Educational TikToks
Upon being connected with the Summit Rapporteur Creators program through an email connection, Gabe was able to attend a number of different panels and plenaries throughout the duration of the Summit that were meaningful to them. In particular, attending the “Resistance and Resilience Through a Two-Spirit Longhouse'' and “Promoting Two-Spirit Health and Wellbeing: A Conversation with Two-Spirit Youth Leaders” opening plenaries was a life changing experience for them as they had previously known very little about West Coast Two-Spirit communities and teachings. Now that they reside in the Prairies, Gabe deeply appreciated the opportunity to learn more about West Coast Elders and Two-Spirit teachings. Participating in the Summit empowered Gabe to share the information they had learned with their followers on the social media platform Tik Tok. Gabe utilizes Tik Tok as an educational space and thought it was a great opportunity to share Two-Spirit community resources and information about sexually-transmitted and blood-borne infections prevention as a response to what they learned at the Summit. Overall, Gabe really appreciated the diversity of information about the community, mental, sexual, and physical health of 2SLGBTQ+ people presented at the Summit.
About the Creator
Gabe Calderon (they/them) - Edmonton, Alberta
Gabe Calderon (they/them) is nihz-manidowag (2 spirit) Anishnaabe, L'nu and mixed white (French and Scottish). They originate from Kitchi-sipi and currently thrive in Treaty 6 - Amiskwacîwâskahikan as the current Mr International Two-Spirit. Gabe is a poet, author and an educator. They like to make workshops on Two-Spirit, decolonization and anti-oppression and apply those topics to their work and Tik Toks. Gabe is the Treasurer for the Edmonton 2 Spirit Society, and with a Bachelors in Social Work, a diploma in Addictions and a diploma in Herbology, they work as an educator and frontline worker from an anti-oppressive lense with over 12 years of workshop experience. Gabe is a published author and poet, receiving several awards from Prairie Fire & Historica Canada in conjunction with the Governor General’s Awards for Indigenous Arts and Stories and is the 2nd place champion of the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. The creative and activist mediums they employ include Tik Tok, powerpoint presentations and online workshops, slam poetry, written and verbal/performative storytelling, and traditional Indigenous storytelling.
Click here to visit Gabe's website and follow them on Instagram and TikTok.
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