this period, so please contact us if you have an opportunity to bring this amazing form of popular education to your group or class this summer. More details coming soon. 510-863-1737, baypeace@baypeace.org

The workshops we offer are highly interactive, utilizing Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed structures and exercises to draw upon social justice related stories from the participants. In our interactive youth-led presentation-performances, audiences are encouraged to be ‘spect-actors.’ In this way young people are able to bring their minds, hearts and bodies into play as they explore ways to transform the violence which is often part of their experience with institutions like the military, the police/prison system and immigration enforcement (ICE).

If you are part of a youth group and would like to host a BAY-Peace theater workshop/performance with your group, please let us know! 510-863-1737, baypeace@baypeace.org
 

BAY-Peace Visits the Big Apple!

by Tele'jon Quinn

On March 20th the BAY-Peace team flew out to New York for a Spring break we will never forget! For many of us it was our first time there and for some of us it was our first time flying. Nearly every moment of the trip was a completely new experience that offered a lot to learn from. We are especially appreciative of the former BAY-Peace team member, Abraham Velasquez and our sister organization, The YA-YA Network. They made our week long stay in NYC not only welcoming, but they made it feel like home. We also appreciate the Brotherhood/Sister Sol for allowing us to share and receive art with the talented young folks in their Lyrical Circle.

Of all of our major impactful experiences, the Lyrical Circle with Brotherhood/Sister Sol was one of our first. For those of you unfamiliar with what goes on in a lyrical circle, we share our lyrics! Usually through spoken word or hip hop. We had the privilege of hearing their stories in the different style of writing the East Coast has to offer. However different the stories were, there was usually a common ground in the struggles between the East and West. We related to stories of destructive relationships, poverty, and gentrification. Watching the thousands of films that portray life in New York City could never have prepared us for the real experiences these young artists shared with us.

Next on our list of dope impactful experiences was the Street Harassment Summit; that was organized and facilitated by young people. At this summit we had interesting dialogue around the role of womyn in street harassment. People shared thought provoking personal experiences. Working in small groups, we identified the root causes, the institutions that reinforce, the outcomes and effects, and realistic solutions to the street harassment issue. By far the most interesting conversation that came up, in my opinion, was the claim that even if a womyn chose to engage a street harasser and pursue sexual relations, that none of us has the right to judge her and say she doesn't have respect for herself.  Some very interesting debate arose from this statement, and that dialogue was the highlight of my summit experience.

But that was all just a portion of what we experienced in New York. We did so much from facilitating a Theater of the Oppressed workshop for our YA-YA fam to trying strange new food from some Mom and Pop shops, and even having our first White Castle Sliders. We danced in front of projects at night, we freestyled on subways, and we had full-blown cyphers on the glowing streets of Time Square. We did just about everything a dope young group could do in NYC, except feed one of the largest capitalist monsters in the country. Alright, maybe we fed it a little.

"BAY-Peace 2012" — A six-minute journey
 

Video by Abe Velazquez

PLAY VIDEO  Thanks to Abe Velazquez for editing some highlights of a great year into this six minute video. It includes our street actions, forum theatre work, our "Instruments of Peace" workshops at Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, and our Lyrical Circles poets. And thanks to all the amazing young people who have contributed their talents, intelligence and passion to BAY-Peace. Together, we are making a difference in Oakland!

"Train of Thought" — Poetry in Action
Senior Project by Tele'Jon Quinn

PLAY VIDEO  Tele'Jon Quinn, together with Christsna Sot, Brian Piera and Megan Torio, shared their original poetry on the BART trains in an effort to raise consciousness about the issue of youth homicides—in particular those being carried out by professional and vigilante law enforcement officers. Tele'Jon Quinn is a member of the BAY-Peace Youth Action Team who graduated from Met West High School in June 2012 and now attends Laney College. He, Megan, Christsna and Brian have all been active with BAY-Peace and participate in the Friday night Lyrical Circle Writers Group at BAY-Peace.

BAY-Peace Tax Day Action in Oakland!
On April 17th BAY-Peace Youth Leaders and students from our Resistance Art Projects Class at Oakland Emiliano Zapata Street Academy teamed up with youth from 67 Sueños, war tax resisters and a coalition of other anti-war activists including Code Pink, Grandmothers Against the War, Courage to Resist on Tax Day.  We used poetry, theater and dance to let folks know how the youth of Oakland feel about  the fact that half our federal taxes are used for war!

Thanks to Ces Rosales, Siri Margerin, Jeff Paterson & Lucinda Daly for taking these beautiful photos of our Tax Day Action!

And thanks to David Nelson for creating this video of our Flash Mob dance.

Check out our Video "BAY-Peace Anthem"

"BAY-Peace Anthem" is a short video created by the BAY-Peace "Cost of War" class at Emiliano Zapata Street Academy in the Spring of 2011. It is set to original music by Luis Montoya, and co-directed by Egypt Claxton. It was featured at the 2nd Annual If I Had a Trillion Dollars (IHTD) Youth Film Festival in Washington D.C. 
To see other videos that were selected, click here.

The IHTD Youth Film Festival asks young people to speak out on the federal budget and asks them to consider:
  The $1 trillion spent yearly on the U.S. military
  The $1 trillion spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
  The $1 trillion plus in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans
    
The IHTD Youth Film Festival is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee and National Priorities Project (NPP) with the purpose of involving young people in the debate about federal budget priorities. Participants will be receive training and will spend a day on Capitol Hill talking with legislators about where our taxes could better be used!

If you'd like to participate in the Third Annual 2013 IHTD Youth Film Festival, here's more info: http://ihtd.org/2013-film-festival/

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