Ep. 179: Holding On For Dear Life--Mental Health Amidst Global Turmoil

EQ: How do we acknowledge and protect our mental health in a time of turmoil at home and abroad?

In this episode, we dive into the pressing issue of mental health during times of domestic and international unrest. We'll discuss the latest developments in college campus protests, explore the intersection of mental health and workplace environments, and highlight the importance of Mental Health Month. We also provide practical advice and share resources for maintaining mental well-being.

Sources Referenced:

• Macklemore  “Hind’s Hall” 

• Student Protests in ME & Europe

• Asian Students Swell Ranks Waseda University

• Brazil’s University of Sao Paolo 

• McGill Encampment Still Standing

• Colleges Brace for Commencement Protests

• The Ezra Klein Show: What Israelis Fear The World Does Not Understand 

• Mental Health America

• 7 Companies That Provide World Class Support

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Hope: if you need to build empathy–read some fiction! Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Adib Khorram;  Challenger Deep Neal Schusterman (teen onset schizophrenia); 15 YA Novels

• Annie: Al Jazeera for protest news; listen to “Hind’s Hall”

Ep. 33: Shut Up & Listen To Youth Voices

EQ: How are youth defining and deconstructing gender in 2018 and how can adults be allies to them?

Guest: Stella Keating, 8th grader in TPS, the WA state representative for the Gender Cool Project, Instagram-lover and a youth activist. Lisa Keating, My Purple Umbrella--Episode 14

Stella tells us about how she became involved in politics and activism through My Purple Umbrella’s work on in 2016  with the Anti-Trans Bill (1552 Bathroom Bill; initiative 1515). She even testified to the school board in 4th grade! She describes her involvement in the Gender Cool Project, a program that “seeks to reach every corner of the country with positive and powerful stories about who transgender kids and their peer allies are rather than what they are. We leave the labels at the door and build understanding through storytelling about the accomplishments of these remarkable young leaders.”

She shares what it means to be a “Gender Cool Champion”, what National Coming Out Day really means (raises awareness for people who don’t have to),  the challenges of being a young activist, how she experiences sexism in the world, and how she really feels about Kavanaugh. And you MUST go read this article in Teen Vogue “Why Transgender Visibility Matters.”

Guilty Favesies

• Annie: seeing exotic animals up close

• Hope: Eyeglass frames

• Stella: Instagram

• Lisa: Facebook

Do your fudging homework

• Annie: Educators and parents - see what support is available in your school for LGBQ+ youth and see what you can do to promote it.

• Hope: Go back and listen to Episode 14; read book from Queerest Book Club Ever on FB

• Stella: Queerest Book Club Ever (next book - Two Boys Kissing), read Handsome Girl and Her Beautiful Boy, read Symptoms of Being Human, shut up and listen to youth voices and educate the youth

• Lisa: Queerest Book Club Ever. Families and allies welcome. Second Monday of the month - 7-8:30 PM. Skype with authors.