Teens Make a Difference Day 2008 Highlights

N E W S

FROM THE Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations

Office of Media Relations (213) 974-7654

For further information, contact: Ava Gutierrez September 24, 2008 (213) 974-7654 Telephone / (213) 687-4251 Facsimile (818) 317-5516 Cell / Email: [email protected]

TEENS MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY 2008 HIGHLIGHTS

CULTURAL DIVERSITY MONTH

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission,

and its partners: Connect LA, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and

Recreation, Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks, SGS

Produce, L.A. Unified School District Health Education Programs, L.A. Unified

School District Beyond the Bell Branch, and Poseidon School, once again join

together to bring Los Angeles area teens together do join in an all-day volunteer

and community service day. Teens Make a Difference Day 2008 will be held on Saturday, October 25,

2008. It is a national annual program sponsored by Points of Light Foundation and USA Weekend Magazine.

This year’s goal is to encourage teens to consider and undertake shared projects that involve collaboration with teens from different communities, schools, cities or organizations.

This goal is consistent with the mission of the Los Angeles County

Commission on Human Relations and the Commission’s youth initiative zerohour: No Haters Here! which empowers youth and supports efforts to strengthen and improve intergroup relations and understanding between different communities, groups, faiths and others in our country.

Over the past two years, over 6,000 teens in L.A. County have organized and participated in more than 150 different community service projects as part of this annual event. Last year Teens Make a Difference Day in Los Angeles

County was recognized as one of the top ten national Make a Difference Day efforts by USA Weekend Magazine and (Paul) Newman’s Own Foundation, and was featured on the April 25-27, 2008 edition of the magazine. Additionally, some of the teen volunteers and sponsors were introduced on the field in a pre- game ceremony at Dodger Stadium.

This year’s goal is to increase the number of teen-initiated projects to

200+, while introducing more teens to the Commission’s zerohour: No Haters

Here! youth initiative and the Commission’s 2009 youth songwriting competition, in collaboration with Oneness Foundation. For more information on this program, contact Erik Gavica, the 2008

TMADD Project Coordinator, at [email protected] or at (323) 203-2341.

Other groups joining the Commission to celebrate the County’s diversity

include:

 The City of Monterey Park celebrates the Harmony Festival at

various locations of the city. Events take place on October 3, 11,

18 and 23rd. The contact person is Dan Costley. He can be

contacted at (626) 307-1388.

 The educational group “Facing History and Ourselves” will host free

workshops on the Armenian Genocide for educators. The classes

will be held at the Glendale Professional Development Center, 319

N. Central Avenue, Glendale 91203. Seating is limited so call (626)

744-1177, Ext. 23 to register. The dates for the seminar are

October 30 and November 6 from 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

 Residents of the City of Glendale and other Angelinos can enjoy a

trip around the world on Saturday, October 12, 2008, when they

attend the Unity Festival. This annual event will, this year, be held on

the 300 block of Brand Boulevard. The event, free to the public, will

feature ethnic cuisine from around the globe, international music and

dancers, arts and crafts, exhibitions and many kid-friendly attractions.

The event is held from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information,

call (818) 548-6464.  The John Anson Ford Human Relations Awards, hosted each year by

the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, will be

held on Thursday, October 23rd at 11:30 a.m. The event honors

outstanding individuals who have contributed towards better human

relations within Los Angeles County. It is being held at Luminarias

Restaurant, 3500 Ramona Boulevard, Monterey Park.

Those being honored include Rabbi Harold Schulweis (John Allen

Buggs Humanitarian Award); Youth Radio (Yvonne B. Burke

Courage Award); Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and Shirley

L. Harbeson, Senior Manager of Equal Opportunity Programs

(Corporate Award).

Five supervisory district winners include: Homegirl Café, California

African American Museum, Juvenile Justice Task Force, Hispanic

Outreach Taskforce, and Cal Arts Community Arts Partnership.

Sponsorships are available at various levels, as are program book ad

submissions. For more information, contact Mary Louise Longoria at

(213) 974-7611 or by e-mail at [email protected].

 The Media Image Coalition and the Los Angeles Press Club will

co-sponsor a panel discussion on Thursday, October 23. Entitled

“Muslim/Arab Coverage in News & Entertainment: What Effect

Does It Have on Elections 2008”, the free event is scheduled for

Thursday, October 23rd. The panel discussion is being held at the

Steve Allen Theatre, 4773 Hollywood Boulevard, near the corner of Vermont and Hollywood. The panel discussion starts at 7:30

p.m., but the doors will open at 6:30 pm. Snacks will be provided.

Against the backdrop of the current presidential election, this

event seeks to give an overview of the portrayals, often negative,

of Muslim and Arabs in mainstream media and what

circumstances and issues help perpetuate those portrayals.

Current efforts to create more realistic Muslim characters,

storylines and news coverage, will be discussed by a

distinguished panel of speakers. Interested parties can confirm

their attendance by going to [email protected]

Invited panelists are: Los Angeles Times Religion Editor, Steve

Padilla, and Brave New Films founder, Robert Greenwald.

Confirmed speakers are: Kamran Pasha, Actor/Director/Producer;

Ahmed Ahmed, Comedian/Actor, Lena Khan, Activist and

Independent Filmmaker, and Munira Syeda, Council on

American-Islamic Relations.

Jon Beaupre, host for KPPC, will act as moderator. This event is

0free to the public, and parking is available behind the building

(enter off of Berendo Street).

 The City of Monterey Park will host its Harmony Festival from

October 3 through October 23rd. For more information contact

Tom Johnson at (626) 307-1385.  The Santa Clarita Human Relations Forum will coordinate a

series of events from October, 2008 to February, 2009. On

October 1st, they will start “A Season of Diversity’s Essay and

Poster Contest” for Elementary to High School Students. Local

libraries will join the effort by arranging cultural activities designed

to allow participants the opportunity to experience another culture.

October is also recognized with the following cultural designations and celebrations:

 Filipino American History Month

 Interfaith Month

 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) History Month

 National Disability Awareness Month

 National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

 Polish American Heritage Month