Join the Adult COLAGErs from NYC for a special celebration:

Sunday, May 19th // 7:30PM to 10:30PM

43 Mercer Street at Grand, in Soho
New York, NY 10013 (map)

Your ticket to this event entitles you to 1 raffle ticket, 2 free drinks 
(& cheap drinks afterward), a night of fun and the thrill of 
supporting a wonderful organization.

You must be 18+ to join the party, and 21+ to partake in the free drinks.

Early Bird tickets are only $20 (or two for $30).
On the night of the event, tickets will cost $30 each.

Click the link below for tickets!

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6533926149/?ref=enivtefor001&utm_source=eb_email&utm_media=email&utm_compaign=inviteformalv2&utm_term=readmore&invite=null

Tentative Schedule Family Week 2013

Saturday, August 3^rd

3PM-6PM- Registration for Family Equality Council and COLAGE…The Crown and Anchor (C & A)

3PM-6PM- Let the Games Begin…C&A

3PM-6PM -Partner Fair…C&A

Sunday, August 4^th

9AM-Noon-Registration for Family Equality Council and COLAGE…C &A

10AM-Noon- Welcome Brunch…C&A

12-5:00 PM- Family Week Store with Late Registration…Firehouse

12:30-1:30 PM-Family Yoga Class…Sage Inn and Lounge (Sage)

2-4:00 PM- COLAGE Family Kick Ball Game…Motta Field

3-4:00 PM-New to Family Week Gathering…Sage

4-5:00 PM-Multicultural Ice Cream Social…Bas Relief Park (Bas Relief)

6-8:30 PM-New York Families Gathering…Host Family

6-8:00 PM-Midwest Families Gathering…Host Family

6-8:00 PM – New England Families Gathering… Host Family

6-7:00 PM- Single Parents Gathering…C&A

7:30PM- “Patti Issues” Comedy Show Starring Ben Rimalower … C&A        [Buy tickets here]

Monday, August 5^th 

8:30AM-5:30 PM-Family Week Store…Firehouse

8:30-10:00 AM- Littles Gathering…Bas Relief

9AM-3:00 PM-Summer Camp…Rec Center

9:45-Noon-Youth Adventures…Meet at Provincetown High School (PHS)

9:30-11:30 AM-Kidapalooza…PHS

10-12:00 PM- COLAGE 8-18 Youth Programming…PHS

10-11:30 AM-Parent Cafes…PHS

12:00-1 PM- COLAGE Lunch Activity…PHS

1-2:00 PM-Outspoken Generation Café…Sage

2-4:00 PM-COLAGE Middle and High School Programming…PHS

4-5:30 PM-Dads Gathering…C&A

4-5:30 PM-Moms Gathering…Sage

4-6:00 PM-Film Screening…C&A

6-6:30 PM-Trans Community Gathering…Provincetown Library

6:30-7:30 PM-Photo-Text Exhibit; Pioneering Voices: Portraits of Transgender People…Library

7-9:00 PM- COLAGE High School Programming…TBD

7-8:00 PM-Gathering for Families with Children from Guatemala…TBD

Tuesday, August 6^th

8:30AM-5:30 PM-Family Week Store…Firehouse

8:30-10:00 AM- Littles Gathering…Bas Relief

9AM-3:00 PM-Summer Camp…Rec Center

9:45-Noon-Youth Adventures…Meet at Provincetown High School (PHS)

9:30-11:30 AM-Kidapalooza…PHS

10-12:00 PM- COLAGE 8-18 Youth Programming…PHS

10-11:30 AM-Parent Cafes…PHS

            State of the Movement Discussion

12:00-1 PM- COLAGE Lunch Activity…PHS

1-2:00 PM-Outspoken Generation Meet-Up …Sage

1-2:00 PM- Book Group for Adults…Bas Relief/Sage

2:30-3:30 PM-Yoga Class for Adults…Sage

2-4:00 PM-COLAGE Middle and High School Programming…PHS

5-6:00 PM- COLAGE Youth Advisory Board Meeting…TBD

4-6:00 PM-Film Screening…C&A

4-5:30 PM-Family Building Gathering…C&A

5:30-8:30 PM- Beach Picnic and Campfire…Herring Cove Beach     [S’mores provided!]

