QUEER WORLD MAKING
California poppies against a cloudy blue sky // photo by Shlomo Pesach
2023 dates coming soon
I. WHAT IS QUEER WORLD MAKING?
We are an intimate cohort of non-binary, genderblessed, gender-expansive, gender-fluid, queer and questioning, and/or trans* adolescents, mentors, and elders.
We are gathering in exploration of personal and collective flourishing through earth intimacy, circle process, and the expressive arts
We are navigating our identities, overcoming our shame, claiming our gifts, connecting to our queer lineages, and
We are a learning community supporting each other …
WE ARE BECOMING KIN.
WE ARE KIN BECOMING.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
II. OUR BELIEFS
WE ARE QUEER WORLD MAKING BECAUSE...
We Believe in Rites of Passage
ceremonies and rituals demarcating maturation are necessary to a healthy sense of cultural role and personal value . trans* youth in particular are in need of communal recognition and celebration of their transition . this is an intervention in the social crisis of youth experiencing transphobia , and is a corrective — more generally — for the unraveling of social ties that marks dominant culture .
“Our society is in dire need of a language of initiation, which many land-based cultures achieve through traditional rites of passage—rituals that commemorate transition from one stage of life to another … [rituals] of confrontation and remediation of our cultural and personal wounds [that are] the gateway to finding our unique gift to the world–our ecological niche.”
– Pınar Ates Sinopoulos-Lloyd
We Believe in Intergenerational Relationships
mentorship contributes to access to wellness and possibility , and is even more vital as queer youth come of age amidst climate chaos and rampant inequality . we are invested in trans* youth having models of gender variance in different stages of life . mentorship embeds development and gender transition within community . like the layered canopy of a forest , trans youth needs ecologies of age : ancestors , elders , adults , and their peers .
We Believe in Lifeways & Earth Intimacy
access to land-based education and activities benefits the mental and emotional health of queer youth . moreover , it is the context of ecological relations that situates each individual in their life and livelihood . we believe in restoring these relationships and imagining futures for queer ecological kinships .
We Believe in Embodiment & Creativity
the expressive arts show us pathways towards our own unfolding and guide us into the many authentic expressions of our dynamic and fluid selves . we believe that crafting , dancing , theater , stimming , singing , making art , and creating music together allows us to find deeply nourishing ways of coming into our sacred genderblessed bodies . through these and more forms of play and creativity we experiment with a repertoire of roles, somatic shapes, and personas . this expands our confidence and comfort while simultaneously supporting us in re-membering and re-claiming our truest sense of who we are .
We Believe in Community & Kinship
trans* , gender-blessed , gender-expansive , queer and questioning youth have important contributions to make to this political and ecological moment . we understand that access to the vitality , safety , and belonging of peer camaraderie is a key to thriving queer adolescence and maturation .
“Since transgender individuals in this culture are neither fairly or accurately represented in the media, nor championed by a community, we develop our world views in solitude. Alone, we figure out why we’re in the world the way we are … transgender people learn to explain gender to themselves from a very early age.”
– Kate Bornstein, Gender Outlaw
We Believe in Trans Lineages & Queer Futures
gender diversity has always existed in culturally specific ways across the world . and it continues to exist . we believe the brilliance of gender diversity will continue , despite the rigidity and harm of cisheteropatriarchy . because the cisgender binary itself is a product of colonialism and white supremacy , we believe in a future beyond these systems — a future that is also a brilliant reclamation of a past , a future that is transformation through remembrance , a future that is dedicated to the abbreviated lives of those who’ve come before .
III. PROGRAM DETAILS
There are two ways to participate in Queer World Making — you can join our in-person community or our virtual community. Details below:
A. IN-PERSON
Queer World Making (in-person) is a 5-month expressive arts and nature-based rite-of-passage program for non-binary, genderblessed, and trans* youth, ages 12 through 15, with a parallel virtual program of support and council for parents.
Centered on the unceded lands of the Ohlone, Pomo, Miwok, and Onasatis peoples, our intimate cohort of young people meet once a month for daylong gatherings (6 hours) in nature spaces, alternating between various regions of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Group connection, trust, and a deep sense of belonging are supported by additional monthly zoom calls.
Our young people are supported within a web of intergenerational and more-than-human communities of mentors, elders, nature ecologies, and ancestors, while their parents are held in affirming quarterly councils that support them in showing up for their gender-expansive children.
The sliding scale tuition for the entire program is $1350 – $2250. You can select your payment amount and your payment plan (1, 2, or 4 installments) when you register. Financial support is available! Email us for more information.
B. VIRTUAL
Queer World Making (virtual) is a year-round, twice monthly mentorship program for non-binary, genderblessed, and trans* youth ages 12 through 15. With the support of mentors, elders, and their new-found friends, this intimate cohort of young people delve into the creative joy of expressive arts and foster their sense of belonging by deepening their relationship to the ecology of nature.
