Exciting news! A post from SCPOC Facilitator Shana Friedman

It's been a long time since I have blogged for the Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition! The beauty of a peer-led campaign is that our group of transitional-aged youth does all the work outreaching to other transitional aged youth. That means that as the Group Facilitator I get to do all the other work that does not involve outreach...like paperwork and grant reporting. Ah, the Peer Leaders have a lot more fun than I do!

Anyway, I am excited to report that there are some big changes happening to our campaign in the next three months. The SCPOC has received generous funding from the Office on Women's Health to complete a specific project. The primary focus of our project will be implementing bilingual content into our campaign. Our Facebook, Twitter, and this blog will all be written bilingually to help us reach our diverse followers.

I would like to thank our Intern Hannah Davis for her year of hard work on this blog and the SCPOC campaign. Hannah has graduated from Sonoma State University and will be moving on to new and exciting adventures of her own. Thank you Hannah! You will be missed!

I would also like to welcome Deisy Vargas to our team. Deisy has been hired as the Social Media Coordinator to work specifically on this project for the next three months. Desiy has already started recruiting new Peer Leaders to work on this campaign. If you are interested in volunteering, please comment on this blog, on our Facebook, or send an e-mail!

Our anticipated start date is June 1st! Keep following our social media sites and let us know how we are doing!

"No Homo"- Blog by Peer Leader Marcos Garcilazo

I recently watched an organization's public service announcement that promoted condom use to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS. I remember the gist of it, but as a matter of fact, the makers of the video lost me within four seconds.

The video had very little dialogue, but they used Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop" as the background music for their video. If you are not familiar with the song, click on the following link and pay very close attention to the lyrics.

Lollipop

Did you catch it? It's four seconds into the video/song. If you're not used to having gay slurs thrown in your direction you might have missed it. Heck, even if you are you might have missed it. If you did miss it, click the link again and really try and hear it.

Four seconds in, he says "no homo." The expression, if you are unaware, is used to clarify that under no conditions is any of the following to be interpreted as gay. The expression is very common on most social websites like Twitter and Facebook. The expression bases itself in the fear that anything - describing a shirt or even the weather - may be interpreted as the speaker being gay, and implying that there is something inherently wrong or offensive about being gay. Once again our culture has found a away to put down gay individuals everywhere constantly - first it was "that's gay" and now it's "no homo."

When I heard that in a video, they lost me. I wasn't listening because I was wondering "How could an organization perpetuate a negative phrase against such a vast part of the community when they're supposed to be educating them about condom usage?" Gay men tend to be at a higher risk for HIV/AIDS, so I struggle to understand why they would use a song that marginalizes gay people within the first four seconds.

There are more rap songs out there than I care to count, and some just as popular (if not more popular) than Lil' Wayne's song. Now, it is hard to miss it but if someone is used to being harassed for their sexual orientation, they won't miss it. If one is constantly demonized, when that demonization makes it into a video that's supposed to encourage safe sex, they're not going to hear the message. They'll hear the homophobic remark at the very beginning.

As I said earlier, gay men are at a higher risk of HIV/AIDS if protection isn't used, so it troubles me that one of the more at-risk target populations is being ignored. Stigma is a cause of risky sexual behavior, so it's important to remember what our language is doing to a community. I should hope that organizations will think very carefully when deciding what content to include, and in so doing they will ensure that their message is actually heard by those who would benefit from hearing it. With so many gay youth completing suicide in recent months, it should be obvious that we need to be more sensitive about language and the words we use.

In support of all love: Guest Peer Leader Blog Post by Hannah Davis

These last few months have been filled with tragic deaths, all of which could have been avoided if only our society was more understanding and less homophobic. We lost nine youth recently, including Seth Walsh from California, Asher Brown from Texas, Felix Sacco from Massachusetts, and Caleb Nolt from Indiana. I for one am appalled and saddened that these teens feel so stigmatized that they felt suicide was the only option.

You’d think that by now we would have overcome these biases and found ways to accept those who are different from us. But is it that much of a shock when in this day and age we continue to ban gay marriage, say things like “that’s so gay”, have ignorant beliefs such as “being gay is a choice” and have people espousing the idea that being gay is an abomination that goes against the bible and God.

