Local Students Raise Awareness For Affordable Housing And Move Others To Action During Act! Speak! Build! Week

    LOS ANGELES, CA, February 24, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Each year, young people around the globe participate in Habitat for Humanity's Act! Speak! Build! Week. It is a unique experience of student-initiated, student-led advocacy for affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) empowers local youth groups and individuals ages 5 to 25 to plan events in their own communities and on their campuses, targeting other youth and community members, to raise the social consciousness on issues of poverty housing and to affect change in housing policy. Throughout the week of March 8th - 13th students and youth groups interested in achieving safe, decent housing for all are encouraged to get involved by planning and participating in an awareness activity, entering a YouTube video contest, or by attending the Act! Speak! Build! Week event on March 20th at Long Beach City College.

"Giving young people the education and tools they need to change the affordable housing crisis in Los Angeles will mean more homes for more local families in the future," says Erin Rank, president/CEO of HFH GLA. "Act! Speak! Build! Week provides this for our young people and fosters creativity and leadership skills that will help them in and outside of the classroom."

Examples of activities happening in conjunction with Act! Speak! Build! Week include; writing contests, classroom discussions and presentations, visual representations of alarming statistics and more. Young men and women are also encouraged to enter HFH GLA's YouTube video contest. Sixty-second videos describing how the filmmaker is part of the solution and advocating for affordable housing will be accepted March 1st - 11th and linked to the Building A Greater Los Angeles blog, where voting will take place March 12th - 18th. First, second and third place winners will be recognized at the Act! Speak! Build! Week event on March 20th at Long Beach City College from 2:00 - 3:30 pm. The event is being co-sponsored by the college and their Office of Student Life Viking Volunteer Club.

The Act! Speak! Build! Week event includes a presentation on housing issues in Los Angeles and a panel of youth advocates, volunteers and residents of Habitat's Homeownership Program. The ten leading videos in the Act! Speak! Build! Week YouTube contest will receive a showing and the top three videos awarded prizes. The event will offer students an opportunity to receive a unique perspective on the affordable housing problems in Los Angeles by hearing from those who are closest to the issue and the youth in HFH GLA programs responding to the need.

For more information on Act! Speak! Build! Week, the YouTube contest and the event on March 20th visit www.habitatla.org/act_speak_build.asp. HFH GLA also offers opportunities for youth to get involved year-round with programs like Campus Chapters, the award-winning Nickels for Nails and Youth United. Information about these programs can be found at www.habitatla.org/youth_programs.asp, or by contacting the Youth Programs Department at 310.323.4663 or [email protected].

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles strives to eliminate poverty housing through advocacy, education and partnership with families in need to build simple, decent, affordable and sustainable housing. Since 1990, HFH GLA has built and renovated over 600 homes locally and worldwide, transforming the lives of hundreds of individuals. HFH GLA is a GuideStar Valued Partner. For more information, visit http://www.habitatla.org or call 310-323-4663.

Contacts:

Jo-An Turman
Habitat for Humanity GLA
T: 310-323-4663 x121
C: 213-819-1519
[email protected]

Angela Moore
Starfish P.R.
C: 310-429-8868
[email protected]

# # #