Idaho Human Rights Education Center – $2,500

Mission: To deliver human rights education throughout Idaho; specifically, efforts to improve the position of people who are or may be victimized because of mental or physical disability, race, religion, ethnicity, perceived class difference or sexual orientation.
Funding: Through this grant for general operating expenses, the Fund for Idaho supports the Idaho Human Rights Education Center as a partner working toward peace, justice and human rights. Ongoing programs include the “Bullying Has Never Been Cool” campaign; K-12 Human Rights curriculum for Idaho developed in collaboration with the Idaho Department of Education; conversion of an illustrated presentation for elementary school students about the history of human rights in Idaho into a web-based program; creation of a Resource Center of materials available for lending throughout Idaho; teacher training on human rights education; and a human rights art contest for students.

Interfaith Alliance of Idaho – $2,500

Mission: To provide an inclusive faith perspective and a statewide interfaith voice speaking in terms of love, respect, healing and diversity.
Project: Using this grant , TIA-ID will develop discussions and workshops to be used by Idaho faith communities to openly discuss faith and sexuality, dismantle the oppression of heterosexism/homophobia, become “open and affirming” congregations, and change the institutional oppressions they have been consciously or unconsciously perpetrating. TIA-ID will partner with LGBT leaders within congregations and with religious leaders and non-profit coalitions doing anti-oppression work. The Fund for Idaho supports the Interfaith Alliance of Idaho as a partner in countering those who would use religion to justify violent responses to people and public policies with which they disagree. Ongoing TIA-ID programs include the Interfaith Religious Leaders network; Community Response Networks in Boise, McCall/New Meadows and Canyon County; Overcoming Hate workshops; Kitchen Table Trialogues bringing women and youth of Islam, Judaism and mainstream Christianity together; and religion and the 2004 elections. Chapters serve Pocatello, Boise, Nampa, McCall, Moscow and Sandpoint.

Buenas Noticias Farmway Village Newsletter – $1,500

Mission: To provide Spanish-language information to migrant and seasonal farmworkers about events, issues and opportunities – including basic human and civil rights and sources of higher-education funding for youth.
Project: Farmway Village, a housing project owned by Caldwell Housing Authority, is home to an estimated 900 residents of migrant and seasonal farmworker background. It is unique for its multi-generation and mixed-status characteristics. For example, in one household one might find a family containing a U.S. citizen, a Legal Permanent Resident and a person with no status. The Buenas Noticias co-founders and production team of two women, one man and a female youth are all first-generation immigrants who understand first-hand their neighbors’ limitations to full participation in the wider Idaho community, especially the lack of information available in Spanish. This newsletter addresses in common and understandable language the events, issues and opportunities important to the community, including basic human and civil rights. It also encourages teenagers to be more involved in their community and their schools by offering a youth-edited section addressing issues they feel are important to them and containing information on financial aid and scholarships to enable post-high school studies. This grant funds production for one year – 12 issues, 250 copies each of Buenas Noticias. – Fiscal agent: Idaho Community Action Network

Community Gardens of Boise – $2,500

Mission: To engage senior citizens and newly arrived refugees in their community, provide training in language and life skills, and promote self-worth and inclusion.
Project: In partnership with the Idaho Office for Refugees, this grant will create community gardens at Ahaveth Beth Israel Synagogue and the Newcomer Education Center. These gardens will serve senior citizens and newly arrived refugees, enhancing their self-worth and inclusion as well as encouraging cultural exchange, English language practice, and interaction between adults and students. The gardeners will enjoy the fruits of their labor, thus saving money on food. Specifically, this grant will pay for tools and supplies such as hoses, seeds and mulch. This project dovetails with other programs under the umbrella of Mountain States Group Inc.: Agency for New Americans, English Language Center, Foster Grandparents and Retired Senior Volunteer Program. – Fiscal agent: Mountain States Group

Community Intercultural Center 2004 Community Forum – $2,000

Mission: To bring cultures together through education, information and participation.
Project: This project is an opportunity for collaboration and capacity-building among community, faith and business leaders, educators, young people, and refugees and immigrants. The Fund for Idaho supported the first Community Intercultural Center Community Forum, held in Boise in October 2003. This grant will help institutionalize the forum so it can continue into the future. The 2003 Forum brought together 200 adults and teenagers to engage in discussion and foster social action around issues of diversity and culture. They drafted community action steps that the 2004 Forum will follow up. The 2004 Forum also will publish information about volunteer resources and needs, create new collaborative mechanisms for improving cross-cultural/diversity understanding, identify and involve new community partners and refugee/immigrant leaders, and identify at least six concrete, measurable action steps.

Idaho Model Environmental Education School Network – $2,500

Mission: To produce environmentally literate citizens with the skills, knowledge and commitment to live in harmony with their natural surroundings. By stressing long-term thinking about Idaho’s quality of life and our finite natural resources, the network hopes to move society toward sustainability.
Project: At eight Idaho schools – in Hagerman, Pocatello, Moscow, Nampa, Salmon, Ft. Hall Indian Reservation, Bonners Ferry and Hailey enrolling 2,066 students – 413 from ethnic minorities, 44 educators will use the Environment as an Integrating Context for improving learning – the EIC model. They will teach students about both ecological and social-political systems and the ways they affect each other. This grant and other sources will support the network for one year. – Fiscal agent: Idaho Environmental Education Association—IdEEA

Treasure Valley Public Access Television – $1,418

Mission: Build community and increase diversity by facilitating television programming opportunities for recent immigrants to the Treasure Valley.
Project: This project will empower high school and college-age immigrants to produce TV, telling their own stories in their own voices instead of having others produce videos for or about them. Six young men and women from Afghanistan, Somalia and the former Yugoslavia will develop a group of trained video producers in a 10-week course covering all aspects of video production from concept development to final broadcast. The grant will pay for training, tapes and producer fees. Some material will be televised in the makers’ native languages and aimed at immigrant audiences. Other programming will be in English and aimed at a more general audience.

Y Que! Northwest Latino Youth Conference – $1,500

Mission: To put on a conference for youth, created by youth, addressing the rights of youth of color and empowering them to become leaders in the movement for social justice; create a structure to facilitate ongoing relationships and work throughout the region.
Project: In 2003, the first-ever regional Immigrant Rights Conference, held at Boise State University, gave birth to a youth caucus that resolved to create greater opportunities for student leaders: Youth on a Quest to Unite and Empower – Y QUE!. This acronym—translated as “So What?!” in Spanish—represents their passion to be active in the movement for social change, invoking attitude, courage and confidence. This first-ever youth conference will be held May 21-23, 2004, at Boise State University. It will attract progressive youth and their organizations; raise awareness about access to higher education, immigration issues, prejudice and racism in schools, racial profiling and criminal justice reform; give organizing tools to upcoming leaders; and establish an annual gathering and a regional structure to support communication and grassroots community work. Organizers hope to create a nationwide network of grassroots progressive youth in the next five years. – Fiscal agent: Idaho Community Action Network