Who is saying this? Is it only those who are religious? Or people who have grown up with these ideas all their lives?

No. As much as we might like to group those who are anti-gay activists into a neat little group, we can’t. People of all races, religions, ages, social classes, education, and ethnicities may have these negative views. Even though every new generation is showing a reduction in biases regarding racism, sexism, and sexual orientation, we still see younger people who are stuck in these prejudicial ways.

What is distressing about this to me is that there are very few truly safe and welcoming places for those in the LGBTQQI community to be open about their sexual orientation without being afraid of hate crimes, discrimination, and violence. While changes are being made by groups such as FCKH8, Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, the "It Gets Better" project, and various gay pride parades, Americans still struggle with the idea of being open minded and accepting of homosexuality.

I want to know why people are so bigoted. Why must the majority put down those who are already under-represented? Will society as a whole eventually understand that there is no difference between heterosexual and homosexual couples? How long will it take for society to realize that ALL love for one another is precious and sacred? And perhaps most importantly, I wonder if the discrimination will ever end.

My belief is that yes, we will one day live in a country that is welcoming to all sexual orientations. It will be a struggle at every step, but each small victory for those who are being stigmatized is worth the fight.

As Abraham-Hicks once said, “A belief is only a though you continue to think. A belief is nothing more than a chronic pattern of thought, and you have the ability – if you try even a little bit – to begin a new pattern, to tell a new story, to achieve a different vibration, to change your point of attraction.” These empowering words give me hope that every time a person protests against abuse and mistreatment of the LGBTQQI community, we will slowly change the minds of others. By educating the public and promoting awareness, love, and compassion we can take that engrained pattern and begin a new one that is more accepting.

Our Deepest Frustration- A Blog Post by Peer Leader Jesús Guzmán

Our Deepest Frustration

It was years ago that I remember reading everything Malcolm X from his childhood, to his conversion to Islam, to his visit to Mecca, and his legacy now. In particular, there stood one saying as stall as the man himself. It read, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” Those are powerful words. Those are words that reflect the self-deprecation and downtrodden attitude of young men and woman of color in this country. However, it applies to them in a slightly altered way, because as Malcolm’s Man seems to be aware of what he could potentially stand for, and instead chooses not to. These young men and woman I speak of, they haven’t yet been given an opportunity to stand for anything, in fact, they haven’t yet been taught how to stand at all. They have yet to be educated on what they could be, should be, can be, will be one day. We must educate our coming generation of young men and woman of who they can be by including in our classrooms examples of who they can become.

In our classrooms of American History we see only old white men. In our classrooms of Literature we read only old white men. In our classrooms of Science we learn only about the discoveries made by old white men. In our classrooms of Philosophy we are only exposed to old white men. There’s a pattern. And for those of the Caucasian persuasion, that’s perfectly fine and dandy. But for those of us who are not, when we are sitting in those classrooms, we look up and see who we are not, who we can’t be, who we can never be, and who we don’t want to be. I remember sitting in my AP English class senior year in High School reading various authors and works of literary merit, novels which I still hold dear to my heart today such as Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Heller’s Catch-22. One afternoon after class I approached my instructor and asked why none of the authors we were reading for class were not from Latin America. He promptly answered, “This is an English class, not a Spanish class.” That’s true. But what I failed to understand is why we were reading Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky then. We certainly were not reading it in the original Russian, so I was obviously not asking him to read Carlos Fuentes in the original Spanish. This point seemed to elude him entirely, as I’m sure many other things seemed to elude him entirely, as well. I remember to this day, that what I was asking was not a Spanish course in Latin American Literature, though that would be pretty sweet, but instead an incorporation of actual “WORLD” Literature, as the class falsely advertised. I wanted to read Octavio Paz. I wanted to know Gabriel Garcia Marquez and hang out with Jorge Luis Borges and kick back with Mario Vargas Llosa and have a drink with Julio Cortazar and wax poetic with Sandra Cisneros and enjoy the cool comfort of the afternoon breeze talking indigenismo with Jose Vasconcelos. But what I wanted the most was to see an example of what I could one day become. I wanted to see hope.

