Local Documentary focuses on issues of youth homelessness and sexual violence

author : Nichole Ketcherside topic : homelessness | Intercity Transit

by Nichole Ketcherside

I started working on the documentary "Downtowners" when I enrolled in the program Local Knowledge at The Evergreen State College during the 2004-2005 academic year. Local Knowledge gave students the opportunity to do community-based research. One of our first field assignments was to conduct an ethnographic observation. I chose to focus on the Olympia Transit Center when I noticed a lot of youth were congregating on the corner of Washington and State. I began collaborating with fellow classmate Jessica Eskelson on a short video focusing on the issues of public space around the Transit Center. We talked to local businesses and employees of Intercity Transit who said the presence and behaviors of the youth on the corner were scaring away customers. When I looked over to the corner all I saw were kids hanging out with friends. Yes, they were loud and occasionally I heard a curse word, but all those things are typical teenage behaviors. Maybe the Transit Center isn't the best place for them to hang out, but if not there, then where can youth go to just hang out and be themselves? Some of the youth that we talked to said they hang out at the Transit Center because there is nowhere else for them to go.

While talking to the youth we found out that a lot of them where homeless. A census done by the Thurston County Housing Task Force in the winter of 2005 reported that there where at least 249 youth and young adults under 21 in Thurston County that were currently homeless. Jessica and I became familiar with some of the primary reasons that youth where on the streets when we met Rosalinda Noriega of Partners in Prevention Education in the winter of 2005. Partners in Prevention Education is a coalition of local service providers, advocates, and homeless youth working together to raise awareness about the connection between youth homelessness and sexual violence. A report conducted by Rosalinda during the summer of 2004 reported 66 percent of homeless youth surveyed in Olympia have experienced sexual abuse, and 73 percent reported having had an abusive home life.

When we met Rosalinda we shared with her our desire to create a documentary about the homeless youth in downtown Olympia. Rosalinda invited us to attend her meetings and meet some of the homeless youth that she had been working with. During the winter of 2005 Jessica and I spent time getting to know the youth downtown. We discussed homelessness, sexual violence, panhandling, addiction, family, street culture, safety, police conduct, and public perception of homeless youth. We conducted camera interviews with them, and invited them to meetings where they could give us feedback on our film. Through my relationships with the youth I have learned that many of them are very intelligent, polite, articulate, compassionate, and honest human beings who suffered trauma that lead them to be homeless. Unfortunately, there are not very many services in Olympia that homeless youth can or will access.

Shelters in Olympia require a youth to be at least eighteen, and some youth have shared with me that they feel safer sleeping on the street than in the shelter. For youth under eighteen the most well-known resource is Community Youth Services (CYS). CYS houses a variety of youth programs including Rosie's Place. During its first year, Rosie's Place functioned as a drop-in center where youth could access services and hang out. Currently, it's operating as a resource center where youth can eat and talk to outreach staff, but it is no longer a place where youth can just hang out. The youth are still in need of a place where they can access recreational activities and social services at the same time.

The only way we as a community are going to be able to address these issues is if we allow youth to be a part of the discussion. Their perspectives are key to understanding the realities of street life. Our main intention in making the documentary is to give youth the opportunity to share their voices with the larger community, and to challenge some of the stereotypes and stigmas that people have about the youth downtown.

Partners In Prevention Education is hosting the premiere of the film "DOWNTOWNERS" at the Capital Theatre on Friday January 13th at 7pm. The film will be followed by a Community Forum to encourage dialog and creative problem-solving. Tickets are available at Rainy Day Records & Traditions Fair Trade, or online at http://www.buyolympia.com . The cost is sliding scale 10-25 dollars. No one will be turned away! Proceeds will benefit Partners in Prevention Education & The Youth Media Project of Thurston Community Television.

For more information about Partners in Prevention Education visit http://www.youthchangeagents.org or call (360) 943-0780 ext. 205

For more information about "Downtowners" visit http://www.olydowntowners.com or email olydowntowners@comcast.net