Teens Get Back to Thriving

Dear Friends,

You likely already know that after over a year of isolation, remote learning, canceled plans, and zoom everything, connection is what teens desperately need right now.

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We can still make meaningful art and connect outdoors — and it feels great.

As caring community adults, and as a center with an unwavering focus on teens’ needs, it’s our job to create spaces for connections to happen, every way and everywhere we safely can. Here’s how we’re doing it, thanks to your steady support:

Everything outdoors that can be outdoors

Cars used to park there. Now kids do. Welcome to Drop-In!

Teens gather for Drop-In on the blacktop surface formerly known as Neutral Zone’s parking lot. We serve snacks outside, as teens hang out on folding chairs, with the back doors thrown wide open for critical indoor needs. As always, teens who come find supportive staff and other teens who share interests and talents, hardships and dreams. And often, (of course!) pizza. We found out that we can still make art, host concerts and have meaningful conversations. And it feels great.

When we have to be indoors, safety reigns

Everyone signs in with a temperature check, everyone wears a mask, and everyone keeps a healthy distance from each other when inside, using our large, well-ventilated indoor space. These measures keep the indoor space available for teens to meet up in person and enjoy being together after so much time apart.

In-person workshops — finally! — are powerful and satisfying.

So, what’s it like at Neutral Zone these days? Front line staff who interact with these young people every day see the impact.

Teens open up to NZ Program Manager Michael Hale: “Kids are telling me about how they relate and interact with the world. Most of the conversations are in relation to how they cope with the pressures of life whether that means using art, music, or theater as a way to channel their frustrations.”

Jenny Anne Koppera facilitates the NZ–based weekly partnership with Spinning Dot Theatre. She leads a group of teens already growing close as they talk about issues and craft performances about what matters to them now.

Jenny relates that the teens “have been in a place of surviving. By doing this work together, they move to a place of thriving again. They set aside this time to play together, to be vulnerable and be soft and gentle with one another. They are so brave, they share their own stories together and find ways to express and share those experiences.”

It’s powerful, satisfying and essential to meet up with your community in-person. At last, thanks to our donors, they can.

Nadim Azzam, NZ Music Production Coordinator, built a teen music community virtually at first, with regular staff check-ins,then hybrid, conducting teen workshops and now — finally! — in person. It’s powerful and satisfying.

“We’re building a creative community where we support each other in the music they are creating and also with the sometimes really major losses and crises that teens are facing. No matter what else is going on, teens know we are here to support them regardless.” - Nadim Azzam

As a Neutral Zone donor, you help create these essential opportunities. When teens show up, you make sure we’re here for them. You help keep our doors open to build connections, create artistic opportunities, and give space to share frustrations.

Please consider donating again today to sustain a community that young people know they can count on.

Thank you,

Lori Roddy

Executive Director

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In the News: creative:impact - NZ is Put into High Gear by Scott and Jewett

Source: www.wemu.org/post/creativeimpact-neutral-zone-put-high-gear-mackenzie-scott-and-dan-jewett

creative:impact - Neutral Zone Is Put Into High Gear By Mackenzie Scott And Dan Jewett

By DAVID FAIR & DEB POLICH • JUL 6, 2021

Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett recently gave away $2.7 billion to “286 teams empowering voices the world needs to hear.” Neutral Zone (NZ) was surprised to learn they were on the list! Lori Roddy, NZ’s executive director, talks about the impact of this transformative gift with "creative:impact's" co-hosts, Creative Washtenaw’s Deb Polich and WEMU’s David Fair.

creative:impact - 07/06/21
Deb Polich, President and CEO of Creative Washtenaw

Creative industries in Washtenaw County add hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy.  In the weeks and months to come, 89.1 WEMU's David Fair and co-host Deb Polich, the President and CEO of Creative Washtenaw, explore the myriad of contributors that make up the creative sector in Washtenaw County.

Click the link above to listen to the broadcast

TRANSCRIPTION:

David Fair: This is 89 One WEMU, and I'd like to welcome you to creative:impact. It's our weekly look at the local creative sector. I'm David Fair, along with my content partner and co-host, Deb Polich. Deb is president and CEO of Creative Washtenaw. Today. Deb, we get to focus on one of my favorite organizations in the area.

Deb Polich: Mine, too. And with that in mind, David, have you ever played the "if I won the lottery" game, where you have to say the first thing you would do with your winnings?

David Fair: Almost every week.

Deb Polich: It's a fun game. Well, we play a version of that in the nonprofit world where our organizations are chronically undercapitalized. Our fantasy game asks, "What would we do if an unexpected seven figure grant appeared unexpectedly?"

David Fair: Well, the Neutral Zone is as hard-a-working, nonprofit as I know and recently had that kind of good fortune. And with that, we'll introduce Neutral Zone's Executive Director Lori Roddy to Creative Impact. Thank you for joining us today.

Lori Roddy: Thank you for having me.

David Fair: The Neutral Zone was recently the recipient of a significant grant. From where did it come?

Lori Roddy: Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett recently made a two million dollar gift to the Neutral Zone.

David Fair: Two million dollars. Is that the biggest gift you've had in recent memory?

