Our mission is to educate people around the world about gender identity issues. Sam is an essential tool designed to help children understand what it means to be born transgender.
Awareness of gender issues is increasing in many countries but there are still very few tools available that allow parents or teachers to talk to young children about this sensitive, complex subject. Sam helps children empathize with the emotional challenges of being born trans or gender non-conforming.
Anywhere between 2-6% of boys and 5-12% of girls identify or express their gender differently from their sex binary gender assigned at birth (Moller, Schreier, Li, & Romer, 2009).
Most gender-questioning children are born into cultures that don’t accept them. They are often subjected to physical, verbal and sexual harassment leading to feelings of rejection, isolation and confusion.
Studies suggest that gender-questioning children who have the support of their family and friends are far less likely to experience depression and feelings that may lead to self-harm and suicide (Travers et coll. 2012; The Williams Institute and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2014).
We knew that for us to have the biggest long-term impact possible we needed to engage the people who will shape the cultural norms of the future: children.
Play-based learning is not only accepted as one of the best ways to teach children (source) but also creates natural opportunities for an adult to start a conversation about what it’s like to be assigned a sex at birth that does not correspond to how you feel inside.
Sam is not only an educational tool but also a symbol of pride, acceptance and understanding.
Sam gives every teacher the opportunity to help stop transphobia before it starts by teaching young people about gender issues and the importance of empathy and kindness.
Transphobia is a global human rights issue. Our mission is to educate the world about gender identity issues because with education comes understanding, empathy and ultimately, acceptance. The more people that can help spread this message the better.
Sam is an initiative of Gender Creative Kids Canada, but we could not have done it without the help, kindness, financial support and overall enthusiasm from our friends at:
