The 1212 Project

the cities: proposals

2010-10-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

ideas for initial cities, based on a myriad of reasons: resource availability, existing organizations, and interest that this project has already gained:

Burlington, VT
Boston, MA
New York, NY
Washington, DC
Raleigh, NC  
Detroit, MI
Milwaukee, WI
Chicago, IL
Denver, CO
Albuquerque, NM 
Salt Lake City, UT 
Las Vegas, NV 
San Francisco, CA
Portland, OR 
Seattle, WA

*cities highlighted in (red) are cities in which we've already found interest and support to possibly move this project forward. with 15 cities listed and we're proposing 12, once we establish the framework on how to move forward, we'll select 12 for the first year.

do you live in any of these cities and would like to help me begin the early stages of mobilizing allies? if so, let me know though email: sean (at) the1212project (dot) org.

a note.

2010-10-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

In a culture that shuns “difference,” the queer voice is often left silenced. So much so, that many youth are opting to take their own lives to escape the intolerance they experience on a daily basis. Recent headlines prove this: “Our queer children are killing themselves,” (San Francisco Bay Guardian, 9/29/2010); “Family mourns death of bullied, gay CA teen,” (ABC7.com, 10/2/2010); and many other similar stories have been published.

In an attempt to reach out to queer youth who feel as if life doesn’t get any better, author Dan Savage launched the It Gets Better Project, aimed at sharing inspiring stories to those who feel isolated. However, many feel the same as internet blogger Zoe Melisa: "Telling our own stories from our incredibly privileged positions overwrites youth experience ... We should help folks feel seen--by trying our hardest to see them." Indeed, local Seattle group Queer Youth Space recently wrote on Facebook: “..instead of just telling queer youth that it gets better, how about we change it now. Help us, queer youth, change our lives today.”

Which leads me to why I am starting this project. To me, food has the power to heal - not only ourselves, but the communities we live in - in all senses of the word. I am rooted in my belief that through building urban farms we can deconstruct multiple barriers that divide us -- sexual identity, gender, race, etc. That is why I believe that The 1212 Project is something worth fighting for.

12 farms. 12 cities. 12 months. And a new platform for empowering queer youth.

Are you in?

we hit 12!

2010-10-08T07:44:00.001-07:00

12... and growing.

mission : empowerment

2010-10-07T21:40:00.001-07:00

mission: to empower queer inner-city youth, through urban agriculture, to cultivate positive changes in their lives and their communities.

+ urban agriculture, to build community: we all eat. but we don't all grow what we eat. when food sprouts in an urban area where you'd least expect it and you're growing culturally diverse crops, you're bound to build a new sense of community from the ground up.

+ urban agriculture, to break down barriers: by creating opportunities to connect on common ground, we can learn to break down stigmas and stereotypes that exist based around sexual identity. (the same can be said for race, ethnicity, class and gender, too.) we can also use urban agriculture to challenge the norm of our food system, creating ways to provide fresh, nutritious food for everyone -- breaking down the financial barrier. old barriers broken, new communities united.

+ urban agriculture, to empower queer youth: by being directly involved in the process of growing food, to learning how earthworms make it better; to running a farm stand, and proudly saying "I grew that!" while explaining about how that very same tomato would have been ripened by gasses on a truck en-route from 2,000 miles away had it been bought conventionally. ever grown something for yourself? if yes, then you can speak firsthand on how empowering it is to just that very same thing - "I grew that!" dirty hands. creativity. food. art. justice.. all to be had from growin' produce. who woulda thought?

+ empowered queer youth, making it better: not only for themselves, but for their communities as a whole: transforming lives, growing food and creating a healthier future. just another days worth of work down on the farm.

blueprints for empowerment: the who, the how, and lets be honest - aren't there already enough "whys"?

+ the cities, as proposed and with ideas from those around the country.
+ the budget, as proposed to make this possible. (hey, it can be done way cheaper, too!)
+ the reasons, as voiced directly from queer youth. (link soon)
+ the allies, who believe in us.

we need your help: this idea is brand spankin' new. and you can help us make it happen. + and you can help us by doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

join forces.

