the 2nd annual -
From Independence
to Independence !!!!
fundraiser for sent(a)mental studios


dear friends and family,

i am writing to ask you a favor --  to support my work with youth and suicide prevention. please take a moment to check out this fundraiser.

From Independence to Independence !!!! --- the 2nd annual fundraiser to support Sent(a)Mental Studios and all of its projects for an entire year!!! This campaign will be running until August 10th, 2014 - the 30th anniversary of my being discharged from medical and psychiatric incarceration simply for being myself.

The amazing thing is if everyone of my facebook contacts donated $5.17 ( like taking me out for tea ) we would reach our goal. Would you please consider making a donation and/or assisting by continuing to get the word out... please re-post, share, email, and talk with friends and family. The success of this campaign will depend greatly on community support of people like you. here is the indiegogo link -- http://igg.me/at/HAVENYOUTHPROJECT2/x/950782  -- your support means so much…thanks in advance.

love, dylan

please consider helping one of my students
deadline: monday may 12th, 2014

i am so fortunate to be working at one of the most amazing places - The Jefferson County Open School - in Lakewood Colorado. i am inspired on a daily basis by the community of students and coworkers in their commitments to challenging and pursuing and greater quality of self through learning.

one of my students is currently working on what is called a logical inquiry passage and needs your help. will you please take a moment to read this request and answer the 10 questions.

you can email the answers to me at [email protected]

as always - thank you for sticking around.
love, dylan 

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My logical study

Why is there discrimination within the gay community? We are a group fighting for equal rights and fighting for acceptance, yet we can’t accept certain groups of people in our community. The groups that are facing the most stigma are transgendered and bisexual people and I am trying to find out why.

Is it because we are a monosexual culture?

Is it Inner homophobia?

The need to be a dominant sexual orientation?

Is it that we have a narrow view of sexuality?

Or are we just uneducated and unaware of how these people feel and are going through?

These are some answers that I have come up with but I want to know what the community thinks about the topic. 

I am doing this survey so that I can gather data and write a scientific report about it for my logical inquire passage that I must do in order to graduate from my school. Although it is not the only reason, I am very curious about the topic because I have witnessed this discrimination and I am also guilty of feeling a bit of stigma toward other groups of people in our community despite wanting to have an open mind. So if you would please take a moment to answer these questions it would be much appreciated.

1. Have you witnessed discrimination towards a trans person?

    a. If so did you do or say anything to help the situation?

    b. Why or why not?

2. Have you witnessed discrimination towards a bisexual person?

    a.If so did you do or say anything to help the situation?

    b.Why or why not?

3. Do you believe trans people should get the same rights and acceptance that gays and lesbians are fighting for? Why?

4. Do you believe you have an understanding about why trans people undergo sex reassignment surgery?

5. Do you believe sexuality is fluid or set in stone? Why?

6. Do you believe we are a mono sexual culture? Why?

7. Do you believe discrimination will exist until people get used to the idea of being transgendered? Much like what happened with gays and lesbians?

8. Do you believe that the discrimination going on within the LGBT community is hurting our fight for equal rights?

9. Do you believe that if everyone in the community excepted transgendered, bisexuals, and whoever else is facing prejudice that society would also accept them?

10. Do you have any other ideas as to why this is happening in our community?

HAVEN YOUTH PROJECT -
open studios tomorrow in DENVER
Sat June 15th from 10-2pm
COME EXPRESS YOURSELF !!!

so many different students keep sharing this song with me - damn, it's so powerful to witness the difference expressions like this make.

i am reminded daily how important things like this are - please whatever medium it is - music, art, dance, sing, write, speak - find your voice - reveal yourself and your stories - and more than that share it with the world.

i for one can't wait to hear from you.

love, dylan

welcome to the summer of 2013.

this past spring i have been switching some things around - a little spring cleaning i suppose :)

seasons change and with that so do things in the studio - especially the hours :)

   1) i have been updating the website and hopefully making it easier to find things. please click around and see for yourself.

    2) those of you using the open studios - there is now a calendar page that you can just go to and know what days the studio is open. if i need to close the studio i will post it on the calendar so check it before you head in.

    3) thanks to our wildly successful INDIEGOGO fundraising campaign in march we have lots of new supplies, magazines, books, etc.

    4) a very special guest in the studio on Sat. June 22nd. i'm not saying who - but i will say i am way excited.

    5) some have expressed an interest in HAVEN book club. we are accepting suggestions as well as book donations - and hope to be launching a monthly (perhaps bi-monthly) book club beginning in september.

However, I will be in a coffee shop in South Boulder, CO during regular open studio hours if you still want to hang out, drink tea, read, work, etc.

Shoot me a text and I will tell you where exactly we are :)   

love, dylan

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

Resulting from the generous donations from a variety of community members and resources we have successfully raised the money needed to support Sent(a)Mental Studios and the HAVEN YOUTH PROJECT for an ENTIRE year !

More updates coming soon !!!!

- LOVE, DYLAN

** if you haven't seen it already - take a few minutes to check out this video created by my awesome friends at improbable pictures

WOW! WE ARE 1/2 WAY THERE !!!

I have been so moved by the awesome amount of support – financially, verbally, as well as by hearing testimony from old students, friends, and community that I have been working with over the years – it warms my heart, fills my spirit, and confirms that i have been on the right path with my life - and now as we are at the midpoint of this fundraising effort - and with the generous financial support of 130 community members and many more active messengers that have been re-posting and sharing information with friends, family, etc – we have officially reached 50% of the $12,000 it would take to support the studio for an ENTIRE YEAR.

We have also received some awesome coverage from the Westword and the Advocate - so please check out the links below and share as you like.

THE WESTWORD _ Dylan Scholinski seeks donations in his mission to bring art to troubled kids with gender issues

THE ADVOCATE _ WATCH: Support Art As Suicide Prevention for LGBT Youth

I am so thankful to have some of the funding necessary to assist the studio and its student and to feel community coming together in support of this work. Thank you so much for your continued support. Soon I will be going to replenish some of the art supplies and tools… and to those of you who have sponsored a student – they are already expressing a feeling of some pressure lifted. Won’t you please consider giving us a push today to keep the momentum going – there are many ways to help in getting the word out – post/share on your social networks and direct your community,family, and friends to the work of sent(a)mental studios and how helpful supporting this work can be.

The success of this campaign will depend greatly on the continued community support and of course none of this would be possible without the continued and generous support of friends like you.

thank you in advance.
love, dylan

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click on this link and go directly to the amazing video about the project (generously created by Improbable Pictures) and details about the projects and fundraiser

http://igg.me/at/SENTAMENTALSTUDIOS/x/950782
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