HEAL Plus NM collaborated with the New Mexico Genders and Sexuality Alliance Network (NNMGSA Network) and youth volunteers to create a digital curriculum called “SQUINCH” — Sharing Queer Understanding, Inclusion, Nonviolent Communication, and Health.
SQUINCH is a series of videos and supplementary materials designed for young LGBTQ+ folx to practice healthy relationship skills and understanding about queer and trans identities.
In Lesson 2 of the Queer Futures Now Network Curriculum, you are invited to:
Make a date with a young person or small group of young folx you care about. Make sure you all have about 60-90 minutes of uninterrupted time to hang out.
Pick a place that is safe and comfortable for all of you.
Gather whatever art supplies are accessible and make you happy.
Watch the SQUINCH Mental Health Pocket Zine video (below) together and follow along as you each make your own zine.
Reflect on what you learned from having spent this time together. Here are some reflection questions to consider:
How did it feel to spend that time together?
What did you notice?
What do you know now about your young person that you didn’t know before?
What are you still curious about?
What might the next steps be?
Pro Tip
As you spend this precious time together with the LGBTQ+ youth you love, do your best to listen more than you talk. This isn’t the time for a lecture. This is when you show up authentically, listen compassionately, and build trust.
When you do talk, share truthfully and vulnerably—human to human—without taking up too much time and space. Share your story without burdening them with your challenges. You never want to put them in a position where they need to be the one taking care of you.
Instead, you want to show up with empathy by relating to their feelings, even if you don’t fully understand their experience. This happens when you listen without judgement, take what they say seriously, and reflect back what you heard.
Let us know know how it goes in the Comments below!
Make sure to subscribe to Queer Futures Now here on Substack. When you do, you become part of the Queer Futures Now Network, a virtual support community facilitated by our partners at HEAL Plus New Mexico. The Queer Futures Now Network is for parents, families, educators and the rest of us who are ready to show up on behalf of queer and trans youth…now.
Each week, you will receive an email with new lessons like this one with tools and resources to add to your ally toolbox.