Lori Roddy: It is the single largest gift we have ever received. Yes.

Deb Polich: Congratulations on the grant. Lori. Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett are hell-bent on giving away their 60 some odd billion dollar fortune. To receive such a surprise gift of this magnitude must be like a dream come true.

Lori Roddy: Absolutely. I mean, we're beyond grateful and actually feels too good to be true. So, yes.

Deb Polich: So, this wasn't a grant the Neutral Zone applied for. How are you notified, and what was the process before you actually first heard about this?

Lori Roddy: We were contacted by a consulting firm in March where we participated in an interview and sent in a series of additional information about the organization at the time. We just knew that there was a potential donor whose priorities and values aligned with our mission. But we did not know who it was or an amount for.

David Fair: creative:impact continues on Eighty-Nine one WEMU. And we're talking with Lori Roddy, who serves as executive director of Neutral Zone.

Deb Polich: So in nonprofit jargon, a transformational gift is one that stabilizes an organization and allows it to grow. Usually, but then always, it's a large contribution from an individual or foundation who continues to provide oversight after the gift is made. Scott and Jewett are transformational donors. Can you help us understand what this means?

Lori Roddy: Yes, I mean, Mackenzie Scott is really thinking about philanthropy very differently. In the title of her post on Medium, where she posted the guest for this round, she calls it “Seeding by Ceding,” like S-E-E-D-I-N-G by ceding C-E-D-I-N-G. And what she's essentially doing is ceding her power and giving it back to community-based nonprofit organizations. She sees the organizations as the change agents who can have the greatest impact. So she's not looking at a proposal about what we want or plan to do with clear goals and objectives outlined. She looks at our past work, who our center was, our values, our organization, and says that, based on who you are, I trust you to put your team of people together, and I trust your community to make the biggest impact with these dollars.

David Fair: Specifically, how then will the Neutral Zone utilize the two million dollars?

Lori Roddy: Well, you know, the Neutral Zone has built its success on and building a community and a collective process. And so we will engage teams and staff and board community partners to put together a new, five-year vision and strategic planning process and end up with a plan that will allow us to provide some guidance on how we think about the funds, likely thinking about significant unmet needs like building infrastructure, future financial stability, the work that we would imagine trying to do in the next 25 years. We can accelerate that process and likely do in the next two to three years to ensure Neutral Zone stability and just to be at our best to support young people for future generations.

David Fair: By definition, that is transformational. Now or very often, significant donations can help inspire other philanthropic people and organizations to donate. Is there an opportunity to use this money to create even more significant and seven-figure kinds of investments in Neutral Zone?

Lori Roddy: You know, I would hope so. I think, you know, for us, we're connecting with community leaders and partners to brainstorm and to generate how we might think about that. One thing that's really exciting is the Neutral Zone-and I think this is how we were identified-as we are part of Music Youth Development Alliance. It's called MYDA, M-Y-D-A for short. And it's a national coalition of youth organizations, who like Neutral Zone use music to engage young people to increase their access to transformational opportunities like, you know, workforce development opportunities and help and access. So all of the MYDA organizations were funded, and this recent gift by Mackenzie Scott, and I know that the media network will be convening specifically to think about how do we leverage, how do we build, how do we stabilize our alliance to support other organizations?

David Fair: It's all good news. creative:impact and our conversation with Neutral Zone executive director Lori Roddy continues on Eighty-Nine One WEMU.

Deb Polich: There's a lot of chatter among nonprofit executives about how philanthropy has historically been patriarchal and frequently favors nonprofits that mirror the donors' image and personal mission. That left many smaller BIPOC social service organizations behind. What are your thoughts on whether the Scott/Jewett model will influence and change that paradigm?

Lori Roddy: I hope it does. You know, in this particular moment, as we emerge from COVID and like many nonprofits, you know, nonprofit organizations usually support populations of people who have experienced significant challenges and systemic inequities. I think we all have to strive to be more anti-racist. We need to reflect on our own systems and practice and structures and the donors and foundations and supporters and partners, they're all a part of the ecosystem of how we make decisions and how we are able to move our missions and organizations forward. I think that, you know, Neutral Zone and other nonprofit organizations need to be able to invite our donors and supporters into our own processes of reflection and anti-racism. You know, and I think for every organization that might look different. Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett are making a big statement right now that maybe philanthropy could look different. And I think we need to trust our donors to join our efforts.

David Fair: You know, Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett are among several billionaires who are following the leads of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in pledging to donate the entirety of their fortunes. But as you mentioned, there are many more stakeholders and not everyone is as wealthy. Lori, what influence do you think these millionaires and billionaires making such pledges has on encouraging philanthropy among the less wealthy?

Lori Roddy: You know, every gift matters, right? And I think especially for Neutral Zone in the past year, every time a donor gives a gift to the Neutral Zone, to me, and what that means is that they believe in our work and they trust us to move our mission forward. And they think that, you know, major millionaires and billionaires who are thinking about how do they give their wealth away and how do they trust a community to do it is really important. They're modeling it for so many more people who will follow them. And I hope that, you know, Mackenzie Scott continues to lead that effort for others.

Deb Polich: You know, the way that you and the Neutral Zone team are so thoughtful and considerate and responsive to those that you serve certainly would lead to why I think Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett selected you. But I have to ask, is there one fun, crazy thing that Neutral Zone is going to do to celebrate this amazing gift?

Lori Roddy: I don't know. I think, you know, I'm excited to see what our community comes up with. I imagine building our strategic plan, I know that doesn't sound exciting, but we also know that our strategic plan that are far reaching, and we hope that we'll find an opportunity to be able to create a vision and a strategic plan that we really know we can make happen is totally exhilarating.

David Fair: I have yet to meet an administrator who didn't think that was crazy fun.

Lori Roddy: And I think that there's nothing more exciting than writing a vision for this organization for the next five years and know that we can work to achieve it.

Deb Polich: That's amazing. And I know you're going to make a success for this. Thank you so much for sharing your story and to joining us on creative:impact.

David Fair: Indeed.

Lori Roddy: Thank you so much.

David Fair: That is Neutral Zone executive director Lori Roddy. Find out more about Lori and her work at WEMU dot org. Deb Polich is president and CEO of Creative Washtenaw in my creative:impact co-host. We'll be back again next week with creative:impact. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR Station, Eighty-Nine One WEMU FM and WEMU HD One Ypsilanti.

ABOUT LORI RODDY:

Neutral Zone executive director Lori Roddy

CREDIT LORI RODDY / NEUTRAL ZONE

Lori Roddy serves as the Executive Director of the Neutral Zone, a diverse youth-driven arts and leadership center for high school youth. Before her role as Executive Director she led youth programming at the center for 12 years. Lori’s practice and teaching is focused on positive youth development, youth-driven practices, program design and evaluation, and organizational leadership. Lori has supported the organization to build a three month operating reserve, start an endowment, and guide the development of the youth-driven approach that is reflective of the organization’s center. Lori has been a leader to create Future Corps – an extension of the Neutral Zone to support youth access to work with the City of Ann Arbor, tuition scholarships at Washtenaw Community College, and mentorship support over 2-4 years post high school.  She has also worked in partnership with Washtenaw County to initiate and support the first-ever county youth commission.

— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU.  You can contact David at 734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him at dfair@emich.edu

Neutral Zone one of "286 teams empowering voices the world needs to hear"

We are beyond excited to share some incredible news. Neutral Zone has received a transformational $2 million gift from philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett.

We are blown away to be included among the list of equity-oriented, high-impact organizations serving to drive change selected by Scott and Jewett as “286 teams empowering voices the world needs to hear.”

This substantial gift offers trust and encouragement for us to engage young people and create a space where they belong, matter, create and grow to become leaders for positive change. And this gift comes at a time when we have doubled down on our commitment to center and uplift the voices of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and youth from other identities whose voices have not been heard enough.

Neutral Zone is a youth-driven organization, where teens are part of every major decision--and this will be no exception. Teens will be part of a team along with staff, board and community partners who get to explore unmet youth needs, consider big infrastructure improvements and invest in long-term sustainability so NZ is here for generations to come.

We are deeply grateful both for this significant gift and for you, our supporters, who have invested in the Neutral Zone. We are here today because of those of you who have created a vision, given your time and energy, made donations and served as fierce advocates for the past 23 years.

Thank you! !

Read MacKenzie Scott’s full blog post on the donations here:
mackenzie-scott.medium.com/seeding-by-ceding

NZ in the News: Washtenaw County women leaders of Asian heritage speak out on hate, violence, and healing

Source: Concentrate Media.com
Author: Jaishree Drepaul-Bruder, Photos: Doug Coombe
Article excerpt below, click to read the full article

Although anti-Asian racism and violence have gained attention nationwide over the past year, female leaders of Asian heritage in Washtenaw County are envisioning a greater shift towards solidarity, strength, and healing.

"It's an agonizing point in time, but I'm hopeful," says Melissa Borja, an assistant professor of American culture at the University of Michigan (U-M). "Because what we know is that Asian-Americans are organizing very forcefully to say that it's not okay to be made scapegoats for the pandemic, and it's not okay to use anti-Chinese rhetoric against us."

Borja, a native Michigander currently based in Indianapolis, is uniquely positioned to lend insight. Not only is she herself a member of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, but she's also an affiliated researcher with the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center. Last April (with support from U-M's Center for Social Solutions and Poverty Solutions), Borja founded Virulent Hate, a project dedicated to raising awareness around the escalation of anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative tracks anti-Asian hate crimes reported in the media and identifies trends in order to shape public policy, improve public understanding of anti-Asian hate incidents, and guide community activism. The research has uncovered an unsettling trend: women are the victims of 68% of reported incidents.

"The experience of Asian-Americans across the country has been really hard in the past year, but thankfully they've found really amazing and creative ways to respond to the racism and violence that they've experienced," Borja says.

We asked 10 female Washtenaw County leaders of Asian heritage to share their personal reflections on the past year and weigh in on where we need to go from here. Here's what they had to say.

Lori Roddy

A transracial, transnational Korean adoptee, Lori Roddy says her identity as an Asian-American shows up differently. Growing up, she did a lot of explaining who she was as she responded to the question, "where are you from?"

Today, Roddy is the executive director at the Neutral Zone, a diverse, youth-driven teen center in Ann Arbor. The Ann Arbor resident says it's a dangerous time to be Asian, but luckily, she has been supported by others of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage in the community.

"It's outrageous that we live in a country where our former leadership blamed Asians for their grief, loss, and struggle," she says. "I'm grateful for my leadership role at Neutral Zone, where I have the opportunity to create a space for young people to feel safe."

Roddy stresses that the Neutral Zone is a place where youth are supported to build their leadership skills and develop the courage to lead much-needed change not just in Washtenaw County, but across the country.

"If you want to create a society that's inclusive, then we need to support our young people who will be helping to create that vision. That's my part in this awful mess," she says.


Praveena Ramaswami

Over the last year, longstanding community leader and advocate Praveena Ramaswami has given a lot of heartfelt thought to the large Asian population (particularly its senior citizens) on the north side of Ann Arbor, where she resides.

"If something happened to them, do they know how to report it and who to contact? We need an organized community for outreach so that everyone feels seen and safe," Ramaswami says.

She points to research from Stop AAPI Hate, showing that 16 AAPI hate incidents were reported in Michigan between March 2020 and February 2021.

"Just speaking to people in our community here in Ann Arbor, I know that the actual number is higher, but they were not reported perhaps due to fear and/or lack of information on how or why it should be reported," she says. “I ask that our schools, nonprofits, and civic and public organizations keep our [Asian American, Pacific Islander, South Asian, and Asian] community on their radars with proactive outreach to access services.”

Ramaswami, who is of Indian heritage, refers to herself as "an immigrant of immigrants" because her parents were immigrants to Canada and she was born and raised there. Having lived in Michigan for over 21 years, she's seen lots of change, but says so much more is needed.

"I'm looking for solutions and ways to help people who don't have a voice," she says. "We can be angry and hurt, but we can also use this time as an opportunity to build bridges in our community."

Linh Song

For many in Washtenaw County, Linh Song is a familiar face. The former Ann Arbor District Library board member is the only Asian-American on Ann Arbor City Council.

In April, Song introduced to council a resolution condemning anti-Asian hate crimes, mirroring one passed by the Michigan legislature after Michigan Sen. Stephanie Chang introduced it in March. Although Song's resolution passed unanimously, she says she was taken aback when some council members expressed discomfort with the resolution's references to condemning white supremacy and white terrorism.

"I had to explain that we are not condemning white people, and that we need white allies," she says. "I came to the city council with the mindset that we can't just push out policy. We must actually reform ourselves internally."

Song says making a statement to help the AAPI community feel recognized and cared for is the bare minimum that must be done. And she understands all too well the need to feel safe.

Song's parents were refugees from Laos and Vietnam, fleeing in the mid-'70s. Growing up in Michigan, she remembers her mother cutting out newspaper pictures of Vincent Chin, a Chinese-American man beaten to death by two white men in Highland Park in 1982.

"My mom was scared because she said my father's face looked like [Chin's]. And today she and my dad are scared again," Song says. "Looking at the last year and what we have to do now is painful. But we have no choice but to hold a mirror up to what has happened before, what is happening now, and what will continue to happen — unless we confront this sickness."

Click here for the full article with all ten features on AAPID women leaders in our community

NZ Teens Celebrate AAPID Heritage Month

Led by the teens in our Activism program, Neutral Zone is highlighting AAPID (Asian American Pacific |slander & Desi) Heritage this month. NZ is celebrating AAPID heritage as well as highlighting racism being faced by the AAPID community.

Teens are using online discussion and social media posts to raise awareness of the historical racism against AAPID people in the United States. Unfortunately, anti-Asian violence is not new - it has only been amplified by the racist rhetoric surrounding the virus.

The month will culminate in the AAPID Heritage Month celebration on May 27. The online event will be an opportunity to connect to “continue the conversation and uplift Asian joy”. Join us for trivia, prizes, music, community resources, as well as a dumpling wrapping demo!

This is a virtual event and will take place on Zoom on Thursday, May 27 from 6pm - 7pm. Click here for the event page and zoom link.

NZ’s Activism program has been meeting online weekly throughout the year as a space where youth come together to develop youth leadership skills through a social justice lens.

2021 National Youth Poet Laureate Virtual Ceremony May 20

2021 National Youth Poet Laureate  Virtual Ceremony to be Hosted by Urban Word and The Kennedy Center 

Faye Harrison, the Ann Arbor/ Ypsi Youth Poet Laureate is in the running to become the next National Youth Poet Laureate. You can join in to see Faye compete in the virtual National Youth Poet Laureate Commencement Ceremony on May 20, 2021 at 7pm EST hosted by Urban Word in partnership with The Kennedy Center. Tickets are free and are available at youthlaureate.org/2021. 

“We are so proud of Faye and to have Neutral Zone as part of our National Youth Poet Laureate Network,” said Michael Cirelli, National Youth Poet Laureate program founder. “ For the fifth year, these brilliant young voices will share their words and talents with a global audience, this time on The Kennedy Center’s virtual stage. We eagerly anticipate this national gathering of the literary arts community and the announcement of who our next National Youth Poet Laureate will be.” 

