Tempe Programming Recap 12-11-12

by Bobby Beverly

On Tuesday (12/11) the Tempe group was joined by Veronica Harner, the Prevention Lead with Terros, who conducted the “Safe Out” workshop. This program was created by Terros to address the alarming rates of alcohol abuse within the GLBT community, and bring awareness as well as tips for being safe in the “bar scene.” While stressing the dangers inherent in alcohol use and abuse, the “Safe Out” program acknowledges that the youth, many of whom are or are soon to be 21, will inevitably find themselves in positions where they will be drinking or being pressured to drink. The idea isn’t that they must abstain from alcohol consumption for their lives, but rather be cognizant of the many risks associated with this behavior. Veronica stressed that they can have fun, even without alcohol, but that if they do drink, they are responsible for safeguarding themselves against the harm alcohol does to their bodies and lives and the risk of the situations that may accompany its use. The “Safe Out” workshop was bookended by a short quiz and it should be noted there was a significant improvement in the scores, and therefore the awareness, of the youth upon the completion of the presentation and discussions. While at face-value it appeared that this session would be purely informational, the workshop proved to be dynamic and engaging thanks to Veronica’s open nature and reliability. We at Tempe one•n•ten were grateful for her time and look forward to having her join us in the future. For more information on “Safe Out”, visit: www.facebook.com/SafeOut.

For our 12/4 session, the Tempe group had a fun night where we created a gift to the drop-in center. The idea was to create a piece of artwork that would not only serve as a token of appreciation to the central hub of one•n•ten, but also a representation of our group. Being that the drop-in center is where many official events are held and outreach is conducted, we wanted a piece that would signal to the community one•n•ten’s presence across the Valley and put the Tempe group’s “fingerprint” on it as well.