lori roddy

The political climate has brought back to the surface open prejudice, bias and discrimination. These are challenges that, in the best of times, have been a part of the lives of the LGBTQ+ members of our community. But all young people are experiencing greater anxiety about social barriers. That’s where the Ann Arbor-based Neutral Zone focuses its work. Executive director Lori Roddy joined WEMU's David Fair to talk about the work to get around, over and through those hurdles.

They say it’s your birthday! The Neutral Zone, the organization envisioned as a youth-driven place for teens to gather, is 25 years old. The Zone's director, Lori Roddy, and youth leader, Sana Schaden join host Deb Polich on this edition of "creative:impact." With a glance back at Neutral Zone’s early days, they’ll bring us up to date on what is now a national model for teen gathering places and tell us about the birthday celebration.

Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett recently gave away $2.7 billion to “286 teams empowering voices the world needs to hear.” Neutral Zone (NZ) was surprised…