With an emphasis on gratitude for the legacy of our transgender ancestors, the virtual program offers an open and contained space for games, connection, and affirmation. For those youth whose parents are open to participating, we offer a parallel program of support and council for parents.
The tuition for the program is $150 – $300 per month. You can select your monthly payment tier (set up in increments of $50) and your payment plan (pay at once, pay monthly, e.g.) in your application. Financial support is available! Email us for more information.
A. IN-PERSON
AT A GLANCE
If you are using a computer, hover over over each circle to see key details about Queer World Making (in-person). If you are using a tablet, click each circle to see the details.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Queer World Making (in-person) is a 5-month expressive arts and nature-based rite-of-passage program for non-binary, genderblessed, and trans* youth, ages 12 through 15, with a parallel virtual program of support and council for parents.
Centered on the unceded lands of the Ohlone, Pomo, Miwok, and Onasatis peoples, our intimate cohort of young people meet once a month for daylong gatherings (6 hours) in nature spaces, alternating between various regions of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Group connection, trust, and a deep sense of belonging are supported by additional monthly zoom calls.
Our young people are supported within a web of intergenerational and more-than-human communities of mentors, elders, nature ecologies, and ancestors, while their parents are held in affirming quarterly councils that support them in showing up for their gender-expansive children.
The sliding scale tuition for the entire program is $1350 – $2250. You can select your payment amount and your payment plan (1, 2, or 4 installments) when you register. Financial support is available! Email us for more information.
PROGRAM DATES
Sunday, February 13th [ Overture ] 1/2 day in person for Youth
Sunday, February 20th / 10am-12pm PT Virtual Parent Circle
Note: registered and interested parents are invited to join this Zoom circle. Contact angus@weavingearth.org for details.
Sunday, February 20th / 4-6pm PT : Virtual Youth Circle
Sunday, March 6th / 4-6pm PT: Virtual Youth Circle
Sunday, March 13th [ Daylong ], 10am-4pm PT — The in-person opening for all youth participants!!!
Sunday, April 3rd / 4-6pm PT: Virtual Youth Circle
Sunday, April 10th [ Daylong ], 10am-4pm PT in person for Youth
Sunday, May 8th / 10am-12pm PT : Virtual Parent Circle
Sunday, May 8th / 4-6pm PT : Virtual Youth Circle
Sunday, May 15th [ Daylong ], 10am-4pm PT in person for Youth
Virtual – Overnight Prep Call TBD
June 10th, 11th, 12th [ Overnight! ]
Parent Circle In-Person Fire in June TBD
B. VIRTUAL
AT A GLANCE
If you are using a computer, hover over over each circle to see key details about Queer World Making (in-person). If you are using a tablet, click each circle to see the details.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
OFFICIAL START DATE STILL TBD
Queer World Making (virtual) is a year-round, twice monthly mentorship program for non-binary, genderblessed, and trans* youth ages 12 through 15. With the support of mentors, elders, and their new-found friends, this intimate cohort of young people delve into the creative joy of expressive arts and foster their sense of belonging by deepening their relationship to the ecology of nature.
With an emphasis on gratitude for the legacy of our transgender ancestors, the virtual program offers an open and contained space for games, connection, and affirmation. For those youth whose parents are open to participating, we offer a parallel program of support and council for parents.
The tuition for the program is $150 – $300 per month. You can select your monthly payment tier (set up in increments of $50) and your payment plan (pay at once, pay monthly, e.g.) when you register. Financial support is available! Email us for more information.
“”
[t]here are some people who are so magical that we break reality. rules don’t apply to us the same way, and the laws of the universe warp like mirages in the heat of the intensity of us…
[we] are alien in a world that won’t believe in us.
we are mythic.
-Seb Barrett
IV. YOUR GUIDES
SOLOMON BOTWICK-RIES
Solace ( they/them ) is a community organizer , public astrologer , and youth mentor devoted to a world where all beings live in sovereignty , with access to pleasure , in reciprocity with their ecological home —
ANGUS BAGUINHO
Angus Baguinho (they/them) is a Portuguese-American dance movement and applied theater facilitator focused on queer and transgender collective healing.
V. WHY RITES OF PASSAGE
FOR THE GENDER BLESSED?
Non-binary, genderexpansive, and trans* youth are seeking belonging in an uncanny and uncertain climate amidst injustice, uprisings, and the pandemic
Non-binary, genderexpansive, and trans* youth are navigating social stigma and mental health challenges
Non-binary, genderexpansive, and trans* youth are finding ways to initiate themselves and create community
Non-binary, genderexpansive, and trans* folx have occupied important ecological niches and social roles historically and cross-culturally
the brilliance of borage flowers // photo by Sam Edmondson