YES! Generation of Hope House Parties

Please come join us for one of YES!’s free fundraising house party, called Generation of Hope, to be held in various locations across the country as listed below. The party will include delicious vegan organic refreshments. Because the event is filling fast, it would be terrific if you could RSVP as soon as you can to let us know whether or not you plan to attend, so we can be sure to save spaces for those who want them.

Generation of Hope will be an exhilarating and inspiring event organized by YES!, and will feature a moving presentation by a troupe of extraordinary young global leaders. The program will impact people at a deep level, opening hearts, offering hope, and inspiring guests to live with purpose and passion. We would love to share with you the impact and depth of YES!’s work, and to inspire you with the power of young people changing the world. You will have the opportunity to hear from YES!’s Global Jam* and Leveraging Privilege for Social Change alumni as well as meet some of our dedicated staff. There will be an inspiring group of attendees from throughout the area gathered, and the afternoon will include an opportunity to build relations within the local community as well as with the YES! community.

YES!’s work is growing in some exciting ways, as we engage with a new generation of social entrepreneurs and visionary leaders worldwide — while building an increasingly sustainable, transparent, and co-creative organization. We are part of some cutting edge inquiries into the nature of real and transformational partnerships in an often polarized world. We are seeing some bright lights of hope shining directly out of some of our world’s places of struggle.

YES! is holding this event as a fundraiser and also as a catalyst for the “generation of hope” in our lives, in our communities, and in our precious and deeply troubled world. People will be respectfully invited to make a donation, but there will be no minimum or maximum gift. There is no cost to attend. And if you are able and inspired, we hope you will consider giving whatever level of gift would feel generous to you. People unable to attend are still welcome to make donations through this website.

• New York House Party, Thursday, October 25, 7 to 9 p.m., home of Marie-Elizabeth Mali
• Boston House Party, Friday, October 26, 7 to 9 p.m., home of Christopher and Anne Ellinger
• Boulder House Party, Tuesday, October 30, 7 to 9 p.m., home of Helen Gemmill
• Santa Cruz House Party, Saturday, November 3, 7 to 9 p.m., home of Emily Reilly
• San Francisco House Party, Sunday, November 4, 1 to 3 p.m., home of Ellen Furnari
• Venice House Party, Sunday, November 11, 3 to 5 p.m., home of Jodie Evans
• Marin County House Party, Saturday, November 17, 7 to 9 p.m., home of Barbara and Chris Wilson
• House Party, Sunday, November 18, 1 to 3:30 p.m., home of Mariana Bozesan

Global Jammer in New York: Sowore Omoyelle is one of Nigeria’s most powerful, active and accomplished voices for social justice, human rights, and a clean environment. Sowore co-founded an organization known as Committee for the Protection of Peoples Dignity (COPPED). He was also a founding member of the Congress of Progressive Youths (COPY), a Pro-democracy coalition of neighborhood youths in Nigeria, and the Moshood Abiola Vanguard for Democracy (MAVD), a civil society empowerment organization composed of neighborhood youths and students in Nigeria. Acting as the human rights consultant to the award winning investigative report on Chevron Killings in the Niger Delta, Sowore was instrumental in the creation of "Drilling and Killing" produced by WBAI/Pacificia Radio based in New York. As a result of his non-violent political activities, Sowore has been a target of several brutal assaults. That Sowore continues his fight testifies to the fact that Sowore is more than just an activist, but a deeply courageous and compassionate human soul.

Global Jammer in Boston and Boulder: Motaz Attalla worked for an international NGO through 2006 on a teacher training project that has brought him excitingly close to the action in Egypt's impoverished primary school classrooms. He maintains an interest in traditional learning systems and has most recently been learning a lot about growing and cooking food. In spring of 2007, Motaz completed a three-month learning journey and exchange in India with Shikshantar, a people’s institute based on re-thinking around education and development systems. He is a YES! Global Youth Leadership Collaborative Member and one of the Organizers for the 2009 Middle East Jam.

Global Jammer in California House Parties: Kimmie Weeks founded Youth Action International and has worked to alleviate poverty and human suffering in Africa and around the world since he was fourteen years old. Kimmie was born in Liberia and at a young age, came face to face with civil war, human suffering, and death. Over the years since, Kimmie has formed partnerships and led organizations that have provided education to thousands of students in West Africa, lobbied the disarmament of over 20,000 child soldiers, and provided health care and recreation supplies to thousands of children recovering from the madness of war. In 2007, he received Liberia’s highest honor and was decorated Knight Grand Commander in the Order of Humane African Redemption by Her Excellency President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. At age 25, Kimmie is the youngest recipient of this distinction. The day after his speech to the nation, the Liberian Parliament voted to give themselves an unprecedented 40% pay cut, earmarking all of the funds to education and health care for children. Kimmie also won the Golden Brick Award this year, which honors young people under 25 working to change the world. Here is a link to a video news story about Kimmie.