So my original project hasn't quite taken off yet- it will take a lot more planning than I am ready for at this time, but fortunately, I was asked to facilitate a Sex Ed workshop at Lyric instead. The workshop is two four hour sessions with the trans youth grup at Lyric, and will focus on self advocacy in both the medical setting and in personal relationships, consent practices, and cultivating healthy relationships. I've been working with both the program coordinator for the youth group, as well as a medical assistant at planned parenthood, and I'm excited about conveying all the information I've gathered in a fun and engaging way.
To that extent, I'm going to have the youth practice some writing exercises geared around their own experiences around engaging the medical setting as a trans person. This is to tease out whether they feel supported and encouraged by medical staff, what their experiences have been so far, what they liked or didn't like, and what they would like to see change. We will be doing the same type of exercises for interpersonal relationships, and consent practices around safe sex. I have a wealth of instructional and educational pamphlets from planned parenthood, and we'll be looking at those as a group and deciding what works for us and what doesn't work for us. Then, we will design educational pamphlets made by the group for other trans youth, as an intervention in the information that is currently available.
Lucien,
ReplyDeleteI know you spoke to me about your project in passing, but now that I'm reading about it I'm realizing how amazing it actually is! This is such a big win for you and for the kids! Wow!
It sounds like the youngstars are going to get some practical information while being able to build with others by sharing self-validating stories, and stories that I think would be beneficial for the community of trans youth out there! Have you thought of taking the written pieces, along with the practical info to create a zine that could go out to the young trans community?
Please keep me engaged. I want to help promote this if you need that, and I want to know how the project continues! Rosadominicana@gmail.com
Rosa
Lucien,
ReplyDeleteI echo what Rosa said this is important work! Stay the course and remember more information is better than too little. I'm sure the community already feels more supported in this area than ever before.
Congrats on doing what's needed,
Venus
i think designing educational pamphlets targeted at trans youth is a great idea. you should get some good ideas from the planned parenthood stuff, i'm sure, but obviously that's not going to be pertinent in every way. it sounds like an important service to get that info out to the people that need it. good luck!
ReplyDeleteLucien, what exciting, important work! I'm curious what your prompts will be and what kinds of writing you'll encourage participants to do, creative? Poetic? Narrative? Memoir? Argumentative? All of those? Or anything they want?
ReplyDeleteLucien- this is so cool! I didn't know you were doing this workshop since I last talked to you. What writing prompts did you use? How did Planned Parenthood live up- was it trans friendly at all? I've heard Swedish (a hospital in Seattle) is trans-friendly, but I supposed it depends on the staff... but that they are trained at least, in respecting the way each patient defines their body and identity. Maybe a writing prompt about how each participant sees themselves, and how they want to be seen... at least for me, sometimes I'll know there's something wrong, but won't know what I want specifically until I write about it.
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