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Kaufman Tap

 

 ext Queer

BY EUAN BEAR

hristopher Kaufman, 33, is

the new Executive Director

for the RUIZ Community
Center. The selection was confirmed
in mid-July by Board President Don
Eggert.

The search process was
extended when the Center’s first
choice candidate turned down the
job. In the second round of searching
both locally. and nationally, ironically,
the successful candidate was located
in Burlington. Kaufman, who has a
Master’s degree from the London
School of Economics and extensive
experience in nonprofit groups and
grassroots organizing, is a former
staff member of Outright Vermont,
Burlington’s queer youth‘ services
organization; he was profiled in the
July 2002 issue of Out in the
Mountains.

“Christopher had said dur-
ing the application process that he
had always taken on a lot of respon-
sibility in the background of-various V
organizations,” said Eggert. “He
wants to put his skills to work out
front now, and we can give him that .
opportunity."

“My two priorities are
Board development and training and
expanding the circle of involvement,
and getting a physical location,” said
Kaufman, also known in Faerie cir-
cles as Pippin. “The Center needs to
find its place among the whole realm
of social justice movements, includ-
ing labor, women, and environmental
and economic justice groups.”
Environmental and fair education
funding movements suffered in the
Civil Union backlash, he said, won-
dering whether the political and fund-
ing implications of civil unions were
completely thought out. Kaufman
seeks to rebuild or establish connec-
tions with straight allies.

Kaufman says he belongs
to the queer caucus of the National
Organizer’s Alliance, which provides
him with support for working with
allies and strategies to prevent the

 

§%

right wing from dividing progressive
movements through wedge issues.
He hopes to build a

‘ statewide involvement, he said, using

Outright Verrnont’s model of organiz-
ing. “While it’s appropriate to remain
in Burlington as a center, I would
like to diversify the Board geographi-
cally and to offer events and support
groups in other parts of the state.”

At the same time, RUl2?_
has qualified to hire an Americorps /
VISTA worker, Kristian Kemp-
DeLisser, who will begin work this
month. One of the requirements of
the program is at least one (other)
full time employee, a requirement
met when the Center designated
funds for an executive director.

Kemp-Delisser, 23, was the
best of “four or five” gay candidates
to respond to the Center’s advertis-
ing, said Eggert. “He has a strong
organizing background and a B.A.
from the journalism school at
Syracuse University. He’s originally
from Connecticut and came to
Burlington to pursue graduate studies
at UVM.”

Anyone can apply for an
Americorps/VISTA position,
explained Eggert, “Of course, you
have to take a vow of poverty,” he
joked. The program is a favorite of
nonprofit organizations because the
federal government pays part of the
salary of each Americorps/VISTA
worker. It is administered by
Burlington’s Community and
Economic Development Office
(CEDO). “An organization applies to
CEDO,” Eggert said, “and they
decide if we’re worthy” and meet the
criteria. An Americorps/VISTA work-
er must commit to working 40 hours
per week, not be in school, and not
hold a second job.

Second Queer Summit slated
for Aug. 24: Will Press Have
Access?

One focus for the new RUI2?
Executive Director will be on contin-
uing the Center’s efforts at increasing
collaboration among LGBTQIA

organizations statewide through a

series of “Queer Summit” meetings.
The first meeting of representatives
from,nine organizations was held in

_ mid-May.

Although the meeting was
attended by a reporter from OIT M,
one participant objected to allowing
direct quotes or active note-taking

print, or that ideas expressed in the
heat of discussion might reflect badly
on the organization or its representa-
tive when taken out of context.
Facilitator Stan Baker allowed the
objection to block direct media
reportage of the process.

V The agenda for the August
meeting will focus on establishing a

“The Center needs to find its place among the
whole realm of social justice movements,
including labor, women, and environmental
and economic iustice groups." New R.¥J.12?
Executive Director Christopher Kaufman

from the proceedings. The objection
was based on a concern that partici-
pants would not feel able to speak
“frankly” about challenges and issues
if they knew they might be quoted in

fund-raising calendar shared by all
the organizations in order to avoid
scheduling conflicts and multiple
appeals to the same donors. A second

' focus will be on establishing a central

pd As New R.u.1 2? Director

clearing house for board and volun-
teer recruitment. Both of these issues
were identified as major concerns by
the first summit’s participants. There
is no word yet on whether press will
be allowed access to the upcoming
organizational summit meeting.
Representatives at the first
Queer Summit came from R.U. 12?
Community Center, the Crones (a
social organization for women over

-40), Vermont CARES (an AIDS serv-

ice organization), Safespace (serving
survivors of domestic violence in
same-gender relationships), Mountain
Pride Media/OITM, Outright Vermont
(GLBTQIA youth), the Vermont
Diversity Health Project, the Vermont
Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights
(VCLGR), and the Vermont Pride
organizing committee. All but one of
the organizations represented were
based in Chittenden County; VCLGR
is a lobbying group based in
Montpelier.

