Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chrissy Guiriba. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chrissy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Non-profit is about filling gaps. After rekindling my love for the outdoors and combining that with my passion for youth mentorship, I was volunteering at another summer camp for trans youth when I recognized the mental health focus missing from this particular program. Because trans and non-binary (TGNB) youth are so marginalized, most programs are created with the goal of “letting kids be kids” which is also important. However, Today’s young people are so much more aware than we often give them credit for. After my return from camp, I was regaling some friends with the excitement of my summer and chatting about how I would create a program to allow space for TGNB youth to be leaders of their own gender journies and fill “the gap” I noticed could be filled. Stephanie, my best friend and TA’s first board member, said “This is incredible. You could totally do this, Christina.” So I did! I was hoping to launch our inaugural retreat in the summer of 2021 but that proved to be difficult during a global pandemic. Instead, I took the year to reflect on my own resilience, design the Resilience Retreat curriculum and build a team that could carry out our mission.

Chrissy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Our mission at Transcending Adolescence (TA) is to promote forward movement to help transgender adolescents cope with the inevitable challenges they will face within our society and within themselves, while simultaneously working to educate the public in order to attenuate those challenges over time. We aim to contribute necessary mental strengths and knowledge needed to progress through each individual’s transition. Through support, physical recreation, education, advocacy, and reflection (SPEAR), we help transgender adolescents and their families cope and even find joy in a heteronormative world. Our Resilience Retreat program combines the power of outdoor recreation and group development to empower young trans and nonbinary adolescents. The five pillars of the program are: support, physical recreation, empowerment, advocacy, and reflection – our SPEAR curriculum. Transcending Adolescence staffs each retreat intentionally with individuals of similar identities to provide ample support and encourage community among retreat attendees. In addition to our retreats, we do a wide variety of advocacy and outreach work to share the core principles of our evidence-based programming. This allows us to more broadly reach trans youth with SPEAR even if they are unable to attend a retreat.
TA was founded by Christina Guiriba in 2019 with the goal of offering a resource for trans youth that was unavailable to her during her teen years. Since its establishment, Christina has leveraged her vast networks across Florida, the southeast, and country at large to gather a volunteer board of directors that are trans or trans-allied and recruit participants for TA’s Resilience Retreats and advocate for the wellness of trans youth across the country.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Our existence itself illustrates our resilience. Our first year was delayed by a global pandemic. We took this as a blessing to do extensive planning. The facility we contracted to use for our first retreat canceled our contract 4 days before our staff was scheduled to arrive. We found a home for our inaugural retreat within 72 hours. We’re the first trans-specific summer camp program in Florida and accomplished 3 successful retreats amidst a legislative war on tran people and trans youth.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Prior to the pandemic I was a career drag entertainer. I spent nearly 2 decades polishing my craft on numerous stages across the U.S. and establishing my brand from Florida to Alaska. The shut down threw me for a loop but I took the opportunity to dive head first into non-profit work and pursue my passion for helping others achieve their potential. This is a pivot in life that contributed greatly to my personal and professional growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.transcendingadolescence.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transcending_adolescence/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TranscendingAdolescence