Judges for this year’s National Youth Poet Laureate finals include Juan Felipe Herrera, former U.S. Poet Laureate; Nikay Parades, Senior Programs Manager, Academy of American Poets; Rob Caper, Poetry Director, Library of Congress; Dr. Yolanda Sealy-Ruiz, poet and professor at Columbia University; SJ Miller, Associate Professor of Teacher Education; and Aileen Cassinetto, San Mateo County Poet Laureate. 

More information about the 2021 National Youth Poet Laureate Commencement can be found at youthlaureate.org/2021. Media requests for interviews and assets can be made to ayofemi@itseleventhirtysix.com.   

Photos of the National Youth Poet Laureate finalists can be found here. The 2021 National Youth Poet Laureate finalist bios are below: 

Faye Harrison, Midwest Region, Ann Arbor, MI 

Ann Arbor born and raised, Faye Harrison (they/them) is a queer 19-year-old leader, activist, and writer. Faye is the 2021 Midwest Regional Poetry Ambassador & Finalist for the 2021 National Youth Poet Laureate Program founded by Urban Word NYC, the 2020/2021 Ann Arbor Youth Poet Laureate, and the 2018 Ann Arbor Youth Slam Champ. A former high school dropout, recovering alcoholic and sexual assault survivor, Faye engages in arts advocacy work inspired by these issues. 

Alexandra Huynh, West Region, Sacramento, CA 

Alexandra Huynh (she/her) is an 18-year old Vietnamese American poet from Sacramento, CA. She is one of Sacramento’s 2020 Youth Poet Laureates and is a finalist for the 2021 National Youth Poet Laureate Competition, as the Western Regional Ambassador for the United States. As a second generation individual, Alexandra employs poetry as a tool of self-reclamation and social justice for marginalized communities. This fall, she will be a freshman at Stanford University where she aims to combine her passions for creative writing, science, and civic engagement. 

Serena Yang, Northeast Region, Queens, New York  

Born in Singapore and raised in Queens, New York, Serena Yang (she/her) is a poet, writer, and first-generation Chinese American immigrant. She believes that imagination and storytelling is critical to justice work and writes, always, with the knowledge that a better world is possible. Serena is the 2021 NYC Youth Poet Laureate and a National Youth Poet Laureate finalist representing the Northeast. 

Alora Young, South Region, Southern United States 

Alora Young (she/her) is the Youth Poet Laureate of the Southern United States. She is a two 

time TEDx Speaker, a scholastic gold medalist, a Young arts winner in spoken word, a recipient of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations, Spring Robinson literary prize, the Lin Arison excellence in writing award, and the International Human Rights Day rising advocate award. She is the founder of AboveGround, an organization seeking to create equity in Nashville elementary schools through creative writing and Black history. She has publications in or upcoming in the New York Times, Rattle, Washington Post, Signal Mountain Review, Rigorous Mag, and Ice Colony Journal she has wanted to be a poet since the age of 2 and hopes to one day be the world’s greatest grandma/supreme court justice. 

### 

About The National Youth Poet Laureate Program   
The National Youth Poet Laureate Program, an initiative of Urban Word, celebrates our nation’s top poets who are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement and social impact. Founded in New York City in 2008, the Youth Poet Laureate Program partners with local and national literary arts organizations across the country to elevate youth voices at the forefront of social change. Program partners and supporters include the Academy of American Poets, the Library of Congress, the Poetry Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Youth Poets Laureate have touched every media outlet and major stage in the country including at the White House and on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.  To learn more about our work or to start a program in your region, please visit youthlaureate.org.   

About Urban Word    
Urban Word elevates youth voices as leaders at the intersection of the literary arts and civic engagement. Through the transformative power of the written and spoken word, Urban Word provides young, creative voices, often those that are marginalized, the tools, training, and platforms to rewrite the narratives that shape their lives and to own their agency in directing the future of their communities.​ As one of the oldest and most comprehensive youth literary arts organizations in the United States, Urban Word and its national community of poets, activists, and educators, has built and continues to lead the youth spoken word movement. Learn more at urbanword.org.   

Neutral Zone Statement Affirming Trangender Youth in Sports

The Neutral Zone unequivocally stands with transgender youth. As a youth-driven organization, NZ is here to support teens in our community -- especially those who are most vulnerable or at risk of discrimination. Discrimination based on gender identity or expression is intolerable and damaging to the health and safety of children, families, and our community.

The Michigan legislature recently introduced Senate Bill 218, a harmful and discriminatory bill targeting trans youth by barring them from participating in school sports. This bill is dangerous and detrimental. We are saddened that this bill was introduced by State Senator Lana Theis of the 22nd district which represents parts of Livingston and Washtenaw Counties including Dexter, Chelsea, and parts of Ann Arbor, where many of the youth we serve reside.

Neutral Zone hosts Riot Youth, a supportive space that engages LGBTQIA+ youth. Participation in afterschool programs like Riot Youth, as well as in clubs, builds youth self-efficacy, supports youth to feel that they matter and belong, offers social support, and gives youth opportunities to lead and to create meaningful change in their communities.

