Self Care Sundays

On Part II of our two-part episode on gun violence, we’re talking to Mike Martin, the founder and executive director of RAWTools.

RAWTools is an organization based in Colorado that focuses on restorative justice and conflict mediation. Mike uses non-violence education and community development to combat gun violence and keep communities safe. A former youth pastor turned blacksmith, Mike is on a mission to turn destruction into creation with Swords to Plows. Through this program, you can send your guns to RAWTools and they will turn it into gardening tools or art pieces.

Mike shares his perspective on community care, combating toxic masculinity, and using faith as a guide for peaceful conflict resolutions. He also unpacks his own privilege and how he’s come to learn about self-care from gun violence survivors.

You can learn more about RAWTools on their website and on Twitter. As always, you can find this episode and much more on our Twitter and Instagram at @SelfCareSundays and on Facebook at @SelfCareSundaysPodcast.

This episode can also be found on Spotify, GooglePlay, Stitcher, and RadioPublic. You can access the transcription for this episode here.

Be sure to listen the first part of this series with Maj Toure of Black Guns Matter streaming now!

On this episode, we’re talking to Canissa Grant, a science educator based in Avon, Connecticut.

With experience as both a private and public school teacher, she shed a light on some of the disparities in curriculum and expectations. She also calls for a heightened sense of transparency and inclusivity in STEM classes, especially for students with disabilities. Teaching through a social justice lens, she aims to give her students a well-rounded and transformative learning experience.

Canissa also tells us some of her struggles as a black woman in an all-boys high school and why that makes self-care all the more important. In these situations, it is likely that teachers of color experience burnout at much higher rates because they are expected to share their expertise on racial issues at the drop of a hat. But to Canissa, going the extra mile to build a sense of familiarity and community in her classes is always worth it.

Although Canissa’s not a huge fan of social media, you can buy her biology and chemistry lesson plans and resources on teacherspayteachers.com on her store, Ninth Grade Shenanigans! As always, you can find this episode and much more on our Twitter and Instagram at @SelfCareSundays and on Facebook at @SelfCareSundaysPodcast.

This episode can also be found on Spotify, GooglePlay, Stitcher, and RadioPublic.

The transcription for this episode is available here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16ToUDNE3qvq6BNZTdLYW4yjzVrv1bHFBlDJOylpby4Q/edit

On Part I of our two-part episode on gun violence, we’re speaking to Maj Toure, Chicago youth educator and founder of Black Guns Matter.

Maj believes that communities of color should bear arms as a form of self-defense against oppressive forces. He also informs us on the racist history of gun control, mass incarceration, and bias within law enforcement. He uses his organization to give young people an understanding and responsibility for the tool so they know how to safely resolve conflicts and protect themselves.

Black Guns Matter provides gun safety education and resources to students in urban areas as a way to support community relations. But Maj also sees the value in individual self-care. He asserts that having a gun is similar to self-care as they both require discipline and habitual training. To him, we can only sustain safe and healthy communities by supporting these individual acts and creating spaces where young people can feel seen and heard.

You can learn more about Black Guns Matter on their Twitter. And be sure to connect with Maj, too @MAJTOURE. As always, you can find this episode and much more on our Twitter and Instagram at @SelfCareSundays and on Facebook at @SelfCareSundaysPodcast.

This episode can also be found on Spotify, GooglePlay, Stitcher, and RadioPublic. You can access the transcription for this episode here.

Be sure to listen the second part of this series with Mike Martin of RAWTools streaming now!

Rommy Torrico is an undocumented trans activist and artist. They shared how her journey into being more intentional with self-care began as they moved away from their blood family. They discuss how growing up, their self-care was largely rooted in spiritual practices. Next, they explain the concept of "chosen family" and we discuss building supportive communities when traditional ones aren't available to us. They then explain what it means to be undocumented, how it feels, and the challenges to your mental health that comes with it. Then, we discuss the importance of community care in different communities. Rommy then discusses their journey as an activist from being more involved in direct actions, to taking more space to rest, and, now, using their art as activism. We then discuss privilege and self-care, including the privilege of having access to vocabulary. Finally, we circle back to the importance of boundaries and how we find them.

Welcome to a special two-part episode about sex work! We’re speaking with former sex worker and comedienne Kaytlin Bailey today.

This is Part 1, a “Sex Work 101” for audience members who may be unfamiliar with sex work. We discuss the narratives that surround sex work, the terminology of sex work, labor exploitation, and modern legislation impacting the sex industry.

Part 2, more closely examining sex work and self-care, is also available now everywhere Self Care Sunday's is streaming.

Find more from Kaytlin on her podcast “The Oldest Profession” and on Twitter and Instagram at @kaytlinbailey. Find us on Twitter @SelfCareSundays and on Facebook as Self Care Sunday's Podcast.

The transcription for Part 1 is available here.