Hi, my name is Jake Edwards, I'm
non-binary and my pronouns are 'he' and
'they'. I'm here today because I have an
extremely exciting announcement and that
is that I am now working for the charity
mermaids as their Communications
Assistant. What that means basically is
I'm gonna be around a lot on social
media so if you see the Mermaids accounts,
engage because I'll be the one behind
the scenes making it all happen.
I wanted this job and I applied for it
because I am very passionate about the
trans community and about ensuring that
young people feel heard. And that's
really what Mermaids is about. They help
trans young people, gender
non-conforming people and people who are
questioning their gender and their
families, which is very important because
there is never enough support between
people who are going through that time
as young people and their parents. So to
be - even just in the way that I am - to be
any part of that mission and that story,
it means so much to me. So if you've seen
any of my videos around on YouTube a
great part about working for mermaids is
that I'm gonna be able to take that type
of work and bring it into a space that I
feel is so much more meaningful, because
it's not just me having a chat about my
own experiences, it's giving me an
opportunity to engage with other people,
to engage with the diversity and the
challenges and most rewarding parts of
this journey of being trans and
questioning your gender. One thing I told
my boss in my interview was that a big
aim for me with Mermaids is to show that
trans people and young people - they want
a place to speak, they want a platform. So
one thing you could do to really help me
out is subscribe to this channel and
keep an eye on it because I know that
there is a demand. I know that people
want to hear
that younger audience and hear what they
have to say. Because I think it's
important to not only give them a
platform to speak but give them people
to speak to. People who are going to
engage, people that are going to relate,
because I think that's what this whole
community is about. It's about supporting
each other and it's about saying "if you
want to speak I will listen to you". When
I first came out as trans to my mum I
really struggled getting through to her
and I think if I'd have had the support of
Mermaids it wouldn't have taken as many
years, and we could have gone to support
groups, we could have talked to people on
the phone, we could have had access to
resources that I didn't even realize
existed. Which is why it's so important
to me that people know about Mermaids
and know that if you want them, they're
there, if you're struggling they will
give you help. And if you'd said to me
back then that I would be here, I would
be doing this job, I would be doing
something that has been my passion for
the last five or six years as a job, I
wouldn't have believed you because I
wouldn't have believed that some small
non-binary person from a little town
would get to this point of having a
career. And I can only thank Mermaids for
this opportunity and for realizing that
trans voices should be celebrated and
they should be at the forefront of this
kind of interaction. I hope I can do them
justice *laugh* and I hope we can all work
together to make really amazing content
for this channel. If you or someone you know
is in need of help, or just someone to
listen to them, please contact Mermaids.