Wednesday,  August 7^th

8:30AM-5:30 PM-Family Week Store…Firehouse

Morning-Whale Watch

8:30-10:00 AM- Littles Gathering…Bas Relief

9AM-3:00 PM-Summer Camp…Rec Center

9:45-Noon-Youth Adventures…Meet at Provincetown High School (PHS)

9:30-11:30 AM-Kidapalooza…PHS

10am-Jetty Walk

10-12:00 PM- COLAGE 8-18 Youth Programming…PHS

10-11:30 AM-Parent Cafes…PHS

10-11:30 AM-Yoga for the Whole Family…Sage

12:00-1 PM- COLAGE Lunch Activity…PHS

1-2:00 PM-Outspoken Generation Café…Sage

2-30-4:00 PM- COLAGE Community Meeting…PHS

4-5:00 PM-Grandparents Gathering…C&A

4-5:30 PM-Film Screening…C&A

5-7:00 PM- COLAGE Donor Reception…TBA

5-7:00 PM- COLAGE High School Beach Party

5-7:30 PM-Movie Night and PJ Party…C&A

“Date Night” for the adults!

7:30 PM -Kate Clinton Benefit Show…C&A

Thursday,  August 8^th

8:30AM-5:30 PM-Family Week Store…Firehouse

8:30AM- Littles Gathering…Bas Relief

8:30-10:00 AM-Group Bike Trip…TBD

9AM-3:00 PM-Summer Camp…Rec Center

9:45-Noon-Youth Adventures…Meet at Provincetown High School (PHS)

9:30-11:30 AM-Kidapalooza…PHS

10-12:00 PM- COLAGE 8-18 Youth Programming…PHS

10-11:00 AM-Yoga Class for Adults…Sage

10-11:30 AM-Parent Cafes…PHS

12:00-1 PM- COLAGE Lunch Activity…PHS

1-3:00 PM-Outspoken Generation Celebration …Sage

1-3:00 PM-Friends in Adoption Picnic…Beach @ 153 Commercial Street

3-4:00 PM- Interested in Starting a COLAGE Chapter?…PHS

3-4:00 PM-Affinity Gathering…C&A

2:30-4:00 PM- COLAGE Teen Panel…PHS

4-6:00 PM-Film Screening…C&A

5:30-8:30PM-Protectors Circle Clambake (Formerly Major Donor Clambake)…Pilgrim Monument

            [By invitation only]

Friday, August 9^th

8:30-10:00 AM- Littles Gathering…Bas Relief Park

9-9:45 AM-Book Group for Kids…Bas Relief Park

9:30-Youth Adventures Showcase…Various Locations

10-11:30 PM- COLAGE 8-18 Youth Programming…PHS

10-11:30 PM- Parent Workshop: How to be an Ally to Your COLAGEr….PHS

11:30-12:00 PM- COLAGE Talent Show Prep…PHS

12-2:00 PM- COLAGE Talent Show…PHS

12:30-2:00 PM-Farewell Picnic…Bas Relief

2-3:00 PM-Parade Prep…Bas Relief

3-4:00 PM-Family Unity and Pride Parade…Bas Relief

4:30-5:30 PM-Family Friendly Happy Hour…C&A

5:30-7:30 PM-Family Farewell Dance and Slideshow…C&A

7:00-10:00 PM- COLAGE Dance…Recreation Dept. Gymnasium

In a world that often does not empower young people, what does it mean for COLAGE to be an organization that “values the voices of youth eight to eighteen as leaders in our community” and strives to create a world that respects and amplifies the voices of people of all ages? This year at Family Week, COLAGE is providing a new workshop that will address this question and provide an opportunity for campers and staff to develop our skills around combating oppression based on age and creating positive, proactive, and inclusive channels for youth to be powerful leaders in our collective communities.

This workshop will be the first part in developing a Youth Advisory Board that will work closely with Robin Marquis, the National Program Director, throughout the year to create, develop, and critique programming that COLAGE provides. The YAB will meet twice during Family Week and is open to anyone ages 8-18 who want to gain skills around program development and have their voices amplified within COLAGE!

