Wednesday, January 04, 2006

PFLAG announces youth scholarships

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From The Equality MySpace Blog w/ Matt Hill
Wednesday, January 4, 2006

PFLAG Announces Youth Scholarship Offers
According to a press release from Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), applications for student and supporter scholarships are now being accepted, until February 14, by the organization.

PFLAG has offered scholarships for three years now; the program has continued to grow every year and awards "thousands of dollars in college scholarships to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) students and their allies."

According to the release:

“Given the response to our scholarship program in the past two years, and with the recent cuts to student loan programs by Congress, it is clear that there is a huge need for these resources," said Jody Huckaby, PFLAG executive director. "So many GLBT students – as well as their supporters – face steep challenges in funding their education, so we are grateful for the generous bequest and donations that make this program possible."

The PFLAG National Scholarships Program is funded by the Palmer B. Carson Trust and other private donors, including the support of the employees group, Gays, Lesbians, and Allies at Dow. The program offers six scholarships of $2,500 and fourteen $1,000 scholarships.

Judy Hoff, PFLAG’s Safe Schools Coordinator and administrator of the program, noted the need for such a program citing new research that reveals that not much has changed in school climates around the country despite the growing awareness that GLBT students do in fact exist and often face significant hostility.

“These students are still three times more likely to experience harassment in school, making their accomplishments and those of their straight supporters to foster a safe learning environment even more important and worthy of recognition.” Hoff said. She added, “Schools around the country are too often turbulent and unwelcoming environments for GLBT students and their allies. These scholarships provide an encouraging acknowledgement of their resilience and the positive contributions of a group of young people often marginalized and subjected to harassment and discrimination. So many of the essays we’ve received in the past two years are as heart-breaking as they are inspiring”.

PFLAG’s National Scholarship Programs for graduating high school seniors entering college in fall 2006 is open to self-identified gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) students and students who are allies and supporters of the GLBT community. The closing date for applications is February 14, 2006.

Applications for the scholarships can be downloaded from the PFLAG website at www.pflag.org. For more information you may contact schools@pflag.org or Judy Hoff, Scholarships Administor, at (202) 467-8180 (ext. 219).

~MATT HILL~
www.MattHillNC.com
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