SLIP Styling Away: Youth Group Organizes, Sponsors First Events

By CHRIS BURRELL

They call themselves The SLIP. That's the condensed form of a
name that sounds like it was plucked from a comic book bubble: The
Supporting League of Ideas and Projects.

A youth-driven group, their whole purpose is fostering creative
outlets for their peers, giving Island teenagers an alternative to the
weekend or summertime party scene.

"I'm sick of not having anything to do," said
Kayla Leonard, one of the 11 teenagers who make up the SLIP leadership
board. "I figured if I didn't want to go out to parties, we
could put our energy into making something else actually happen."

Formed just four months ago, the league of 11 has already proven
they're capable of more than just lip service. In the spring, they
staged a concert at the Atlantic Connection nightclub in Oak Bluffs and
raised $2,000.

They're planning to open a youth center in the old Edgartown
School if town selectmen approve their proposed plans for the building,
and tomorrow, the SLIP is presenting a battle of the bands at the Hot
Tin Roof in Edgartown.

The show starts at 7 p.m. For $10, you get free soda and a
lollapalooza of young Island talent: Eight bands are on the marquee,
sporting names such as Pink Socks and Von Bismarck. Or at least,
that's what the band names were as of yesterday afternoon. They
keep changing, said Lyndsay Famariss, one of the adult coordinators who
works closely with the SLIP.

Last Tuesday afternoon Ms. Famariss and 10 of the teenagers were
knuckling down for a work session on a patio outside the Island Inn in
Oak Bluffs. Unlike some other meetings that took place across the
Vineyard last week, there was nothing boring or routine about this one.

Work got done, but it was done SLIP-style.

For one thing, there were refreshments. SLIP member Korilee Connelly
had taken a detour to the Dairy Queen to pick up an ice cream cake for
fellow SLIPster Nikki Brown, who had just turned 16. Charter school
guidance counselor Becca Prager, who had already arrived with a tubful
of pesto pasta, dashed back to her car to fetch a knife for cutting the
cake.

Balancing cake plates and clipboards on their laps, the SLIP team
focused on promoting tomorrow's show at the Hot Tin Roof. Jess
Stone and Evan Kavanagh volunteered to show up for an interview on WMVY
radio.

"I think we should start off by introducing SLIP and the idea
of SLIP," said Jess Stone.

"Each person should say a certain thing about SLIP and why
we're in it," added Ed Cisek.

They were still waiting on a supply of bumper stickers and posters.
"Flyers work the best," said Miss Stone.

But weather and other technical difficulties can easily foil that
brand of publicity.

"I stapled a bunch to telephone poles downtown, then it rained
and my stapler broke," said Mr. Cisek.

The good thing about a SLIP meeting - and the SLIP members
themselves - is all the laughter. They plan and joke and
strategize and toss out one-liners.

Should they put an announcement on the community bulletin screen
aired on cable channel 10?

"Who even watches that?" asked an incredulous Miss
Kavanagh.

Money was another hot topic at the meeting. Can they negotiate with
the Hot Tin Roof over the fee for renting the club, and what about the
printer who's running late with the posters?

Alex Halbert, Miss Connelly and Miss Leonard were mulling over some
high level negotiations about costs. "Let's get it
down," said Miss Stone, then later cautioning her fellow members
to tread "politely and nonabrasively" as they meet with club
managers and print shop owners.

The bottom-line is no joke. They need the money to make other
projects a reality - more concerts, a poetry-slam reading, a young
chefs competition or whatever proposal one of their peers might toss on
the table looking for funding.

And then there's the youth center. If Edgartown selectmen sign
a deal to let them use the old school on a temporary basis, there will
be clean-up, heating costs and a boiler on the fritz to worry about.

The SLIP kids have talked to their friends to find out what would
lure them into a youth center. Food would be a big draw -
that's one reason the old school site and its kitchen are so
attractive to the youth group. But added costs would be televisions,
computers and X-Box video game systems.

In its pursuit of funds, the group won a $4,000 grant this month
from a Cape and Island youth development program. And they plan to sell
T-shirts at the Agricultural Fair in August.

The SLIP is an arm of the new YMCA project on the Vineyard
that's aiming to build an aquatics, fitness and youth center
across from the regional high school. Last winter, the Island YMCA hired
Ms. Famariss, a social worker, and Amy Lilavois, a mental health
counselor, both of them experienced in working with teenagers, as the
youth coordinators for the SLIP.

The goal for Ms. Famariss and Ms. Lilavois is to let the young
people run the show. That means Miss Halbert is shepherding the T-shirt
production and Whitney Singh is placing the newspaper ads.

The end result is a lively group of teenagers who are invested in
their projects. As Miss Kavanagh put it: "Because it's run
by kids, it's more interesting."