To register for COLAGE programming at Family Week, follow the link provided below!

http://action.familyequality.org/site/Calendar?id=101641&view=Detail

Rainbow Rumpus is the world‘s only online literary magazine for children and youth with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) parents. We provide a safe, fun, and empowering place for young people to create and enjoy art, break through isolation, build community, and take action to make the world a better place. To learn more about Rainbow Rumpus, please check out our website http://www.rainbowrumpus.org/

Laura Matanah-Executive Director and founder of Rainbow Rumpus, Annie Van Avery- Executive Director of COLAGE, and Hannah Meacock-Ross-Rainbow Rumpus board member and daughter of LGBTQ parents.

Washington, DC – (Mar. 1, 2013) – Today Family Equality Council, representing the three million parents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and the six million children and adults with LGBT parents, joined with allied organizations in filing an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in the cases of United States v. Windsor, challenging Section 3 of the “Defense of Marriage Act” or DOMA andHollingsworth v. Perry, challenging California’s Proposition 8.

Proposition 8 eliminates the freedom of gay and lesbian Californians to marry. The Court will hear oral arguments in Perry on March 26, 2013. DOMA outlaws the federal recognition of gay and lesbian couples’ marriages. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Windsor on March 27, 2013.

The amicus brief, authored by pro bono counsel at Bryan Cave LLP, elevates the voices of children and young adults raised by LGBT parents. It asks the Court to recognize the unique perspective of children for whom the unavailability of marriage as an option for their parents affects their legal well-being, personal self-esteem, and sense of purpose.

“Discrimination has never made a family stronger, made a child feel safe, or created a home,“ said Emily Hecht-McGowan, Director of Public Policy for Family Equality Council. “Denying the responsibilities, commitments, and legal ties that marriage brings only harms families.”

Hecht-McGowan said children in the brief refute claims of marriage equality opponents that extending the legal protections of marriage to same-sex couples harms children.

Among the comments included in the brief:

• “How can they tell me that my family doesn’t count? That the relationship between my two dads that I have not only learned from and cherished, but also reaped the benefits of, isn’t acknowledged on the federal level? That the love they share isn’t deserving of the same protection and laws that a man and a woman receive?” – Ella Robinson

• “My moms have been together for a long time, through thick and thin, and they’ve made it through the good times and the bad times together, as a team. They have shown me and the world what a lasting, loving relationship can look like. And when I think of my own wedding someday, should I be lucky enough to find a girl I want to spend the rest of my life with, I can’t imagine two better role models to base a family around than my moms. “ – Brian Arsenault

• “Not only have my Dads physically and financially supported me throughout my childhood, but they also have supported me emotionally, spiritually, and mentally as I have transitioned into adulthood. For over forty years, my dads have been living proof that true love does exist and that perseverance through adversity helps to define who we are. They have taught me to stay true to myself, to change for no one, and to be the best me that I can be.” – Sarah Gogin

Hecht-McGowan added, “These children clearly know that their families are no less deserving of the marital protections afforded to families headed by opposite-sex couples. The attempt to eliminate marriage for same-sex couples in California and the refusal to recognize validly married couples on the federal level serves only to de-legitimize family relationships and, as a result, the children suffer.”

The brief filed by Family Equality Council, COLAGE, GLSEN, Our Family Coalition, The Center on Children and Families, and The Child Rights Project also includes the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth who will themselves be the next generation of same-sex parents.

Contact:  Steve Majors | 202.664.0079 | smajors@familyequality.org

On March 9, 2013 from 10 am – 3 pm,  U.S. citizens may apply for or renew their passport book or passport card at any of these passport agencies and centers  that are open to the general public. Normally you would need to have an appointment but on March 9 you can walk right in and apply. http://travel.state.gov/passport/npic/agencies/agencies_913.html

Updated Forms for LGBT Families

This year the Bureau of Consular Affairs is focusing on family travel, and this includes LGBT families. Updated forms for parents applying for a child’s passport (DS-11 form) have been released. The Bureau has also redesigned the Consular Report of Birth Abroad (http://travel.state.gov/travel/living/living_5497.html). Both of these forms were updated to provide a gender-neutral description of parents that recognizes the many types of family structures, including same-sex parents.

Stay informed

The Bureau of Consular Affairs also has useful travel information for LGBT travelers. You can access this information here (http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_4789.html).