Bill 218 represents a misguided attack on some of the most vulnerable youth in our state. Trans students, like cisgender students, vary in terms of athletic ability and it is a myth and mistruth that they somehow have a competitive advantage over cisgender students in school sports. Further, there is not a single example of a cisgender student facing harm by the participation of transgender students in school sports in accordance with their gender identity.

We at the Neutral Zone call upon other organizations and leaders in our community to join us in support of transgender youth and voice opposition to this legislation. Contact your legislators to express your concern about Bill 218. https://www.house.mi.gov/mhrpublic/frmFindaRep.aspx

For youth who want to get more involved through Riot Youth, please contact our Associate Director, Suzie Staley, suzie@neutral-zone.org.

Resources:

ACLU article myths regarding transgender athletes:
https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbt-rights/four-myths-about-trans-athletes-debunked

Opening Doors
Neutral Zone can connect trans youth to local crisis and health support through our partnership with Ozone House and Corner Health. Call Suzie Staley at (734) 214-9995 or email suzie@neutral-zone.org. Or connect with Ozone and Corner directly:

Ozone House - Local support and resources are available any time – day or night. Call (734) 662-2222 or text “Ozone” to (734) 662-2222. Ozone offers free, confidential, and voluntary shelter and support services to homeless youth including runaways and high-risk youth ages 10-20 and their families.

Corner Health Center - Phone: 734.484.3600 - Local center providing judgment-free, affordable health and wellness care and education. Corner offers a full range of health care, mental health, and supportive services for young people 12- to 25-year-olds.

The Trevor Project: (866) 488-7386
Crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

The GLBT National Youth Talkline (800) 246-7743
Telephone, online private one-to-one chat and email peer-support, as well as factual information and local resources for cities and towns across the United States.

Equality Michigan - 313-537-7000
Free, confidential victim services for LGBTQ individuals who have experienced violence, discrimination, and harassment. Or visit www.equalitymi.org/report/ for an online form to report anonymously or to get support from advocates at Equality Michigan.

Ruth Ellis Center, Detroit 313-252-1950 or www.ruthelliscenter.org
Trauma-informed services for lesbian, gay, bi-attractional, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth, and young adults, with an emphasis on young people of color, experiencing homelessness, involved in the child welfare system, and/or experiencing barriers to health and wellbeing.

Neutral Zone Statement Against Anti-Asian Violence

Neutral Zone condemns the violence against members of our Asian/Asian Pacific Islander American community. We recognize that anti-Asian discrimination did not start with COVID-19, but has intensified during the pandemic as a result of divisive rhetoric from politicians and news outlets. We stand with those facing increased racism, attacks, and bigotry fueled by ignorance and white nationalism.

Advancing racial equity and economic inclusion for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) is critical to guaranteeing the safety and security of everyone. At the Neutral Zone, we commit to being an anti-racist organization and fostering a center for youth that is free of anti-Asian violence and racism. As such, we do not tolerate racism, xenophobia, or violence of any kind that harms our BIPOC communities.    

We encourage all to join us in confronting and rejecting anti-Asian racism, violence, and hateful speech through cross-community education and healing. If teens need a supportive space for creating meaningful change in our community, we invite you to join NZ’s free, weekly Activism program. Any teens in crisis are encouraged to reach out to us for support by contacting Suzie Staley at suzie@neutral-zone.org.  

“Liberation is not limited. There is not a finite amount of freedom. Anti-racist work is not a zero-sum game.” - Preethi B. Harbuck 

Resources to report a hate incident:

City of Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission

https://www.a2gov.org/departments/city-clerk/pages/humanrightscommission.aspx#discrimhrc

State of Michigan Attorney General's office:
hatecrimes@michigan.gov or 313-456-0200

The Asian Pacific Policy Planning Council
Report incidences of discrimination

Stop AAPI Hate - multilingual reporting
https://stopaapihate.org/

Resources for education

Youth Campaign: They Blamed Me Because I Am Asian

Teach and Transform - Liz Kleinrock

On Anti-Asian Hate Crimes: Who Is Our Real Enemy?

Ann Arbor /Ypsi Youth Poet Laureate Faye Harrison

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FAYE HARRISON BIO

Ann Arbor born and raised, Faye Harrison is the 2020-2021 Ann Arbor/Ypsi Youth Poet Laureate, a program supported by Ann Arbor’s Neutral Zone. Faye is a high school dropout, recovering addict and sexual assault survivor- inspired by these experiences, Faye engages in arts advocacy work around these issues. Faye was the 2018 Ann Arbor/Ypsi youth slam champion and has represented her city on the slam team for the last two years.

Local poet Faye Harrison has the chance to vie for the title of National Youth Poet Laureate. Faye was selected last May as the 2020-21 Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti Youth Poet Laureate and has just been announced as the Midwest Regional Winner.

A writer, activist and leader, Faye became the 2020-21 Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti Youth Poet Laureate in May. Faye is one of only four youth poets from across the country who will now compete for the title of National Youth Poet Laureate.

The Ann Arbor/Ypsi Youth Poet Laureate Program aims to identify youth writers and leaders who are committed to civic and community engagement, poetry and performance, social justice, radical inclusion and education across the region.

