THE 2ND YEAR

"We've Got Balls" will mark the two-year anniversary of the formation of the C.I.T.Y. x1 Youth Group! Below is a recap of the journey that the youth of the community have taken in their first 2 years:

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WE WANNA DO THIS!
On Wednesday, June 15th, 2005, 15 youth from the community decided that they wanted to start (and maintain) a youth group that would be for youth, by youth. The purpose of C.I.T.Y. x1 would be to establish a peer-to-peer network where youth could empower themselves, be productive, make things happen in the community, and make sure that youth in the community have a voice.

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A BUSY SUMMER
The Summer of 2005 was a memorable one for the youth of C.I.T.Y. x1. Upon announcing the creation of the group at the West Hollywood City Council Meeting on June 27th, members of the newly-formed C.I.T.Y. x1 Youth Group attended the "Beyond Crystal Meth: Healing Our Minds, Bodies, and Souls" forum at the West Hollywood Park Auditorium on June 29th.
Two days later, the group launched its very own web site, CITYx1.com. At the same time, C.I.T.Y. x1 hosted 4-straight nights of Community Outreach on the West Hollywood Strip.
Youth members then took a brake during the 4th of July weekend to hold a BBQ and discuss the future of their group and what steps to take in the coming months. The weeks that followed took C.I.T.Y. x1 to the CSW Volunteer Party (where Mariah S. gave a live performance), a special invite to the "Bent" play at the Deaf West Theater, a continuation of Community Outreach, and all the way down to San Diego for the 2005 San Diego Pride Festival.
As the month of August rolled in, the momentum picked up and the word on C.I.T.Y. x1 was getting out quick! Continuing their outreach efforts, C.I.T.Y. x1 attended the LA Rodeo at The L.A. Equestrian Center in Griffith Park, which was a lot of fun! Members were also invited to two "movies in the park"; D.E.B.S. on August 5th and Iron Jawed Angels on August 26th. And what would the month of August be without a trip to the Sunset Junction Festival!? Sunset Junction was a lot of fun and C.I.T.Y. x1 members thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

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THE MEDIA IS ALL OVER C.I.T.Y. x1!
On August 17th, 2005 C.I.T.Y. x1 made a special appearance on a local public access show. A total of 5 members appeared on the show to talk about the formation of C.I.T.Y. x1, recent accomplishments, future plans, and the importance of youth activism.
The show was not the only TV spot for youth members. Before the end of the year, four members were featured in national programming (an MTV Show, a commercial for Kaiser Permanente, and the Q Network's "On Topic" Show).
The print media was also covering the expansion of the new C.I.T.Y. x1. The group was mentioned in three issues of IN Magazine and in the month of May 2006, C.I.T.Y. x1 was mentioned in The Advocate. The Advocate mentioned C.I.T.Y. x1's popular workshop titled, "MySpace.com: A Place to Make Friends or Just a Bunch of Drama?". On August 17th, 2006 C.I.T.Y. x1 was a special guest on "The Waide Show", which was taped at Warner Brothers.

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PICKING UP 8 AWARDS
Being on TV was cool, but being recognized for the work that C.I.T.Y. x1 has done (and continues to do) was a great honor. The first award came on October 22, 2005 at the Models of Pride Conference. C.I.T.Y. x1 received the "Commitment to Peace Award" for their dedication to the empowerment of LGBTQ youth. Other group awards consisted of a "Certificate for Work in the Community with GLBT Youth", and two City of West Hollywood Proclamations.
Youth of C.I.T.Y. x1 were also recognized for their individual accomplishments. Jeremy L. was the recipient of the first ever "Outstanding Youth Leader in the Community" during the 2005 LA Pride Festival and Ty Thomas was the recipient of a "Paul Andrew Starke Warrior Award" on World AIDS Day on December 1, 2005. In the 2006 edition of the Warrior Awards, C.I.T.Y. x1 member Mariah was recognized.

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CREATING 6 FREE EVENTS FOR YOUTH
November of 2005 was approaching and it was time for C.I.T.Y. x1 to produce its ever first event, the "ThanXgiving Youth Social". This event was held on November 19th, 2005 at the Metropolitan Community Church in West Hollywood. Sponsored by Wells Fargo, this free event featured free Thanksgiving dinners for over 75 youth in attendance, live performances, raffle prizes, an attractive event program, and tons of opportunities to make new friends. Our special guests at the event were Mayor Abbe Land, Reverend Niel Thomas (of MCC), Sue Sexton (Chair of the West Hollywood Lesbian Visibility Committee).
Next up for C.I.T.Y. x1 was the "Egg Nogg Youth Social" on December 17th, 2005. This free social for LGBTQ youth and their allies was held at Plummer Park in the City of West Hollywood. Over 100 youth attended a very fun and entertaining social that featured free snacks, 3 live youth performances, special announcements, recreational activities, and of course...free egg nogg! Prizes for the event were donated by The Trevor Project.
As time went on, C.I.T.Y. x1 went on to produce "pop", in honor of its 1st-year anniversary, as well as the 2006 editions of the Thanxgiving Youth Social and the Egg Nogg Youth Social. Once 2007 rolled in, the group produced it's long-awaited St. Valentine's event titled, "Cupid's KickBack". Cupid's was co-produced with the WeHo Teen Center and attracted over 160 youth.

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ATTENDING TONS OF COMMUNITY EVENTS
C.I.T.Y. x1 continued to conduct community outreach at various community events throughout its first year. Youth members made stops at the 2005 Latin Pride Festival in Downtown Los Angeles, the 2005 West Hollywood Book Fair, the LA/Valley Pride Festival, Models of Pride XIII, the 2005 AIDS Walk, and the West Hollywood Halloween Carnival. Other stops included Long Beach Pride, Models of Pride 14, Sunset Junction 2006, and several other community festivals.

 

MAKING AN IMPACT @ LA PRIDE
C.I.T.Y. x1 played a key role in representing the youth of the community in the 2005 and 2006 editions of the LA Pride Festivals. Having served on the Peer Party Planning Committees, the youth volunteers helped produce 2 WeHo Idol contests. Additionally, the group made a landmark accomplishment by helping create the "Outstanding Youth Leader in the Community" award, which (for the first time) acknowledged a youth activist alongside the traditional CSW awards. During the Spring of 2006, members of C.I.T.Y. x1 and other youth members of the community teamed up to form the Peer Party 4 Planning Committee. Peer Party 4 would mark the fourth year that CSW would host an area for LGTBQ to feel empowered, entertained, and educated. In preparation for the Big Weekend, the Peer Party 4 Planning Committee made stops at Long Beach Pride and the 2006 Mayor's Reception.
Peer Party 4 was a hit with youth who attended from all parts of California and the U.S. The main attraction of PP4 was the return of the West Hollywood Idol Contest. Over a two-day period, 5 youth competed in a singing contest to crown the 2006 WeHo Idol.

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KICKING OFF THE NEW YEAR
C.I.T.Y. x1 kicked off 2006 and 2007 with a bang, literally! Members attended Club Freedom in the City of West Hollywood on December 31st and rang in the new year in the City that they were born in. C.I.T.Y. x1 also returned the following year to support the event.

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GIVING LESBIAN YOUTH A VOICE
Since first forming on June 15th, 2005, C.I.T.Y. x1 made a commitment to not only incorporate gay males into the organization, but lesbian youth as well. As the month of September kicked off, the GIRL TALK group was formed. GIRL TALK was formed as an emotional support group for lesbian youth 14-24 and their allies.
To take things a (major) step further, C.I.T.Y. x1 created "The L Youth Forum". This is a 3-part series of forums that will bring together adult and youth lesbian leaders of the community to talk about various issues affecting lesbian youth. The first edition, titled "The L Youth Forum Volume 1: It's About Time", was held on February 25th @ Plummer Park and was filled with great content. The much-anticipated Volume 2 is expected to be held in the very near future.

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BEING INNOVATIVE
Besides creating "The L Youth Forum", C.I.T.Y. x1 continued to be innovative in creating programs for LGTBQ youth. Considering the popularity of the MySpace.com web site and how it is affecting the lives of LGTBQ youth, C.I.T.Y. x1 created a workshop to address this topic. Titled, "MySpace.com: A Place to Make Friends or Just a Bunch of Drama?", this workshop was first presented at the Models of Pride XIII youth conference on October 22nd. This was the highest attended workshop in the morning session and drew over 75 youth. Continuing its popularity, the group was invited to present this workshop at Wilson High School's first ever LGTBQ Youth Conference on February 18th, 2006. This workshop even caught the attention of the national media, as The Advocate mentioned it in their May 23rd edition.

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WHAT A SPRING!
The Spring of '06 was a busy one for C.I.T.Y. x1. To kick off the season, the group received a special invitation to "The Playground" a play held at the Deaf West Theater in North Hollywood that touched on several issues affecting youth today.
On May 1st, C.I.T.Y. x1 received some exciting news. The group was named a benefactor of "The Nun Party", a special fundraiser produced by The LA Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The Trevor Project and the Center were also named as benefactors.
On May 10th, C.I.T.Y. x1 was part of history (twice)! Members were invited to attend both the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Frontiers Magazine and the 10th Anniversary Special of The Abbey Restaurant.
On May 19th, members attended the LGTBQ Youth Prom @ The Friendship Auditorium.

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TWO YEARS LATER
As the month of June 2007 approached, the youth of C.I.T.Y. x1 were getting ready to mark 2 years of youth activism. After the first year, the City Council of West Hollywood presented C.I.T.Y. x1 with a special proclamation and congratulated the group for lasting an entire year. The presentation was made by Mayor John Heilman.
On June 15th, 2007, 2 years had been marked by the youth members of C.I.T.Y. x1. On this day, the youth of the community were proud of their many accomplishments in two years and having completed various tasks with a limited budget ($0.00). On this day the past was remembered and cherished and the future was anticipated with great enthusiasm.

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SAYING THANKS
The youth of C.I.T.Y. x1 would like to take this moment to thank all of the organizations, members of the community, parents, family, and businesses who helped us out in our first 2 years. We could not have done it without you and we thank you for believing in us. As we go into our third year, we make a promise to continue being vocal, visible, and active in our efforts to make sure that LGBTQ youth have a voice in the community.

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YEAR 3
Many great events, activities, and surprises are in store for C.I.T.Y. x1's third year. And folks, you ain't seen nothing yet! Please keep posted to CITYx1.com for special announcements.