Project DescriptionVisible Threads addresses teen brain health stigma through student-designed t-shirts, informational booklets, and interactive activities. To design their project products, students met with neurobiologists and psychologists to make sense of the latest research that sheds light on brain development. Through experiences in and out of the classroom, students examined brain health topics of their choice. They’ve been pushed to learn more about themselves, understand how neuroscience can provide insight to human behavior, and why it’s important to stand up against mental health stigma.
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Our TopicTo kickstart this project, each student had to make a proposal to their class on what brain health topic they would advocate for. I choose the transgendered brain because my sister is transgender and I wanted to do this project to understand her better. We were then put into groups and had to choose between our 4 topics to continue on with. When my team members found out how deep of a connection I have to transgenderism, it made them want to advocate for it with me and became a unanimous decision. Slowly this evolved and now my group’s goal is to educate the community about how every brain is different in terms of gender and sexuality, according to science. We also wanted to give the audience shocking details of how much discrimination exists around them, which can lead to other mental health issues.
My Group Members: Other Viewpoints |
The little book is the main article of displaying our brain health expertise. It has explanations of what the definition of transgender is, some symptoms, common stigma and how to end it, research proving this condition is something you’re born with, our t-shirt design, and where to find more information. I was in charge of this product and went through multiple drafts of critique to get it finalized. Another product we used to share our knowledge is an interactive activity; a true or false flashcard game. This was mostly to educate visitors on the stigma and discrimination towards transgenders. We also gave away mini water bottles to runners, but we changed the labels with our t-shirt logo and 2 positive messages to take away. Finally, the most impressive product is our t-shirt design. The message on the back is a math equation: brain+heart=gender. This is to show that your gender is not chosen by sex organs, but how you feel inside. The front of the shirt is the transgender symbol with a brain in the middle in the pocket region. I made these designs and screen print them myself.
The idea creation was definitely not easy. My group struggled a lot with a t-shirt design, but after thorough critique, we finally pinpointed our message. First, our design was a question: Would you treat me differently if I was a (Boy/Girl)? We realized that although this is thought provoking, it’s not eye-catching enough, and nobody wants to take the time to read it. After our mini-exhibition, one of my friends noticed that I said gender is determined by the heart and mind, then recommended I use that as a guideline. That is what lead to this math-like equation of brain+heart=gender. When meeting with a gender advocate, she noticed we kept using the typical pink and blue and said that those colors are what we are pushing against, so we should change them. The immediate response from the group was burgundy because that color is popular right now, but non gender specific. Using this as a t-shirt color also helped us push the sales. |
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Examining teen brain health has helped me take mental health more seriously. After learning information from other groups, I now know many types of disorders and illnesses to be aware of and prevent if there are signs of them. I also gained knowledge about my teen brain and how it is still growing, so I am bound to make mistakes sometimes. I should care about my brain as much as my body by feeding myself foods that help it function and letting it get a good rest every day.
I am most proud of the work that I did for transgender people. This project was very purposeful and relevant to me and my life, so showing my support and advocating for these people is the best thing I can do for them. I can take the element of what made this project impactful and bring it to other projects to be even better. |
Becoming Nicole is about the journey of a family going through the transition of one of the twin brothers becoming male to female. It includes family struggles, fight for equality, and research on transgendered brains. By reading this book, it helped me understand the brain on a more scientific level to help me backup claims. I also learned how hard it was for Nicole to be who she is with so much judgement and criticism nowadays and have a lot more respect for those like her. Lastly, the book helped me connect and relate to my sister, who is going through the same process. It aided in my ability to fathom the concept and steps needed to be taken to commit to the lifestyle.
At the beginning of this project, I knew transgender people were different because their brain development happens after their genitals develop, but not very much about the neurology behind it. After reading my book and doing research, I feel much more knowledgeable.
I learned that “We all begin life genderless in terms of sexual anatomy. The last of our 23 pairs of chromosomes make us genetic males (XY) or genetic females(XX) but at least 50 genes play a part in sexual identity development and are expressed on a different level early on.” (Page 88) In addition, gender identity is made with the biological and hormonal processes in the fetal brain while in utero, so it can be influenced by any number of environmental effects. That being said, our genitals and our gender identity or not the same. “While sexual anatomy and gender identity usually match, there are dozens of biological events can affect the outcome of the latter and cause incongruence between the two.” (Page 89) For example, a son born to a woman who undergoes stress early in her pregnancy is more likely to grow up being gay than a son born to a non-stressed mother. The reason: Stressed pregnant mothers release a hormone called androstenedione which mimics testosterone, but is much weaker. This stress hormone disrupts the timing and amount of the release of testosterone into the fetal brain, which in turn, interferes with the development of the part of the brain linked to sexual orientation.” (Page 159) In regards to anatomy, “the straight gyrus, a narrow strip that runs along the midline on the undersurface of the frontal lobe, is about 10% larger in women than men...In adults, they found that regardless of biological sex, the larger the straight gyrus, the more feminine the behavior.” (Page 88) |