The Ann Arbor/Ypsi Youth Poet Laureate is a joint program of the Neutral Zone and Urban Word NYC. The winning poet and finalists will have numerous platforms to share their powerful voices and leadership at future events. Urban Word and the Neutral Zone recognize that youth voice and community engagement are vital for empowering young people to effect positive changes in their communities and beyond.

Black History Month at NZ

Celebrate Black History Month with events all February at Neutral Zone. See the events calendar for listings. https://www.neutral-zone.org/events

Submit to the art contest with $100 prize & special events to honor and celebrate Black History Month! To learn more or RSVP, visit bit.ly/nzBHMmoreinfo

Registration Open for NZ Virtual Programs

Welcome back! Registration is now open and programs begin next week. See below for the virtual programs going live next week. More prorgrams will be added frequently over the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for updates.

To register, click the link below and let us know your programs of interest. Registration is absolutely free (though donations are more than welcome!) Programs are open to all high-school-aged teens, regardless of where you live. Not sure? Try out as many as you like. Questions? Contact Suzie Staley at suzie@neutral-zone.org

Register Now

Activism

Thursdays 3:30-4:45

Want to make a difference in your community? Need a platform to express what's important to you? Join us in developing your youth leadership skills through a social justice lens.

Black Lives Matter

Mondays 3:30-4:45

Neutral Zone is proud to present "Black Lives Matter," a program dedicated to center the voices and experiences of Black Youth and Youth of Color in our community. Join us for in-depth discussions and activities surrounding the issues most important to BIPOC. #BlackLivesMatter

LIVE

Fridays 3:30-4:45

Book bands/ artists/ performers and plan, organize, and host virtual live stream shows

Songwriting

Wednesday 3:30-4:45

Learn the tools and skills to create & develop your own music, bring your creative visions to reality, & be part of a network of teen musicians who support each other.

eMCee Workshop

Wednesdays 3:30-4:45

Grow & develop as lyricists & eMCees through discussion & critical feedback. Answer the question- not can you do it, but do you have what it takes to really do it?

V.A.C. (Visual Art Collective)

Tuesdays 3:00-4:15

Come, meet and explore online art-making with other brilliant, strange and creative peers. Visual Arts Collective (VAC) is a community hub for creative teens from all local high schools and the youth leaders that guide the visual arts for the Neutral Zone. Together we host multi-media art shows, guest workshops, visiting artists, virtual gallery and museum tours, portofolio reviews and open up opportunities to engage with our community through art.

Riot Youth

Thursdays 3:30-4:45

Riot Youth is youth-led social support and social justice program for LGBTQ+ teens at the Neutral Zone. It has been serving SE Michigan for [22] years through weekly meetings, lobbying, attending school board meetings, and educating regional teachers, peers, and medical professionals. We hope you will join us!

Welcome back, NZ Teens

With the programs closed all summer, we can't wait to finally welcome teens back to NZ. We will be launching this year with virtual programs and host outside, Covid-safe, youth-driven programming when possible. All details of our Covid-safe plan will be online next week.

We will host innovative programs to engage youth in music, visual arts, literary arts, education, leadership and social justice with five days of weekly virtual programs and forums to connect online. We'll continue and expand FutureCorps to help youth to transition beyond high school for education, employment, and mentorship. Of course, we will also continue to provide food and support to teens in crisis.

Though NZ has always been committed to diversity and equity, we are excited to launch a task force working across the organization to reflect deeply and take actions on our commitment to being an anti-racist organization.

Registration Opens Tuesday, September 8th

Programs Begin Monday, September 21st

Please mark your calendar for registration for any teens in your life and contact us with any questions. We can't wait to hear from you!

Black Lives Matter Statement from NZ Staff Directors

Silence right now is not acceptable. Neutral Zone stands in unequivocal solidarity with Black Lives Matter:

“Enough is enough. Our pain, our cries, and our need to be seen and heard resonate throughout this entire country. We demand acknowledgment and accountability for the devaluation and dehumanization of Black life at the hands of the police. We call for radical, sustainable solutions that affirm the prosperity of Black lives. “ - Black Lives Matter 5/30/20

We condemn the current state-sponsored violence against our Black communities and inequities of power and resources.  We recognize that white supremacy culture in this country is built on more than 400 years of institutionalized and systemic racism and we understand that we need to continue doing anti-racist work by fighting white supremacy and other oppressions that cause systemic trauma for our Black teens. 

We know that our own leadership, especially white staff, need to learn how to strengthen our role as allies and accomplices, to help dismantle institutionalized and systemic racism in order to bring justice and equity for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)

We publicly commit to centering BIPOC and following their leadership at the Neutral Zone.  We promise to make Neutral Zone an anti-racist organization, to uplift youth voice and decision making, and to shine a light on our teens who are already brilliant and beautiful exactly as they show up every day. 

