Yesterday, we (Sarah S-K, Sine, China, Harriet, Jake, Dany and Anna) met to have a fantastic brainstorm about the children's programming at IDKE XII (idkexii.com). (Coincidentally, there was also a huge rainstorm.) We're calling it SUPER KIDz!
Here are the results of the "What is Gender Justice" Brainstorm:
What does “Gender Justice” mean to you?
- motion
- fighting back/gaining justice
- knowing how/when to say something: strategies in different situations
- the freedom to love and be loved
- being your whole self
- challenge yourself: be challenged
- space to think a different way outside the status quo and dominant paradigm
- belonging
- comfort
- being safe: body free from attack/social safety/professional safety/legal safety
- knowing there are folks who will have your back
- being supported, protected, and defended
- conscience of gender binaries
- the right to be a parent
- conscience of your own struggles and how they can affect others
- linking our personal struggles to larger issues
- linking larger issues to each other
- there is more then one component to justice
How about as it specifically applies to children?
- caring and happiness
- encouragement to explore
- having space to be fluid
- not telling little 3 year old boys to “stop being a little bitch” when they cry
- stop policing children for their emotions and self-expressions
- stop putting gender on everything that really has nothing to do with gender (but is just perceived that way)
- wanting affection is OK –and Good!
- respecting boundaries: children’s boundaries are often not respected
How to talk to children about these issues:
- ask questions, children like to talk, ask them what they think
- you can keep things light
- let children have their own questions and opinions
- answer their questions simply without shame ex. “yes I do have armpit hair”
- give examples of other people, especially people they know “Sara has armpit hair too!”
- it’s OK if you don’t have a concrete answer
- no one knows everything: there is no book of every right thing to do and say
- some children do like concrete answers and to talk about gender a lot
- more important then indoctrination is to teach critical thinking
Here's a picture of us the with the peach sponge cake, made from China's great-grandmother's recipe. Yummmm! (thanks jake for taking the picture)
What does Gender Justice means to you? It feels good to think and talk together. We also went over the schedule, activities, youth performance (really excited about that!), and what was our needs, children's needs, to care for them.
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