Name: Niro Sherzad + May Edelstein

Social Justice Group: LGBTQ+ Youth and Mental Health (C)

Date of Fieldwork: January 8, 2025

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Ty Beauchamp

What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork:

On Wednesday, January 8th, we met with the LREI school counselor, Ty Beauchamp. Ty has been working at LREI for longer than 3 years, and is usually in the High School, working as the counselor there. One of the first things Ty mentioned to us was the aspect of Social Media. He talked about how Social Media is a double sided sword, meaning its a tool for connecting with community, but also a tool for people to cyberbully and say homophobic things. He also mentioned in school treatment. He touched on the fact that more traditional schools don’t give as much sanctuary or community for Queer teens. He mentioned how teens in general need to be brought up in a non toxic place. Many Queer teens who go to traditional schools don’t have this which causes more issues with their mental health in the long run.