It may sound absurd to hear that the dropout rate of young Latino students in American schools could change somehow by incorporating history and literature on their own culture, but I stand here firm in my conviction that the case is as I state it. Sitting in History I can recount thinking how Benjamin Franklin was a harlot, Jefferson a hypocrite, Sam Adams an alcoholic, and how I was tired of my history teaching telling me to write about Cesar Chavez. Enough already, I get it, he was awesome, but I can’t write a report on him every year! So, I am frustrated. I am frustrated because others are not frustrated. I am frustrated because others are not angry. I am frustrated because others are not furious. I frustrated because this is cultural genocide and so few seem to notice and much less care. Young men and woman of color are growing up and so few heroes are held up to idolize as examples of what each of us can one day be. Systematically we hold up white idols and ignore all others. It causes at least two effects I can account for: One, by upholding white Americans as the primary source of idolatry we are falsely affirming that white is right. Two, by downplaying great minds of Latin America, and elsewhere, for example, we are confirming the gnawing suspicion of each and every young man and woman that as an ethnicity in America you are less because you are not white, you cultural heritage is excluded in the classroom much like you are in the rest of American society. Self-esteem here becomes a huge issue. It becomes the major hurdle to acknowledging the little known truth that so many young Latinos are not privy to, yet ought to know. I simply ask that we include more heroes of various cultures to light the way for unbound potential of today’s youth. Fortunately for me, I had a great junior year English teacher who said why say it yourself when someone else has already said it for you. So, in homage of her enormous impact on my life and many others, I’m sure, I will allow the great author Marianne Williamson to close for me:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

What does your Facebook say about you?

When you run an online social media campaign about mental health awareness, you are constantly aware of how you are perceived by the public. You must be careful about your choice of words (i.e. The Baby Seal Club) and make sure that you are providing the best information possible for your readers. The Peer Leaders are constantly sifting through articles, websites, and a plethora of information online about teen mental health, sex, drugs, and occasionally a little rock and roll. We discuss frequently if something is worth posting, if it is "Fact or Crap?" as we have joked on many occasions.

So when you are looking online at your friends' Facebook profile, can you be sure they are showing you who they really are? Well, now you can. According to a study in the March issue of Psychological Science, Facebook users' profiles accurately reflect who they really are! The study was done by a collaboration of University of Texas at Austin and the University of Mainz in Germany. Research assistants ranked profiles study participants on the “Big Five.” These are the five dimensions of personality often used in psych­ological research. They include extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness and conscientiousness.

The research assistants then compared their perceptions with personality tests of the study participants, and the feedback of four close friends of the participants. For the most part, the perceptions were very accurate. In other words, if you were to look at a profile on Facebook and think "Wow, this person sure is extroverted!" you would most likely be correct.

Why is this important? Well, think about everything we do online. We socialize, we date, and we occasionally snoop on other people! The latter is more common than you think, especially when it comes to employers checking up on prospective job applicants. What do you think a potential employer thinks when they see a job applicant's Facebook profile where all the pictures show the applicant drunk on the beach in Cabo? Hmm...maybe it's time to rethink posting those Spring Break photos.

The Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition works pretty closely with local LGBTQ organizations such as Positive Images and Outbeat Youth. Over the past few months, we have become increasingly aware of the problem of privacy when it comes to being "out" online. Once you have posted information online, people can access that information. Privacy settings can help, but concerns about safety and security often are at the forefront of the minds of those who have faced discrimination in the past.

Cyberbullying is also a concern regardless of one's sexual orientation. Teens across the country are being bullied by peers via the internet, often resulting in mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Cyberbullying has even been linked to a probable cause of a girl's suicide in New York.

Will knowing that people are (for the most part) pretty honest on Facebook help with this problem? Will this knowledge make it easier to spot a wolf in sheep's clothing? Can we now determine what is "fact" and what is, well, "crap?"

Excuse me now while I go remove my summer vacation pictures from my Facebook...

"Equality: 1, Bigotry: 0." Guest blog post by Peer Leader Marcos Garcilazo

Yesterday was a historic day for LGBTQ rights in the state of California. Since members of the LGBTQ population are often at an increased risk of stress, anxiety, and depression due to discrimination, Marcos has graciously written this post on his thoughts about Prop 8, equality, and discrimination. Thanks Marcos!

