Ermahgerd: Cyberbullying
Kristin and Dannielle, founders of the advice website and youth outreach organization Everyone Is Gay, will discuss the role of cyber bullying in our online communities and share stories from several youth who have experienced cyber bullying firsthand. The anonymity allowed in online conversations can foster aggression in many forms, and it can often seem as if the cyberbullying target has no way of responding proactively. Hinging on their work with LGBTQ youth and their own experience with social media, Kristin and Dannielle will focus their discussion on what young people, youth service providers, and social media developers can do to address these situations. The presentation will hinge on the stories and input of young people in order to specifically examine the most pressing aspects of online communication and its potential to not only foster connections but also encourage aggressive individual attacks.
Presenters
Dannielle Owens-Reid founded non-profit Everyone Is Gay with business partner Kristin Russo in 2010. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Performance, and spent three years in Chicago studying improv and sketch comedy (that’s where the funny comes from). During that time she was also teaching drama to kids ages 8 - 18. Dannielle is the creator of Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber, was the runner-up to be the first ever MTVTJ (twitter jockey), ran social media for Virgin Mobile on the Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour, and starred as Justin Bieber in Not Another Celebrity Movie. She believes herself to be a “stellar problem solver,” has the ability to see both sides of the situation #libra, and gets her dance moves from her dad.
Kristin Russo founded non-profit Everyone Is Gay with business partner Dannielle Owens-Reid in 2010. She holds a Master's Degree in Gender Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater, but gained most of her preparation for Everyone Is Gay while lip-syncing to Wilson Phillips and TLC in the late-nineties. After moving to NYC in 2000 and running her own theater company for three years, she began volunteering at The Hetrick-Martin Institute (a service provider for LGBTQ youth and the home of the Harvey Milk High School). Inspired by the students and faculty at Hetrick-Martin, she focused her graduate studies on LGBTQ youth and curriculum, and soon thereafter founded Everyone Is Gay. She has a cat named Trey, a penchant for crossword puzzles, and a deep-seated appreciation for Italian Ice.
Sunday, March 10
