Dear TRENDS Diary -
The current gender-based violence prevention curriculum taught in schools is outdated. Even when health teachers know that there are queer, trans, and nonbinary students in their classrooms, some are not willing or don’t know how to talk about queer topics. Young queer people end up in abusive situations because the system fails us and doesn’t teach us what gender based violence is or how to be safe.
Dear TRENDS Diary -
I love my job. I am the Natural History Program Specialist for Boulder County Parks & Open Space. Being an environmental educator is a great way to connect people to their natural surroundings, and help them realize we are a piece of something much larger. I work with over 100 Volunteer Naturalists to bring topics like geology, wildlife habitat, astronomy, ecosystem health, birds, and plants to people of all ages through interactive programs and hikes. All of our programs are free.
Dear TRENDS Diary -
Every major change I’ve made in my life, I’ve done in the context of a group of supportive women. I graduated from Emerge Colorado in June, a program whose goal is to get Democratic women to run for office and win. My Emerge classmates and coaches gave me the confidence, courage, and support I needed to consider running for Boulder City Council this November.
The Emerge program helped me unlearn internal misogyny and sexism to embrace the idea that power shows up in many ways.
I grew up believing I could study and work in places that are made for men– in business, science, math, and politics– but only if I do it in a certain way. I now see I can show up to these spaces as my authentic self: a queer, Christian, unpretentious, audacious, scientist-mom-businesswoman.
Emerge taught me I can best serve my community when I do not force myself into a box that limits my ability to lead. We can disrupt the ideas of what power looks like and who should be there and in the process create a more welcoming, inclusive community for all of us.
