2017 Gender Spectrum Professionals' Symposium

Learn ways to help gender-diverse children develop the social-emotional intelligence they will need to build self-esteem and counter the impact of negative messages. Explore the power of storytelling in helping gender-diverse youth create stories and counter-narratives for gender resilience and gender pride. Two mixed-race moms of gender-diverse children will share lessons from research, parenting, and work with young people about the power of storytelling. Participants will develop skills to support children through interactive exercises based on real life examples. Participants will learn concrete steps to counteract negative stories and develop empowering narratives so that children can identify strategies for skill-building gender resilience and gender pride. Resources, including children’s books that engage the multiple identities of gender diverse youth, will be highlighted.