We call upon other youth serving organizations to join us. Neutral Zone is committed to the following actions:

• Build a racial equity task force centering BIPOC youth to drive our racial equity work at the Neutral Zone

• Assess Neutral Zone organizational structure, governance and program practices to ensure we work toward anti-racism and equity across the center*

• Hold weekly space for Black teens to come together in a supportive healing space

• Provide ongoing anti-racist and ally training for white board of directors, staff, volunteers, and teens to continue to disrupt racism and be supportive allies and accomplices

• Partner with local chapters of Black Lives Matter, March for our Lives, local Black Student Unions and other organizations centering and uplifting black youth

• Create space intentionally centering the needs of BIPOC teens in the LGBTQIA+ community

• Build on our programs supporting BIPOC youth to successfully transition into adulthood through education and employment experiences

Lori Roddy, Executive Director

Ramona Parker-Muhammad, Finance and Operations Director

John Weiss, Director of Strategic Initiatives 

Suzie Staley, Associate Director

Amy Milligan, Development Director 

*We will assess using the Educational Justice and Transformation Assessment Tool

Neutral Zone Letter to Black Youth

To the Black youth who are part of the Neutral Zone community,

Neutral Zone sees and hears you. We stand in solidarity with you to grieve George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Tony McDade, and so many other Black people who have been murdered by the police. As an organization, we refuse to stand silent in the face of violence that affects the Black community. Black people have a right to feel safe, secure, and protected in their day-to-day lives. The United States was built on violence and brutality towards Black people and continues to fail them.

As a community, it is up to us to acknowledge and change the corrupt systems of oppression.

We, as the Neutral Zone, promise to become better allies and use our voices to speak out against the violence and harm being done to Black people. We refuse to be complicit in a tradition of racist law enforcement and government. We urge other non-profit organizations to speak up as well.

We will not rest until justice is served.

Sincerely,

Samiksha Sneha,
Teen Co-President of Neutral Zone Board of Directors

Narine Verdiyan
Teen Co-Vice President of Neutral Zone Board of Directors

Supported by the NZ Board and Staff

Notice: Neutral Zone Temporarily Closed

Dear NZ Community,

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, NZ is closed starting today, March 11th for after-school programs and special events. Youth may drop in after school today until 6pm for any teens who have critical needs to check in with staff or who coordinated transportation home from NZ activities.   

We follow the Ann Arbor Public Schools leadership, which has just cancelled after-school activities and we will continue to follow their lead and monitor the impact of the virus closely. We will update the Neutral Zone website and social media to announce resuming our programs and events.

While this is a challenging time, we are taking critical precautions. The health and safety of our teens and staff is always our priority.  

Here are some links to stay updated:  

Ann Arbor Public Schools: www.a2schools.org/COVID-19

Washtenaw County Information: Washtenaw.org/covid19

Michigan Information: www.michigan.gov/coronavirus

Neutral Zone appreciates your support and understanding for the difficulties that our closure may have on teens in this community. However, we recognize our role to support promoting public health and preventing the spread of the virus. 

If any critical needs arise during this time, please do reach out to our staff for additional support.

Sincerely,

Lori Roddy
Executive Director

CTN Interview with Daniel Bigham & Muni Harrison

CTN Interview with Daniel Bigham & Muni Harrison

November 22, 2019

In the News: TheRide and Neutral Zone Partner to Support Youth in Our Community

ANN ARBOR, MI –  The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) and the Neutral Zone are partnering together to support area teens who have limited resources to achieve success.

Neutral Zone, a diverse, youth-driven teen center is dedicated to promoting personal growth through artistic expression, community leadership and the exchange of ideas. Through the Neutral Zone’s SCORE Program, TheRide will help bolster success, respect and understanding of area youth.

Read full article here

In the News: Ann Arbor-based Neutral Zone to have multigenre production Dec. 7 in Ypsilanti

Sarah M. Parlette - Click on Detroit - October 27, 2019

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – On Dec. 7, teen artist-activists will perform a multigenre production of poetry, film, music and theater at Ypsilanti High School. 

Titled "Staying Power: Concrete, Not Wood," the production will be an evening-long conversation about gentrification and housing injustice that is experienced throughout the U.S.

Hosted by the Neutral Zone, "Staying Power: Concrete, Not Wood," has been jointly created by youth from Ypsilanti, Michigan and Richmond, California. The show is the culmination of efforts and weekly Skype-based workshops by the youth through an exchange program between the two communities that began in May.

Read full article here

NZ in the News: Ann Arbor awards nearly $40K in grants for community sustainability

By Ryan Stanton - MLive - May 31, 2019

ANN ARBOR, MI – Ann Arbor is awarding nearly $40,000 in grants to support four community sustainability initiatives.

City leaders announced the following Sustaining Ann Arbor Together grant recipients on Thursday, May 30.

Neutral Zone: $10,000, Capacity Building for Jobs Corps Program – to develop a job corps/development program that creates supportive pathways to successfully transition under-resourced youth ages 18-24 into adulthood through an intentional five-stage process by providing readiness, training, mentorship and coaching, job access, and a two-year associate degree.

Read full article here

In the News: Washtenaw County commissioners approve first-ever youth commission

By Emma Dale - MLive - May 19, 2019

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI — Young people in Washtenaw County now have a place in local government.

The County Board of Commissioners voted May 15 to assemble the first Washtenaw County Youth Commission.

A youth task force presented findings to the board in April that showed a youth commission could help young leaders offer their opinions on issues that affect them, according to a county news release.

Read full article here