We'd love to make a short film highlighting all the youth programming events, workshops, and activities that we can post on our website, Facebook, and YouTube pages. We have an experienced filmmaker that would donate her time and skills to this project. While our conference is over ten years old, the rapidly growing teen program is only five years old. We've ramped up our social media presence but this short film would be incredibly helpful in reaching more and more transgender teens across the country.

These youth are often very isolated in their schools and communities. They are often at risk for teasing and bullying because of their gender differences. There are very few accessible resources for them or their families anywhere in the country. Families often go to great lengths to get their kids to our conference because the power that comes with seeing others like yourself is immeasurable for these teens. They leave with their heads high and new friends for life.

The impact of a short film where youth could see kids like them and also very different from them would serve to 1) simply reflect their existence in our society and 2) give them a window into what they might expect at the conference ultimately relieving any initial anxiety they might have about attending.

Our conference is funded by the people who attend. Some families can afford to pay while others need full scholarships. We have a very lean budget and only one paid year round staff member. Our conference has no frills but simply serves to bring families, kids, and resources together in one place for the weekend. This film would make a definite, powerful impact on our local Seattle Gender Odyssey Teen Group as we would empower them to frame and articulate the script for the film. Additionally, it would help more Seattle area transgender teens become aware of our youth programs.