The group received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to begin researching the current state of gender-affirming care.
Chris Tay calls Tau Wellness Cooperative “the missing middle in mental health care,” offering three wellness programs aimed at meeting the needs of all genders and generations.
The organization was founded in 2014 as Rainbow Health Cooperative to support the transgender, Two-Spirit, non-binary and gender diverse community. They operate primarily as a community support group, fostering connections between individuals exploring gender identity and embodiment.
In 2018, thanks to a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the organization founded the Our Community Health Initiative and launched a five-year community research project to examine the current state of gender-affirming health care in British Columbia’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community and explore systemic change.
A milestone for the project was its contribution to the 2019 Transpulse Canada Survey, which looked at the health and wellbeing of transgender and non-binary people across the country. The project was conducted in partnership with the Victoria Native Friendship Centre and the University of Victoria.
“The goal was to produce research-level, evidence-based research,” said Tay, executive director of the Tau Wellness Collaborative. “As evidence-based community service developers, we use this quantitative and qualitative data to design our programs.”
She said the move to Tau Wellness reflects the organization’s new role as a “systemic change agent” translating systemic change theory into community improvement. The organization uses systemic change research and participatory action research to address the root causes of social problems.
Both models work with communities to disrupt key systems that perpetuate inequality.
Leveraging this research, the collaborative is currently offering three pilot programs: 3 Mothers Medicine Camps, the Community Wellness Worker Training program, and the Betwix’d Youth Performing Arts Collective.
“We’ve offered parts of the program for the past three years, but this is the first year we’ve had it all in place,” Tay said.
The Cooperative offers community-based workshops focused on preventing, healing and reducing symptoms of trauma.
“We focus on trauma mitigation, which is a step beyond trauma-informed care,” she said.
The Victoria Foundation, through a grant from the Gender Equality Fund, is also a major sponsor of the Betwixtd youth performing arts collective and a key contributor to the 3 Mothers Medicine Camp program, Ms Tay said.
Intergenerational community wellness programs offered at the three Mother’s Medicine Camps include All-Gender Gentle Birthing and Living Eldership Arts and Crafts.
The Betwix’d Youth Performing Arts program sees gender-diverse women aged 13-19 share their worlds through puppetry. They meet at the VicWest Community Centre, 521 Craigflower Rd, on the second Friday of each month from June to September and November to March.
The program is run by 12 facilitators and involves up to 10 couples, 20 (Indigenous) Elders and 20 young people per session.
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