Yesterday afternoon, I was one of the millions of people on Twitter who was furiously refreshing their feed hoping that the Fail Whale would not show up. The day before, the judge who had been presented with the case that would rule Proposition 8 (which banned gay marriage in California back in November 2008) was going to release his decision. I was overcome with the same feeling that I felt the night of November 2008 when Americans made history by electing the first African-American man to office: history would be made that day once again.

At 2PM PST, Twitter exploded (it really exploded) with the news: the Judge had ruled Prop 8 unconstitutional, meaning that people in favor of gay marriage had won this round. I have to admit that a huge grin adorned my face as I proudly updated my Facebook status with a link to the ruling and my own little comment - "Equality: 1, Bigotry: 0." I understand this is but the first step in what's surely going to be a marathon, but it's a step in what I believe to be the right direction.

As of yesterday, a very large part of the population got affirmation on a very deep level that there is hope for equality. America has a history of inequality and bigotry, sure, but we also have a history of people moving history along past such things, and yesterday Honorable Judge Vaughn Walker joined those people. His ruling, which is honestly one of the better reads of the summer (and I only read about a fifth of the whole document) very clearly asserts several things. First, his ruling upholds the notion that equality is not something we should be putting up for a vote. Equality in general is not a voter initiative idea - it is an ideal. Regardless of race, gender, economic status, sexual orientation, religion, or any other factor that may differentiate us from a larger group, when we stand in front of a judge or in front of a police officer, we expect that we will all be treated equally. This ruling asserts that Judge Walker heard no argument that was convincing enough to abolish that equality at the marriage license clerk's office.

The concept of equality is not new, but the fact that now we should be applying it to more people apparent is. If "marriage" continues to be something recognized by a government, which thereby grants certain legal benefits (e.g. hospital visits, tax breaks, etc) then marriage should be something every single American should be able to get. Throughout this whole debate opponents of gay marriage have brought up the religious interpretation of the word "marriage", and that's something that needs to be said: this debate is not about "religious marriage" - it is about the legal, government-recognized and government-benefited union between two people. In order for equality to be equality, it needs to be applied to everyone, not just to those the majority deems appropriate.

Second, this decision carried a deeper message for the greater queer community. This decision sent a loud and clear message that their relationships are just as valid and that their relationships carry the same intrinsic value as opposite-sex relationships. Through years of anti-gay messaging, it has been my experience that people do not carry the same level of respect for the word "partner" as they do for "husband" or "wife," and what this decision does is tell all those people that in fact there is no difference, that the love in a relationship is not dictated by the genders of the people in it.

Third, this decision was really heartening because it struck down discrimination, and as a "minority" discrimination is an issue. As I said, if people will discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation, how can I know that it won't be because of their race the next day, or because they have an accent, or are of a certain religion? Discrimination is a disease as far as I'm concerned and to allow any kind of discrimination is a violation of the principle that our nation so often touts: that all men are created equal. If we are to uphold that notion, then we must do all that we can to make sure that every single person in this nation is an equal in the eyes of the law.

Again, this is not about the religious institution. This is about the legal marriage. Yesterday amongst the flurry of joy around this decision there was a lot of hate. Some people see this as an attack on tradition, and some see it as an attack on the will of the people. Appealing to tradition is one of the many techniques employed in arguments, and to that I say, just because we've been doing something in a particular manner for years doesn't mean we've been doing something right. As far as an attack on the will of the people, well, this is called a "minority rights issue" for a reason - this affects the minority, and the implication here is that simply because 52% of Californians have an issue with gay marriage we should embed discrimination into our state constitution. Minority rights would never advance if we waited for the majority to work through its concerns with any particular issue.

I hope that when this reaches the Supreme Court of the United States (and I have no doubt it will) I will see a repeat of yesterday. It is comforting to know that a community that so often has to deal with hatred finally gets a break, even if it's just a small one.

Can you be both homophobic and a good counselor?

Happy Monday! Let's talk about the First Amendment. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states, among other things, that the government shall make no law that interferes with freedom of speech or expression of religion.

At Augusta State University in Georgia, graduate student Jennifer Keeton has filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that her First Amendment rights have been violated. Jennifer claims that the school has threatened to expel her for refusing to complete workshops that conflict with her religious beliefs. She also alleges that Augusta State is trying to force her to change her beliefs.

