Alterna-prom

It's Prom Season

And all across North America, happy, well-dressed kids are spilling out of limos and buses on their way to an end-of-the-year dance. Of course, not every school sanctions proms – often because of safety concerns. During prom weekend in 2004, nearly half of the traffic deaths among 15 to 20-year-olds involved alcohol. So, groups have started offering alternatives called “Alterna-Proms.” That way kids can still kick up their heels and celebrate, but in a safer, more-controlled environment. Here are some recent end-of-the-year events we read about in Family Circle magazine:

The Senior-Senior Prom in Portland, Oregon. It brought together members of the senior class and elderly local citizens for a night of dancing, mutual understanding, and shattered stereotypes.
No Prom for Darfur. Kids in Cape Cod, Massachusetts used the money they would’ve spent on a prom – between $600 and $1,000 dollars per couple – and donated it to fight genocide in the Sudan in Africa. They had a 3 hour dance, and set up tables so students could write letters and sign anti-genocide petitions.
The Prim Prom in San Ramon, California. Put on by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it promised modest attire, proper etiquette, music with clean lyrics and no suggestive “freak” dancing that’s becoming popular with kids.
In San Antonio, Texas, the Two Worlds Prom added Muslim culture to the school dance. Boys and girls partied in the same space but separately. Traditional foods were served. And at one point, the evening’s celebrations were halted for prayers.
Finally, one school held a traditional prom that was actually very different for them. For the first time in history, Turner County High School in Georgia had their first non-segregated, school-sponsored prom - instead of separate parties outside of school for black and white students, they all danced together at their own school in harmony.