Open House

 

HEYYPAH-HEYY is aware of the lack of services offered to the Deaf and hard of hearing community.  In order to address this service gap, HEYY recently started a TTY line.  To mark the launch of the TTY line, HEYY is hosting a community showcase on the experiences of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth.  We feel it is important for experiences to be shared, and understanding to be established.  The Open House will take place in the New Year.

 

On November 21, 2007 HEYY held it’s first Open House to present a dialogue on the barriers and stigma faced by youth with mental help issues.  With this discussion we hoped to break down stereotypes and to address the needs of unrecognized and underserved group.  A panel of youth shared their personal experiences, including lack of support and information from family and the community.  Often mental health issues are not properly identified and are therefore explained away as typical teenage behavior.  David Shatzky opened a discussion with the audience to address this from a psychoanalyst’s perspective and we heard from some of the mental health agencies and the difficulties they face.  Entertainment included a short film by Matt Hogue, titled “ A Portrait of My Brother As A Young Man.”

 

On December 2, 2006, the HEYY line launched its live online chat feature at the Youth Underground Awareness Event at St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club.  This new service was the work of our hard working volunteers with the Youth Planning Action Committee and our computer committee.  This new service offers a safe on-line community for youth to post pictures, comment on life, shares their artwork and chat with a HEYY volunteer if they choose to do so.  The computer committee evaluated many forms of social media and decided youth needed a safe forum to discuss the important stuff.

 

In December 2010 HEYY launched the newest version of HEYY.net to better meet the needs of youth today.

 
Events