So what exactly are Jennifer Keeton's beliefs? Jennifer believes that homosexuality is both immoral and a lifestyle choice. Jennifer's classmates have also reported that she believes in "conversion therapy" for homosexual clients. Jennifer is also enrolled in a counseling Master's program. Since counselors may counsel clients from very diverse backgrounds, it is important for counselors to be sensitive to issues concerning multiculturalism, including sexual orientation. The professors and staff have told Jennifer that it is important to acquire these skills in order to be an effective counselor. Jennifer has responded by saying that her belief system will not impact her ability to counsel gay and lesbian clients.

I have previously mentioned that I recently completed a Master's in Counseling program. One of the required courses was titled Cross-Cultural Awareness in Counseling. This was a required course. If I did not complete this course, I would not be eligible for graduation or my degree. My opinion (which aligns with Jennifer Keeton's professors) is that one cannot effectively counsel other individuals without some understanding about how to be sensitive to issues surrounding gender, race, religion, age, socio-econmoic status, and sexual orientation.

Earlier this month, two gay men in Atlanta were beaten and robbed at gunpoint. Not three hours from Augusta, it is not outside the realm of possibility that one of these men could make a counseling appointment with Jennifer Keeton. Would she show unconditional positive regard and empathy, or would she tell him that he was robbed because of a "lifestyle choice" and that he should seek conversion therapy?

It takes a tremendous amount of courage to seek counseling. Many individuals who desperately need mental health services never seek them because of the fear of stigma and prejudice from friends, family and co-workers. How would you feel about going to a counselor who believed that the way you are is immoral and wrong?

How can I "pull myself up by my bootstraps" if I don't have any bootstraps?

Despite spending two solid years doing nothing but grad school papers and grant proposals, I must admit I really enjoy doing research. I love pawing over breaking news and obscure articles trying to find something new and exciting that I can share with everyone. I have been told that this impedes my efforts to shed my nerdy image.

This morning I was perusing the Associated Press breaking news and I stumbled across this headline:

Minority children have fewer advantages

Seriously? It took a nationwide survey to determine this?

To give you some background, professionals who work with young people were surveyed. The professionals were asked to rate how many advantages were available to the youth clients they served. They asked these professionals about access to quality health care, education, safe homes and neighborhoods, and community support. Not surprisingly, it was found that white youth have more advantages than Latino/Hispanic, Arab American, Native American, African American and Asian American/Pacific Islander youth.

To be completely honest (since reading this on the Internet isn't exactly the same as a face-to-face conversation) I am a white woman. Yesterday at the latest Sonoma County Peer Outreach Coalition meeting, we unexpectedly spent a great deal of time discussing the fact that I happen to be facilitating a group of culturally, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse youth.

Like many other professionals, I strive to be more culturally sensitive. Despite our efforts, I often see many professionals with the attitude that those experiencing tremendous hardship simply need to "work harder" or as I have heard all too frequently "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." Perhaps this survey was needed now more than ever. If I don't have the same opportunities and everyone else, how can I work hard enough to achieve the same outcome? How can I "pull myself up by my bootstraps" if I don't have any bootstraps?

The other interesting fact mentioned in this survey is that children of all ages from low-income families, regardless of race, have less opportunities than those from middle-class to upper-middle class households. Once again, this feels like "Your delivery of obvious has arrived" but I do think it warrants repeating. This is why nonprofits committed to ending the cycle of poverty are more important now than ever.

You may now be feeling I have overstayed my welcome on my soapbox, or have at the very least failed to connect this survey to the mission of the SCPOC: promoting awareness about mental health issues and risks for mental illness. Although not explicitly mentioned in the survey, the lack of opportunities mentioned can all put youth at risk for mental health problems.

