We are a group of young trans people who have created a collective with the aim of seeking liberation of individuals across the transgender spectrum with approaches that intersect with other important social justice issues. We call ourselves Youth Trans Initiative India and our prime focus is to create safe and effective platforms (both on and offline) for young trans people to address their menta
l health and to achieve climate justice to create an easier and more sustainable environment for LGBTQIA+ communities to survive in. What we are doing :
• Being a sister organization of 'BDS.Samabhabona' we, in collaboration with them have provided aids to trans persons living in rural areas by distributing tarpaulin sheets which have been the most important element for creating makeshift shelters after cyclone Amphan devastated their homes.
• We are seeking environmental justice by planting mangroves in the Sunderbans which is one of the major biodiversity hotspots in south Asia. Due to the Amphan cyclone disaster several mangroves have been destroyed posing a threat to the environment and the economically backward communities living there.. What we aim to do :
While we want to continue addressing climate justice which - in our opinion - is a feminist issue, we would also like to address the following:
• Addressing the mental health of transgender teenagers and young adults facing rampant mental, physical and sexual violence in schools, colleges and workplaces.
• We want to re imagine this conversation outside formal spaces which are limited to seminars and conferences attended by a handful of educated and upper middle class participants.
• We want to carry on awareness outreaches and workshops both on and offline, reaching out to educational institutions and workplaces to educate their staff and bring about changes in their policies. These sessions and outreaches will be interactive and the problems will be dealt with at the roots.
• Parallelly we would also create safe online platforms for young trans people to get in touch with us and others in the community so that they can discuss their mental health and receive community and professional support for the same.
