ABOUT US
cultivating compassion through LGBTQ+ social action, education and the arts
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OUR MISSION
To cultivate compassion through LGBTQIA+ social action, education and the arts. OUR PURPOSE To create programs and projects elevating issues impacting the lives of LGBTQIA+ people around the world, through arts, educational and community honors programming in association with individuals and partner organizations. Through this process, we are able to enhance the global Pride movement of compassion and amplify the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community, while furthering the objectives and goals of the Charter for Compassion in local communities with global impact. OUR PROGRAMS
OUR PRIDE Power of Song
A music-focused intergenerational program supporting the Racism & Oppression Awareness Program of InterPride, the international association of Pride organizations, and the United Nations Free & Equal LGBTQIA+ Rights Campaign. The program features a series of projects, including “Singing for our Lives,” designed to stimulate activism through music, while highlighting significant LGBTQIA+ issues around the world. 
OUR PRIDE Video & Arts Fest
Started in 2016 as a youth video competition, the program is a showcase of compassion-focused videos & music submitted by YOUTH (age 18 & Under), featuring songs and short videos focusing on current issues and significant LGBTQ+ people, places and events. 
Troy Perry Awards Started in 2016, the program is named in honor of one of the founding fathers of the Pride movement, Rev. Troy D. Perry, the Troy Perry Awards recognize fearless LGBTQIA+ young people, community leaders & Pride organizations making an impact through social & spiritual activism. |
Compassion is a luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world and is the essential and catalytic ingredient to the creation of a just, peaceful and sustainable world. OUR GOAL
To cultivate the principle of compassion and the Compassionate Way of Life through three main program areas: arts, education and community awards programs under the umbrella of OUR PRIDE through the OUR PRIDE website, mobile app and social media. In collaboration with our partners, we seek to address issues such as: racism, oppression, colorism, colonialism, corrective rape, conversion therapy, criminalization, discrimination, equality, mental health & suicide, police brutality, refuge & asylum, religious oppression & spiritual abuse, school bullying, transphobia, violence, women's rights, and youth homelessness. VISION We envision a world in which the darkness of suffering is healed by the light of compassionate action; in which children and adults are literate and skilled in the transformative nature and power of compassion; and in which we treat ourselves, each other, and the natural world with dignity and respect, manifesting the Golden Rule in all relationships. OUR HISTORY In 2013, we began with the first of two annual interactive Tibetan-style rainbow prayer flag arts installations with LA PRIDE for the 35th anniversary of the rainbow flag, a first youth video competition in 2016 and a music & literary arts program in 2018 with LA LitFest celebrating the 40th anniversary of the rainbow flag. 2013: "Colors of Compassion" Event Rainbow Prayer Flag Interactive Arts, LA Pride 2014: "Compassion Week" Events San Francisco 2015: "Colors of Compassion" Event Rainbow Prayer Flag Interactive Arts, LA Pride 2016: OUR PRIDE VideoFest Program Youth Video Competition, Launch Year 2017: Troy Perry Awards Program Launch Year 2018: “Awakenings” Event Music & Readings, Lambda LA LitFest 2022: Power of Song Program Music, Arts & VideoFest, Launch Year |
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Social Activism & Advocacy |
OUR PRIDE is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging a new generation to have a positive impact in the world through using media and the arts to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and solutions by creating education and motivational content around a variety of topics.
Racism & Oppression Awareness
In support of the Racism & Oppression Awareness Program (ROAP) of InterPride, the international organization of Pride organizations, the OUR PRIDE Power of Song program, is designed to counter racism and oppression and amplify the voices of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other People of Color and marginalized peoples. The program seeks to elevate issues of race, racism and racial justice within the LGBTQ+ community, as well as all forms of oppression, including homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, classism, sexism, and xenophobia.
The goal of the OUR PRIDE EDU is to explore the LGBTQ+ people, places and events which have shaped our world and are impacting our collective future.
In 2016, Rainbow Advocacy's educational partner, Global SchoolNet (GSN), started an initial student video competition beta program which is now the OUR PRIDE Video Fest. The program is based on the framework of GSN's award-winning online collaborative educational programs which have included 5.5 million young people and organizations in 195 countries. Through six main topics, OUR PRIDE challenges youth to produce video stories covering people, places, events, culture, history and current issues facing LGBTQ+ people around the world. Participants connect locally and globally to gain a heightened awareness of the sometimes dramatically different LGBTQ+ social and cultural environments. In partnership with UCLA Film & Television Archives, selected OUR PRIDE video submissions will be included in the permanent Outfest UCLA Legacy Project Collection. 
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"Paper Bag Heart" was the winning entry in the 2016 competition by Sage Creek High School's GSA in Carlsbad, California. "Paper Bag Heart" will be entered into the Outfest UCLA Legacy Collection as a permanent part of the archives.
OUR PRIDE ARTS brings together the visual and musical arts for social impact.
In 2022, we introduce OUR PRIDE Power of Song series, including Threads of the Rainbow, which weaves together LGBTQ+ stories through music, photography, video, literature, and other creative arts. |
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LGBTQ+ Education & Curriculum |
OUR PRIDE Video & Arts Fest is designed to align with social studies standards and to meet mandates of inclusive education initiatives, including California's SB 48 FAIR (Fair, Accurate,Inclusive, and Respectful) Education Act and Illinois Senate Bill 3249, which require public school history courses be non-discriminatory and integrate factual information about social movements, current events, and history of LGBTQ+ people into social science instruction.
Through research, collaboration and production, the program creates a new awareness and understanding of history, culture and issues, while directly connecting youth with mentors and elders in a cross-generation learning and personal growth experience.
Through research, collaboration and production, the program creates a new awareness and understanding of history, culture and issues, while directly connecting youth with mentors and elders in a cross-generation learning and personal growth experience.
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Lead Organizers & Collaborators
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Global SchoolNet Foundation's collaborative programs include International CyberFair, Doors to Diplomacy, and Global Forest Link. Since 1996, GSN's International CyberFair (virtual world's fair) program has engaged 5.5 million students and connected schools, youth organizations, and communities across 194 countries, making it the oldest and largest online educational event of its kind.
The San Diego-based 501(c)3 Global SchoolNet is led by President & Co-Founder Dr. Yvonne Marie Andres. In 2017, Dr. Andres was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame and has been named one of 25 most influential people worldwide in education technology. |
Charter for Compassion is a Seattle-based 501(c)3 nonprofit participating as global collaborator as it celebrates the 10th anniversary of its creation through a winning 2008 TED Prize presentation. The Charter today is a global, uniting document calling for the Golden Rule at its ethical core.
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