Point Foundation scholar Ceceilia Allwein
A guest-post by Ceceilia Allwein
So you have all those photos online, right??? And those photos are just sitting there looking pretty. Uh huh. Now you can help raise money for scholarships for queer kiddos and activists with those photos!!!!
Hello, dear Feministe readers! Let me introduce myself: I’m Ceceilia Allwein, one of 94 scholars which The Point Foundation currently supports, due to marginalization for our sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity. Jill has so kindly given me a minute in the spotlight to tell you about my experiences and a way for y’all to help out other queer and/or activist students.
At The Point Foundation conference
When I came out I was threatened with public expulsion from my fundamentalist church, ostracized from my family, faced abuse and had to depend on friends for food, shelter and education for the latter part of my high school. It was because of these amazing, dedicated people that I was able to finish high school and get to college at New England Conservatory, where I am studying Vocal Performance and Music Theory, leading the Queer Performing Arts Alliance, and working through my school community to advocate for queer performers.
Though the community that sprung up to support me could get me to college, they had absolutely no way to help me stay there or to provide the ongoing leadership training that I needed to stay a committed activist. Enter The Point Foundation. Since becoming a Point Scholar, I have had not only financial help, but emotional support, leadership training, professional mentoring and a whole community of scholars, trustees, mentors and friends of the foundation to fall back on.
Financial support is easy to quantify, and The Point Foundation is in the business of giving financial scholarships. Simple as pie. Any foundation can give away money, however, and The Point Foundation is definitely NOT in the business of offering money alone. It is this emotional support and concrete community that has made all the difference to me as a scholar. From being able to identify with other scholars’ experiences to receiving direct guidance from my mentor on how to combine my music and my activism to laughing, learning and listening with other scholars at the summer leadership conference, this scholarship means the world to me. It is SO much more than money!!!!
AND WE HAVE TO PASS IT ON! There are 94 scholars as of this year. (w00t! w00t! to the new scholars! Welcome!), and Lordisa only knows how much it takes to support us all, let alone the many, many scholars who didn’t get chosen each year.
And that’s where your pretty little Flickr photos come in:
For every photo that is uploaded to the Worldwide Pride 2007 photo pool, Yahoo will donate $1 to The Point Foundation, up to $25,000. You can upload as many as 5 photos per ID per day.
The photos don’t necessarily have to be of “pride” per se, just personal representations of being out and/or supportive. So you’re not gay, and you didn’t go to pride. Big deal. Upload photos of your gay friends and you. Upload photos of action meetings. Upload photos of gatherings–any event or group of people that is proud of LGBT people.
Upload 5 photos, create another Yahoo ID, upload 5 more. Do the same tomorrow…on 4 Yahoo ID’s. Suddenly you’ve paid for a textbook. You do the math. Even if we raise just $500, we have covered a scholar’s utilities for one year. Or books for a semester. Or transportation. Up to $25,000!!!!!!
Hey, you’re going to pride anyways… so share those photos!!! Represent!!!!!!
+++++++++++++++++++
Instructions:
1. Go to The Point Foundation website
2. Click on the Worldwide Pride 2007 (Yahoo) link
3. Create a Yahoo ID if you do not have one
4. Join the Worldwide Pride 2007 photo pool
5. Upload your photos
6. Create another Yahoo ID
7. Go back to step 1, wash, rinse, repeat!
8. Celebrate like it’s your job.