Catch da Flava Radio - Supporting Our Youth (S.O.Y.)
For the April 17th edition of Catch da Flava Youth Radio, our host Erika welcomed Karina Ramos in studio to
talk about their placement experience at S.O.Y. which stands for “Supporting Our Youth” and is a safe space
and LGBT+ positive environment for youth that identify themselves as part of the community. Located at 333
Sherbourne Street, it provides all kinds of events, programs, groups, and activities to help youth understand
their sexual identity much better and be at home with themselves. S.O.Y. accepts youth 29 years and under
and provides free services that range from housing, employment, and mentorship. As a placement student
from their school, Karina identifies as queer and trans and says they loved the experience being part of the
S.O.Y. family.
Discussing their experience in S.O.Y. Karina talked about what it’s like to do content for the organization, what it’s like to be part of the community, and why this was a fulfilling experience for them. Not only did Karina answer all our questions but they also shared with us some more their thoughts behind the scenes. When asked “How do you support youth in this space as someone who has been supported yourself? What are best practices you have learned?” Karina says “Offering support from a framework with little to no related lived experience can feel counterproductive to me, recognition of how my social location can be implemented in regards to power dynamics is imperative. To elaborate, being that I myself identify as a queer and trans, racialized youth that has experienced homelessness and precarious housing since coming out the first time, the ways in which I support best is through engaging folks with options and education through the systems that continue to harm us, simply for just being. I didn't receive support from folks that looked like me and feel passionate about support including affirmations through representation.”
We’d love to thank Karina for being such a fun and gracious guest on our show and being in studio to talk about all the wonderful services S.O.Y. has in store for youth. Check out their website: http://soytoronto.org
Listen to Podcast:
Download MP3
Discussing their experience in S.O.Y. Karina talked about what it’s like to do content for the organization, what it’s like to be part of the community, and why this was a fulfilling experience for them. Not only did Karina answer all our questions but they also shared with us some more their thoughts behind the scenes. When asked “How do you support youth in this space as someone who has been supported yourself? What are best practices you have learned?” Karina says “Offering support from a framework with little to no related lived experience can feel counterproductive to me, recognition of how my social location can be implemented in regards to power dynamics is imperative. To elaborate, being that I myself identify as a queer and trans, racialized youth that has experienced homelessness and precarious housing since coming out the first time, the ways in which I support best is through engaging folks with options and education through the systems that continue to harm us, simply for just being. I didn't receive support from folks that looked like me and feel passionate about support including affirmations through representation.”
We’d love to thank Karina for being such a fun and gracious guest on our show and being in studio to talk about all the wonderful services S.O.Y. has in store for youth. Check out their website: http://soytoronto.org
Listen to Podcast:
Download MP3
Comments