2010-10-07T21:39:00.001-07:00

EMAIL:
questions? get a hold of sean:
sean (at) the1212project (dot) org

FACEBOOK:
think this idea should grow?

TWITTER:
that's what he twittered:
@the1212project

DONATE:
for now, please contact sean (at) the above email. he's working on figuring out how to fund this really, really huge idea, which includes actively seeking out a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.

VOLUNTEER:
calling a few good queers! we want you to be a part of this. help us mobilize organizations in your city that support our initiative so we can get 'er started and sprout up in your town!

do you:

- live in any of these cities?
- have a want to challenge stigmas based around our identity?
- feel that food has the power to break down barriers?
- have a passion for food?
- want to help redefine what "community supported agriculture" means in the city?
- believe a queer-run community farm can cultivate positive changes and develop long-lasting relationships?
- feel that urban agriculture can help create a healthier future for all of us?

then we want you to join forces with us! here's what you can do:

- create a video. tell us why you support this project. share your story! did you grow up on a farm? did your parents grow their own food? make their own ice cream? or perhaps you've never went potato robbing, but think it sounds rad? whatever your story, let your voice be heard! upload it to youtube, and send us a link. we'll post it on the website!

- download these flyers. print them out, and drop them off at school, your favorite cafe, a local queer hangout, and anywhere else you think would be the right place to spread the word about the project.

- connect us. know any queer farmers? any local organizations in your town that would support us? we are itchin' to build a diverse coalition of allies that support this project. get in touch with them and let them know you want this to happen. to help you in this process, we've went ahead and made a letter you can send to them - by email, in person, snail mail, or by unicorn express. the choice is yours.

- spread the word. encourage your friends, family, teachers, peers, partners, or pet chickens to "like" us on facebook.

the allies.

2010-10-07T21:37:00.001-07:00

allies:
friends who believe in the power of food to empower queer youth and stand by us as we attempt to launch this idea into reality.

*an ally at this point in the project has no financial obligation to support us; you merely acknowledge that you stand behind our mission and are willing to act as a resource when this project takes root. if you're organization is supportive of this mission, and would like to be an ally, get in touch with sean.

wait a minute..who is this sean?
well, he's the guy behind this project. and he's our biggest ally.

sean, a late 20 something year old, hails from a small town in rural western new york where he spent most of his childhood foraging for wild strawberries, climbing trees in search of the best apples and otherwise running around barefoot in the great outdoors. (at 27, he still does a lot of that to this day.)

a former intern with worldchanging, and former youth mentor at youth in focus, sean recently founded alleycat acres, in spring of 2010, to help in reconnecting people with food, with place, and ultimately with each other through transforming underutilized urban land and creating community run farms.

in it's first year, alleycat acres successfully created two farms from scratch, grew over 700 pounds of food, and was selected by the american institute of architects as one of ten firms reshaping the future of architecture in the seattle region. not shabby, eh?

in addition to workin' 9-5 to pay the bills (ok, maybe not always 5), sean is currently a student at seattle central community college, and is pursuing a bachelor of arts at the university of washington or washington state university, focusing on anthropology/communication and organic agriculture.

the 1212 project is the next step in sean's visions to help in creating a future to believe in.

and so it begins...

2010-10-07T19:46:00.001-07:00

and idea is born.

sample letter.

2010-10-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Dear (awesome organization):

Howdy. My name is (your name), and I recently learned about the 1212 project. In short, the project aims to create 12 farms in 12 cities in 12 months -- starting in 2011 -- aimed at empowering queer youth, such as myself, through urban agriculture to cultivate positive changes in our lives and our communities.

Currently, they are looking for allies that support the mission. As a queer youth, I believe this project would be highly beneficial in our community and I encourage you to read more about it on their website and join forces. I've already shown my support, and I would hope that you can, too.

Regards,

(your name)

website: http://www.the1212project.org
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-1212-Project/140161376029892
twitter: @the1212project