Someone pinch Tyler Tschida.
"I almost couldn't believe it was happening," said the 19-year-old University of Montana freshman. "I thought this was a sick, twisted dream that I would eventually wake up from."
But it's no dream.
Tschida was one of two Missoula students to receive personal invitations to attend the kickoff event for Lady Gaga's new foundation, Born This Way, a name derived from the pop icon's album and self-empowerment anthem. Only 100 students from across the country were invited to the Feb. 29 event on the Harvard University campus.
The pop icon hopes to take her anti-bullying message to a new level with the launch of a foundation that will use research, advocacy and education to empower America's youth and promote acceptance.
"It's exciting that little Missoula, Montana, is being recognized and noticed for their youth leadership and commitment to anti-bullying work," said Heidi Wallace, director of youth programs for the National Building Coalition Institute in Missoula.
Wallace is accompanying Tschida and 16-year-old Ekoo Iko'tsimiskimaki Beck, a senior at Hellgate High School, to the event. Both students have worked as youth leaders trying to combat bullying, violence and prejudice in the community.
"For me, it's such an honor that the students are being recognized because they are so amazing and they've done so many things, not only in Montana but on a national level for their anti-bullying and violence prevention efforts," Wallace said.
The Gaga nonprofit is in partnership with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society and the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Organizers of next week's event discovered Tschida and Beck through Internet searches for youths making a difference in their communities.
Tschida, who graduated from Hellgate High School last spring, has been involved with the coalition building institute for several years and last year attended the first-ever federally funded LGBTQ - lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer - youth summit in Washington, D.C.
"I'm ecstatic about their foundation," Tschida said. "I really love what they stand for: ending cruelty and bullying. Everyone is born the way they are. I'm passionate about that kind of message. I want everyone to see their worth and love themselves. That's the first step in changing the world."
Tschida looks up to strong female role models, including Lady Gaga, Madonna, Grace Jones and Oprah Winfrey, who is scheduled to be in attendance at next week's launch.
The selected students will attend a youth forum aimed at idea swapping, networking and discussing the themes connected with the mission of the Born This Way Foundation. Later that evening, Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta will host an official launch of the foundation.
***
Beck, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe, is looking forward to learning how other youth across the country combat bullying and violence and is eager to share all of the violence prevention and prejudice reduction programs in Missoula.
Beck is encouraged that the Born This Way Foundation is inviting students to offer feedback on the topic. Encouraging student input on youth problems is also how the coalition building institute operates.
Each year, between 40 and 60 youth in Missoula undergo training to later host peer training seminars for high school freshmen. All freshmen at Hellgate High School and Big Sky High School take part in a violence prevention workshop.
Funding from the school district to continue the violence prevention workshops dried up. Beck applied for a grant from the America's Promise Alliance to fund the violence prevention program and expand NCBI-sponsored Respect Clubs - currently in the middle schools - to Lowell Elementary School. Respect Club is co-sponsored by the after-school Flagship Program.
"Ekoo started in Respect Club with me at Washington Middle School and now she's one of our senior youth trainers," Wallace said.
Not only is the kick-off event a great way to exchange ideas with other like-minded students, but Tschida and Beck are pretty gaga about the possibility of meeting Lady Gaga.
"It's amazing they found two students from Montana," Beck said. "This is a huge foundation and it was created by someone who is incredibly influential. To be a part of that is amazing."
Reporter Chelsi Moy can be reached at 523-5260 or at chelsi.moy@missoulian.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment