Our latest projects
are focussed on social challenges in the UK and elsewhere.
"That's Who I Am" explores the growing awareness
in Britain that transgender people are not freaks and are
more numerous than previously suspected. Gender variant children
and young people explain why they knew they were in the wrong
body from as early as 3 years-old, and why schools fail to
understand their feelings. Teachers and trainers are beginning
to realise that as many as 1 percent of the population may
be what's called "gender dysphoric" - in other words, unhappy
with the gender they were born with - and that can drive young
people to self harming or suicide. We meet a training team
that is helping schools come to terms with the reality of
diversity.
Gender variant adults talk about their trauma, their transition
and their struggle to be accepted, including in tough jobs
like the police and fire services.
And we visit the Netherlands, where transgender people are
much better normalised and where therapy to delay the onset
of puberty followed by cross-gender drug therapy is now used
as a form of intervention to avoid children growing bodies
they can't accept.
"Street Aid" reports on a unique project to train communities
to fight vandalism and anti-social behaviour. Using techniques
previously confined to police officers and soldiers, ordinary
citizens are being taught to defuse conflict or deal with
it head on but safely. The average police office will be within
100 metres of a street crime less than once-a-year. People
in the community are close all the time. Can they be shown
how to clean up their streets without vigilantism?
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