The Gothic Volunteer Alliance is an action league of individual volunteers who conduct humanitarian acts for the betterment of the local and global community.
What We Do:
Beach, Garden and River Cleanups
Graffiti & Neighborhood Cleanups
Donations to and Involvement with Local Animal/Wildlife Refuges
Public Information and Awareness Campaigns
Food, Clothing and Toy Drives, and So Much More!
Our History, Our Why:
The Gothic Volunteer Alliance (formerly Goth Help Us – San Diego; a part of the now defunct Goth Help Us International organization), was founded in October 2006 after the unfortunate, and unprovoked, brutal verbal and physical assault upon four Goths in a busy San Diego tourist area. The horrifying encounter left two of the four Goths with bruising and one requiring reconstructive surgery for orbital rim and socket fractures, a broken nose and dislocated jaw. What could have manifested as anger and hatred was instead channeled into the desire to undo the negative image that society and the media cast on the Gothic Subculture over the last several decades. From that, the San Diego Gothic volunteer base was formed.
Almost a year after the assault and on the day the trial was to begin for the conviction of one of two perpetrators of the attack (the second assailant, to date, still has a warrant out for his arrest), the four Goths heard distressing news from the UK that Sophie Lancaster had passed away that morning. A few weeks prior, Sophie and her boyfriend Robert Maltby had been viciously attacked for being Goth, leaving both grievously injured and in a coma. On August 24th, 2007, Sophie died from her injuries, leaving people around the world grief stricken and many with the desire to change the way that alternative subcultures are misconceived out of ignorance and fear. Back in San Diego, the trial went on for a week, successfully convicting the assailant and in some small way marking a victory for Sophie Lancaster, Robert Maltby and others from the alternative community who have been victims of hate crimes.
Yes, we are different and we are passionately proud of that difference! But we are people who have the same cares for our family and the environment and the world. We are people who struggle with the same day-to-day toils as everyone else. We are people who find joy in family, friends and community. We are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, even grandparents. The Gothic Subculture is often misunderstood and therefore needlessly feared and targeted. The murder of Sophie Lancaster illustrates that hate against subcultures is a global problem. People are people, regardless of what culture they identify with. By exposure, people abandon their fears and accept that while people are different and have different lifestyles, they are people nonetheless, and there is value to everyone’s existence and individuality.
It is the Gothic Volunteer Alliance’s goal to bring understanding of the Gothic/Alternative Subculture to those who are without. GVA seeks to present to the world the beauty that we have to offer through interactive works of volunteerism and charity within the local community.
