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OY SUMMER 2005 - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is OY?
Who should participate in OY?
Why and when was OY! formed?
How do I register?
Why is OY! so damn expensive?
What if I can’t afford $50 right now?
What if I am somewhat unsure about my plans?
Do you provide housing?
When and Where is OY! Summer to take place?

What is OY?

OY! is a group of South Asians who have come together to make radical political education and training accessible to South Asian youth, and to empower them to organize for political, social and economic justice. We seek to promote social change by fostering a spirit of activism amongst the South Asian Diaspora, and ultimately to build a vibrant community of South Asian activists committed to fighting oppression in all its various forms.

Who should participate in OY?

We are looking for South Asians between the ages of 17 and 23 (or thereabouts) who are looking for alternatives to the dominant socio-political and economic ideologies. If that’s you, and if:

• you have questions regarding or are interested in frameworks of leftist analysis and politics of dissent,
• you’re interested in examining and deconstructing structures that promote systemic oppression and social injustice,
• you’re sick of encountering prejudices on the basis of gender, class, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality and religion,
• you’re aching to join with progressive causes and stand in solidarity with struggles in the global social justice movement,
• you want to join a community of progressive South Asians organizing for social, political and economic justice,

Then OY! is for YOU!

Why and when was OY! formed?

OY! has been inspired by the success of the Youth Solidarity Summer, which is a project of the Progressive South Asian Exchange (ProXsa) in New York. For the last seven years, YSS has been held as a week-long educational program for young radical South Asians and now has an alumni network of more than 250 graduates, many of who are actively involved in organizing for labor, immigrant rights and other progressive causes.

Many of us in the current OY! collective have been actively following the progression of YSS with avid interest over the past years. Motivated by their success and excited by the sense of community and solidarity between past and present YSS participants and organizers, we began informal discussions with friends and colleagues and, in January 2004, decided there was sufficient interest to pursue the idea seriously. A call for other volunteers was then circulated on various South Asian listservs, and by the end of February an eight-people collective had coalesced around this project.

In the process, we have also ended up identifying other people who have agreed to help out in various capacities, and are committed to the group’s vision. These people form the resource base or support group for the collective.

In particular, several recent events spurred us to try and replicate the YSS model on the West Coast:

• Rise of the Conservative Right in the US: The events of September 11th, 2001, and the resulting increase in hate crimes on Middle Eastern and South Asian people, underlined the need to develop a radical political consciousness and awareness amongst South Asian youth. Several members of this collective also came into contact with young political activists from other communities as part of the anti-war organizing in the San Francisco bay area.
• The international geo-political situation: The increasing political prowess of neo-fascism in India and the ensuing genocide in Gujarat in 2002, as well as the rise of military dictatorship in Pakistan and its endorsement by the US, has also resulted in an urgent need to mobilize the South Asian Diaspora for progressive and tolerant causes.
• The YSS workbook: Last year, the YSS collective in New York published a workbook laying out all the details of organizing a YSS program. Having access to this workbook has significantly helped in the conceptualization of the youth program, and made it more workable.
• South Asian Progressive Conference: This is an annual SF-Bay Area conference of South Asian activists. In 2003, some of us did a panel on the concept of a training program for South Asian youth, and received warm support and encouragement from the community.

How do I register?

You will need to complete a registration form and pay your registration fee.
The registration fee is $50 on a sliding scale [This means that we ask that you pay more if you feel you can afford it. Likewise, if you're constrained for cash, let us know and send us as much as you can.]

Why is OY! so damn expensive?

OY! is self-funded through volunteers and small community grants that help pay for materials, honoraria and travel for speakers and panelists, space rentals and chai. We are proud of receiving NO corporate sponsorship and also look to make available small scholarships for participants who may not be able to cover their own travel expenses. For all this and more, we ask that you make a token donation of at least $50 (if you can afford it) and heaps more if possible so that we can collectively ensure that money is not a factor in anyone being able to attend.

What if I can’t afford $50 right now?

If you can’t beg, borrow or steal $50… DON’T FEAR. Fill in the registration form and concentrate extra hard on convincing us how badly you want to participate. We’ll get back to you once we have a chance to read all the applications and get a sense of how many scholarships we will be able to give this year based on the funds we have available.

We are focused on ensuring that money is not the deciding factor between who gets to attend and who doesn’t. Please trust that we will try our best for everyone, but due to the nature of our organization and our limited amount of funding, we may not be able to accommodate everyone.

What if I am somewhat unsure about my plans, or if my cousin suddenly decides to get married that weekend? ..."

We expect hordes of people to be beating down our doors, so we encourage you to send your info in anyway. Make sure to indicate if there is some uncertainty about your arrival. If it does turn out that your cousin gets hitched, we will refund you half your fee ($25). OR "work with you depending on your circumstances".

Do you provide housing?

We do not guarantee any pre-arranged accommodations for out of town participants. At this time, we are soliciting volunteer-hosts who can put up one or two students each. We encourage you to contact us at oy<AT>youthsolidarity<DOT>org. Usually we do end up getting sufficient hosts to satisfy everyone. The key is to let us know early. But that is no guarantee; so please do your best to find a friend, relative, whomever you can in the Bay Area as well.