Commenting about the
denial of press access, Carrie Rampp,
who was then the president of the
Mountain Pride Media board of
directors, said, “It’s ironic that one of

l
l

l

the goals of the meeting was to get.‘ . "

more people involved, but the dele-
gates were unwilling to allow press
access. If we don’t express our prob-
lems and issues publicly, then how
will we get more people involved? I
would hope that the process would be
more transparent and open to public
scrutiny.”

Eggert, like other organiza-
tional representatives, agreed that
limiting press access might be neces-
sary to allow for “candid” speaking.
“It is more difficult to get specific
about issues or challenges, particular-
ly when an organization is looking
for help. We all want to put our
strongest, best face forward to the
people we serve.” The group hopes to
expand its reach to organizations out-
side the Chittenden County popula-
tion base. Nearly two dozen organi-
zations who “should have been pres-
ent” were listed by the May partici-
pants. The Community Center Board
is coordinating the meetingsv

Samara Grant
Hig agar tar

ccording to a press release
from the Samara Foundation of
Vermont, it has awarded schol-

arships and grants totaling $40,000 to
four high school seniors and 12 organi-
zations serving the Vermont gay com-
munity. Samara first awarded grants in
.1998 and now has distributed over -
$130,000 throughout the state. This
year’s amount is the'largest round of
giving in the foundation’s history.

Four Vermont high school
seniors will be receiving $1,100 Samara
Scholarships for 2002. The receiving
seniors are Madeline Veitch of Putney;
Gabriel Mulley of Norwich; Bailey
Miranda of Fairfax; and Tara Sun
Vanacore of Bridport. The Samara
Scholarship was established asan
investment in the future of Vermont stu-

 

dents who oppose discrimination and
prejudice and who stand for the elimi-
nation of homophobia in our society.
Eleven Vermont high school seniors
have been recognized as Samara
Scholars since the awards were estab-
lished in 2000.

Organizations funded in
Samara Foundation’s Year 2002 granti-
ng cycle benefit the Vermont gay, les-
bian, bisexual and transgendered com-
munities in a wide range of areas
including HIV prevention, youth servic-
es, education, media development,
health and community service, social
service, and initiatives to address same-
sex domestic violence.

HIV prevention outreach to
men in Bennington County was the
focus of a $3,000 grant awarded to the

s $40

Grand

fig?

AIDS Project of Southern Vermont.
Expanded youth services for gay, les-
bian, bisexual, transgendered and ques-
tioning youth throughout Vermont are
supported by two grants. Outright
Vermont was awarded $7,000 to match
gifts in their 2002 major donor cam-
paign. Parks Place Community Center
in Bellows Falls received $1,000 to
host a program called Sharing Our
Unique Truths (SHOUT), a four-day
skill-based risk reduction workshop for
“at-risk” girls aged 13 to 15.
A $1,000 grant to the

National Lesbian and Gay Journalists
Association and a $6,000 grant to_
Mountain Pride Media aim to support
fair media coverage and enhance com-
munication for the LGBT community
of Vermont.

 

A $3,000 grant was awarded
to SafeSpace, a social service organiza-
tion working to end physical, sexual
and emotional violence in the lives of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
queer and questioning people.

Education, advocacy and
outreach were the focus of three
Samara grants this year. The Gay
Lesbian Education and Resource
Network (G/LEARN) in Norwich was
awarded $1,500 to provide education
and support to students, parents, and
teachers about issues of sexual orienta-
tion and gender identity. $1,500 was
also granted to the National
Organization for Women: Vermont, to
help produce a voter guide, showing
how Vermont Senators and Legislators
voted on issues relating to women, the
LGBT community and civil rights. The
Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force
received $5,000 to support grassroots
organizing and to insure that they will
have a continuing presence at each of
the local fairs in Vermont.

The Vermont Diversity
Health Project, a project of R.U.12?
Community Center received $1,000 to
help build and coordinate a network of
Vermont-based GLBTQIA trainers and
technical assistance providers for health
and wellness professionals seeking to
improve their services for GLBTQIA
Vermonters.

Celebration of our communi-
ties’ achievements was supported by a
$3,500 grant to Pride Vermont. Faerie

Camp Destiny was awarded $1,500 to ‘

assist with their community programs.
The Samara Foundation,

with ofiices in Burlington, is one of a

network of gay and lesbian community

foundations across the county. Samara

Foundation is a charitable foundation
whose mission is “to support and
strengthen Vermont’s gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered communi-
ties today and build an endowment for
tomorrow.” V