The National Center for Children in Poverty reports:

• 21% of low-income children and youth ages 6 through 17 have mental health problems


• 13% of children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds receive mental health services


• 88% of Latino children have unmet mental health needs


• 85% of children and youth in need of mental health services in the child welfare system do not receive them

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Youth who have been exposed to violence in their homes and communities, such as witnessing or being the victim of physical or sexual abuse, drive-by shootings, muggings, or other disasters, are at elevated risk for the following mental health disorders:

• depression


• ADD/ADHD


• anxiety


• conduct disorders


• eating disorders
  

It is time for everyone to really consider how poverty impacts youth. It is time to stop assuming that people in low-income households simply need to work harder to have the same opportunities as everyone else. It is time to recognize that lack of quality health care, violence in the home and/or community, and lack of community support can have a devastating outcome on the mental well-being of an entire generation.

I implore you: what can we do about poverty?

More for Pride Weekend! Sweet!

Remember Constance McMillen? She is the teenager from Mississippi who asked to bring her girlfriend to prom and her school decided to cancel the prom!

Lame!

Anyway, I am happy to report that Constance was chosen to be one of the three grand marshals this weekend in the New York City Pride Parade! Awesome!
Click on the pic from the SF Chronicle to read the article.

Peer Leader Post: M&M's by Marcos Garcilazo

I love M&M’s. When I was little, I used to get a small bag of M&Ms in my lunchbox, along with my CapriSun, baby carrots, and flutternutter sandwich. At lunch, I would open the bag and divide the M&M’s by color and give my best friend all the red, yellow, and green. I would get the brown, blue, and orange M&M’s. Eventually, Mom stopped putting M&M’s bags in my lunchbox and replaced them with chocolate bars. I'm not sure why, but the chocolate bar never tasted as good. To this day, every time I get M&M’s, I still remember sitting on that table diving up M&M’s, thinking them different simply because they looked different.

I no longer divide my M&M’s and refuse the yellow ones, but I will always remember doing it. It's one of those things that you remember at the oddest of times. I remembered it my very first day of high school. I showed up wearing jeans and a black hoodie and tennis shoes, happy to see my friends but scared about the fact that the school population had gone from about two hundred to a thousand. Instantly, I was an M&M, and some big hand was sitting there dividing us up. I went to say “hi” to the other Hispanic students and started catching up, half in English and half in Spanish. I had already been placed within "my group." We have so many ways to divide ourselves - gender, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, height, weight, hair color, hometown, language, interests, socioeconomic status, occupation, by association, etc, etc. Those are some of the biggest, but we have so many ways to divide ourselves. On the one hand, it's easier to make friends with people that you share common interests, but on the other hand, if we're divided into groups, there's going to be a lot less people around altogether. Doesn't the saying go "the more, the merrier?"

Once we were all in our groups, it became an "us versus them" field. That division of the student body became the ground from where bullying, teasing, intimidation, and isolation sprung. All of the sudden, people felt it was okay to make fun people outside their group. It was okay to make fun of the kid that was overweight, it was okay to make fun of the (perceived or labeled) “gay” kid, and sometimes, it was okay to do more than just verbally harass them. Because we had divided ourselves, and everyone in the school had something to say about someone, it was easy to justify an "us and them" mentality. That mentality eventually fueled behaviors that are all too common in our schools: bullying, teasing, and harassing.
I'm not proud of the fact that I made "he's a , therefore " statements. I wish I hadn't, but wishing that I hadn't doesn't change the fact that I did. We do to ourselves what I used to do to my M&M’s - divide them up, accept some, and reject others. At the end of the day, when one's at the receiving end of negative treatment, instead of there being a ton of different-colored M&Ms, there may just be one or two, or none at all to offer support and help to make it through that tough time. I'll never know just how many chances to meet new, amazing people I missed because I was so convinced that I was so different. The fact of the matter was, I was just a kid and they were just kids too. We might have looked different, but the bottom line was the same: we're all just people.

I've grown up since freshman year of high school. Today, I look at the people the same way I look at M&M’s - on the outside, we all may look different from each other, but on the inside, I know we're all the same. We're just people. The outside doesn't matter because true friendship has nothing to do with how you look or what you do or where you come from. The outside of the M&M is nothing but a shell, but the true treat is right underneath.

If we spent more time looking at the true nature of people and less on looking for differences, we would have a stronger, better community. We, the youth, hold in our hands the future. We have the chance to slowly start changing our ways, putting us all together instead of splitting us apart. I have that power and know what when I have children, I'll make sure they understand that although the M&M’s might be different colors on the outside, on the inside, they're all wonderful delights.