The U.S. Department of State also publishes an annual report on human rights, including the human rights of LGBT people. This report is good to read before you travel to a new country. You can find the report for 2011 (released in 2012 ) here (http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper). You can also “build” an individual report that focuses on sexual orientation and gender identity concerns by clicking “Build a Report.”  Section 6 contains information on “Societal Abuses, Discrimination, and Acts of Violence Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity,” and you can then narrow your focus by geographic region or country. The Council for Global Equality has been analyzing the report since 2009, and you can find copies of earlier reports on the annual analysis on the Council for Global Equality’s  website (http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper).

The 2012 report will be released this spring.

Traveling with HIV

Currently there are 44 countries, territories and areas that impose some form of restriction on travelers who are living with HIV. You can download a list of those countries, compiled by UNAIDS, here.

We are so pleased to announce that Annie Van Avery has accepted the position of Executive Director for the organization and will begin leading the organization as of February 25, 2013. Annie is a COLAGEr herself and has served as a board member for the organization since July 2012. She joins us from Photo Center NW, where she previously served as Executive Director and led the organization to significant growth and great success.

Annie has a fifteen-year history in nonprofit leadership including two previous roles as an Executive Director. She has shown a strong commitment to social justice, youth outreach, and advocacy work. Annie grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has experience with community outreach work in cities on both coasts as well as rural communities. She has a gay father, a lesbian mother who has celebrated 15 years with her partner, and is the mother of two daughters, ages one and thirteen. Annie currently lives in Seattle, Washington where she has spent the past five years leading an organizational transition from crisis to sustainability while volunteering to help support organizations that provide a lifeline to youth in crisis.

Reflecting on a Year of Growth

We are deeply grateful for the incredible work of Barbara Green, our Interim Executive Director, over the past year. It was undoubtedly a rebuilding year, and Barbara skillfully led the organization as we transitioned from a tough financial and operational outlook to our current strong standing. Barbara’s managerial expertise, her personal connection and commitment to our mission, as well as her vast experience helping organizations deal with trying circumstances have made all the difference for this organization. She has helped us develop critically needed capacity on the Board and Staff while also dramatically improving the internal operations of the organization. Barbara has led COLAGE through some difficult times and we now find ourselves a significantly revitalized organization.

More broadly, over the past year we have recruited talented, new board members who have developed an ambitious and focused Strategic Plan for 2013 that will lead the organization into a new era. (The plan will be made public later this month on our website and through social media-stay tuned.) We have brought on a talented new Program Director (Robin Marquis) who has helped us re-engage and empower our chapters, with seven new chapters brought online just over the past few months. We are on track for another successful Family Week this summer as we build on a promising and growing partnership with the Family Equality Council (FEC). We believe our progress, as a reinvigorated organization is nascent and strong because of all these positive developments.

A Word from Annie Van Avery, Incoming Executive Director

“As we look towards our future we see COLAGE serving as a key organization in the LGBTQ family movement. For over twenty years we have supported youth in our families; we are ready to evolve to the needs of our communities to provide continued advocacy over the next twenty years. This landscape is changing rapidly for some of our communities, with marriage equality and new anti-discrimination laws for our parents and anti-bullying initiatives in our schools; while for others the struggle for basic rights and a safe space to come out about a parent’s orientation continues. COLAGE is unique in that it serves all of our communities from New York City to Sacramento, Alaska to Florida and everywhere in between. Key to this work will be our local chapters and partners who best understand the needs of COLAGErs in their regions. We are focused on how we can provide a support structure for the diverse communities that we serve, in partnership with our youth leaders who are the heart of our mission.”

In Closing

The Board and Staff are extremely excited about the promise that this new year holds for us and our community. We commit to building on the success and growth of this past year while constantly improving upon the ways that we serve the over 2 million youth with LGBTQ parents across the United States. Please be on the lookout for our upcoming 2013 Strategic Plan announcement in the coming weeks and more good news from COLAGE.

Sincerely,

Paul Perry

Board Chair

COLAGE

Apply Today!

 COLAGE is currently seeking fabulous adults (18+) with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer parents to join us for an incredible week at this year’s Provincetown Family Week in Provincetown, MA August 2^nd- August 10^th, 2013!

To apply: Fill out the application by clicking staff application, and submit it no later than Monday, April 1st, 2013 by emailing it to Robin Marquis, Program Director at robin@colage.org