STAR Guide Appreciation Dinner is on April 13th, 2014

Howard U.STAR Guide Syteeta Crawford with Howard U.STAR Interfaith graduate Jayla Anderson View more pictures on Flickr

Join us for a delicious Chinese dinner at Hunan Dynasty Restaurant as we appreciate, celebrate and hear testimonies from Urban Life Training STAR (Students Teaching Abstinence & Responsibility) Guides. All youth, adults and supporters are welcome. Come out and show some love for our awesome STAR Guides!

When: Sunday, April 13th, 2014 at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Hunan Dynasty Restaurant
215 Pennsylvania Ave. SE (Capitol South Metro Stop)
Washington, DC 20003

Free with a student ID (Middle School, High School, or College)
All others: Suggested $10 each donation.
RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

No Bullies! Fight Back against Tolerant Intolerance
by Richard Urban

The resignation of Brenden Eich under pressure from his boss, Mozilla chairwoman Mitchell Baker should ring alarm bells in everyone's mind.  The outrageous political correctness (political wrongness?) of the shortsighted Mozilla CEO is stunning.

Brendan Eich was the newly appointed and highly qualified Mozilla CEO, who invented JavaScript and would have run the nonprofit foundation that makes one of the leading web browsers.  Five years ago, he donated $1000 to California's Proposition 8 campaign, which successfully lobbied California voters to ban same sex "marriage". (That decision was overturned last summer when the Supreme Court let a lower court ruling stand).

A dating website, OKCupid, that did not like the personal view of Eich on same sex "marriage", prohibited users from accessing their site.  Mozilla's chairwoman Baker said "“We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act. We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry. We must do better."

I would agree with Ms. Baker, but in the opposite way that she meant, Mozilla did not do enough to protect Eich's freedom of speech and belief.  She should have backed him up, no matter how much the same sex "marriage" proponents howled. 

I have had a similar experience working with abstinence until marriage sex education here in Washington, DC.  Former school officials called me into private meetings and threatened to make me unwelcome. This has nothing to do with helping students, and everything to do with pushing an intolerant agenda.

In the end, it is the youth that suffer.  Youth don't gain the lifesaving information that if you graduate from high school, don't have a baby outside of marriage, and don't marry before age 20, there is a 9 per cent chance that your child will live in poverty.  If you don't follow any of these rules, there is a 79 per cent chance that your child will live in poverty.

Stop abusing DC youth, and let them choose sexual abstinence based on the facts, not some politically correct viewpoint.  And stop bullying those who express their belief in the institution of marriage.  Speak up and express your beliefs and values.  Let no one hold you hostage to political correctness and intolerance.  It was not Mr. Eich who was intolerant, but those who wanted his head on a platter.  Stop the bullying.  We people of values will fight for our beliefs and basic right to believe, speak and act freely.

Read and comment at the Urban Life Training Blog

A Transformational Experience of Interfaith Leadership Training

STAR Guide Syreeta Crawford: View more pictures on Flickr

A five week cycle of STAR Interfaith Leadership Training just concluded at Howard University’s Blackburn center as a partnership between Urban Life Training and the Phi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity, DC Alpha Chapter.

STAR Guides Syreeta Crawford and Brianna Bingham taught the sessions. In an interview with Urban Life Training, Ms. Crawford shared her insights about the training and being a STAR (Student Teaching Abstinence & Responsibility) Guide:

Could you explain why the training was important to you?

This training was important to me because it allowed me to share with my peers educational information that would help guarantee their success in all areas of their life. By being the change I wish to see in this world, through informing others about how to handle peer pressure, how to be confident in their decision to abstain from acts that are harmful to their future and how to build a strong foundation in their personal growth, I can help edify the trailblazers that will lead our nation.

What about the training touched your heart?

What touched my heart the most about the training was being able to fellowship with my peers and to provide a positive environment for us to be a support system and motivation for each other, as we remain confident in our decision to abstain from harmful actions such as abusing drugs, alcohol and participating in premarital sex. 

Why would it be good for others to attend?

It would be very good for others to attend this training because it will provide them with the information they need to be a beacon of inspiration, wisdom and the opportunity to advocate for the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of themselves as well as for future generations. Ultimately, sharing this information will provide for a more emotionally, financially and professionally stable society. 

How will the training help you succeed?

The training will help me succeed by teaching me the proper way of handling my future relationships and how to make the best decisions to ensure that I am making healthy choices that will positively impact my future, which will not stagnate my maturation process.

How did teaching STAR interfaith touch or affect me?

Instructing the 5 week trainings affected me because it showed me how important it is for me to share my confidence about abstaining before marriage with others. I made a lot of sexual mistakes in my past because I did not have a mentor who was encouraging me to maintain sexual purity before marriage. If others do not know better they will not have the means to do better and unfortunately they must resort to the streets or social media to be taught what they should or should not do. I fell into the trap of believing that what others were doing around me was acceptable for me to do as well. However now that I have the knowledge I gained from STAR interfaith, I can use my past mistakes as my testimony to help encourage others to abstain before marriage. 

View the Urban Life Training Case Statement

Find Out More About how Urban Life Training Helps Youths to Choose the Path to Success: View our brochure here
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