Hi guys! Nothing special really happened this week at the Youth Center. Everyone
remembered my name except for one person who doesn't remember anyone's name
and they also seemed pretty happy to see me, so that was exciting!
We lost our volleyball game again (surprise surprise), this time against some
tough old men in purple shirts. On Tuesday we watched a bit of
Sweet Blue Flowers, an anime with a whole host of queer characters, and talked
a little bit about why anime is popular and how it has affected us personally.
I've only ever seen Attack on Titan, so it was nice to learn of other anime shows.
Many of the youth really enjoyed the freedom that the anime characters have,
whether it be the ability to jump ridiculously high or ignore traditional gender roles
or fall in love with whomever they want.
On Wednesday a Building Block Counselling representative (who also happened
to be a One N Ten alum) came in and led a discussion on substance abuse. Thursday
was yoga, and while only half of the youth decided to participate,
everyone seemed pretty happy afterwards.
Since it's already Week 7, my focus this week was on my upcoming paper.
I met with my faculty adviser, the fantastic Mr. Wells,
and planned out what exactly my argument was and what the format would
look like. Apparently it's going to be a sort of watered-down AP Research paper,
which is scary, but Mr. Wells seems to think I can do it so do it I shall.
Over the weekend (and also early next week because there's a Speech and
Debate tournament tomorrow) I will be working on coming up with interview questions
for a couple of willing youth and staff members. Then it's on to starting the first draft
of my paper and - it's all coming so soon! - my PowerPoint presentation,
since there's a workshop for that next Saturday. Ah!
It's really weird to think that in a few weeks I won't be going to One N Ten.
I've made some nice friends there, and it's going to be weird not to see them every day.
But I'm also really happy for them, because they're moving on to some great stuff.
One has plans to fulfill her dream and move to Las Vegas, and the other will
soon be moving up to Montana for a job opportunity.
See you guys soon!
Thanks for posting! I'm also had with names, so I hope you don't think bad of that one person. It's great how some of them are trying to fulfill their dreams. How has One N Ten changed your perception of the LGBTQ community? Also, good luck on your presentation!
ReplyDeleteHi Dylan! I just want to say that the youth who has no one what my name is is really friendly and has nicknamed me Fabulousness, so I do quite like him.
DeleteOne N Ten hasn't really changed my perception of the LGBTQ community, but it has enlightened me regarding the support network available for LGBTQ and/or homeless youth. From my observations, it seems that there are services available, but not enough.
Hi Sterling! Sorry about the volleyball game, but I know from personal experience that old men in purple shirts are surprisingly intimidating. It's nice that there is an anime out there that has LGBTQ characters! Some of the animes I have seen have very feminine, weak female protagonists in traditional heterosexual relationships. It gets really tiring sometimes. Though it is sad to have to part from your friends, I'm happy that they'll be able to move on and make advances in their life. Best of look on your presentation!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Holly!
DeleteHey Stirling! I am sorry for your loss to old men in purple shirts. How did the anime shows have different gender roles? What was different? Looking forward to the next post!
ReplyDeleteHi Brent! One of the examples given by a youth was a man who dressed in traditionally female clothing and also had a very long mustache that he fought crime with (I think???). I'm not really sure, since I haven't watched many anime shows and the youth focused more on the LGBTQ characters and relationships depicted in some anime.
DeleteHi Stirling!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you are making good progress on your paper! At the risk of asking a stupid question - what kind of questions are you going to ask the willing youth? Is there anything specific you want to really focus in on? Looking forward to next week!
Hi Anjalee! I'll be asking them about what their experience at One N Ten has been like, why they came to One N Ten, what they think of the support among the community (ie how many other organizations do they know of, how helpful they are), etc.
DeleteHey Stirling! It good that you have a start plan for your paper! With regards to the anime you watched, do you think the change in anime could translate to a change in the perception within society? Again great post here and can't wait to read next week!
ReplyDeleteHi Anirudh! I believe that if we see a more open attitude towards LGBTQ people in the media then that will eventually be reflected in society, which is why it's so important to show diversity (in ideas, religion, race, ethnicity, lifestyle, sexuality, gender, etc) because otherwise we will only be exposed to one certain lifestyle and it will be harder to be welcoming of those who do not fit that one lifestyle.
DeleteHey Stirling! Did you think that the substance abuse talk was beneficial for most of the youth, or did most of them sleep through it? Also, (a suggestion for your interviews) you should ask the teens what the most useful part of the One N Ten service is. I am excited to hear their perspectives!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion! I'm not sure how successful the talk was, since it was mostly dominated by one youth who talks a lot but doesn't always stay on topic. The youth also seemed very aware of all different types of substance abuse and how negatively they can affect the people around them. It was a nice discussion in that the youth opened up about their own struggles with substance abuse or with people close to them who were abusing.
DeleteHi Stirling! I was wondering why you think that anime has a tendency to contain less traditional gender roles and characters compared to Hollywood movies or American television. Are most movie/television consumers still unable to accept or uncomfortable with non-traditional characters and gender roles? Thanks, and good luck with your paper and presentation in the coming weeks!
ReplyDeleteI think anime is more niche than Hollywood movies, which must appeal to the entire country and then some. Anime also comes from a different culture, which might affect how accepting the audience is, since they can't possibly expect to just see a Hollywood movie? I'm not real sure.
DeleteHi Stirling. It's so nice to hear how well you're fitting in at One N Ten. If I may ask, what were some of the responses of how anime affected people personally? I look forward to your next adventure with One N Ten.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the youth had found anime with gay or trans characters. For example, Sweet Blue Flowers, the one we watched during group, had a trans character and quite a few gay and bi characters. I didn't like it because it was solely a romance and had like five love triangles and half of them were pining over unrequited love and I don't enjoy watching any of that.
DeleteHi Stirling! I'm glad you like One N Ten so much! Since I imagine you'll be doing the interviews in person (instead of through a survey or some third party), how do you think that will affect the way you discuss the responses in your paper?
ReplyDeleteI hope that conducting the interviews in person will allow us to discuss their answers and help the answers be more personal than if they were to just fill out a form. That being said, I am thinking of emailing a couple people the questions so that they can mull over their responses and take their time, since I know that they do think very deeply and like to take time.
Delete