Hallie Larsson — Treasurer and Youth Program Chair
by Emily Connelly
Hallie Larsson is the chair of the Youth Program committee, which oversees the programming specifically for youth and young people, as well as the treasurer for MaineTransNet. She has a lot of fun as a youth Discord moderator helping trans kids find their community online. Previously a teacher, she was drawn to volunteering with the Youth Program Team because she “vibes well with teens” and can see the importance of helping keep young people in community together. She explains the joy of “watching kids become adults, seeing them grow and develop as people, going from difficult initial interactions to becoming members of the community. It’s important to keep them in that community, and hold space for them. It’s a bunch of little things that can go a long way.”
Hallie first started volunteering with MaineTransNet in January of 2020, after a fortuitous encounter with another volunteer, and hearing more about all that MaineTransNet does. She had recently left teaching, and was interested in helping the trans community, especially youth. It turned out to be a hard time to jump into volunteering at the start of the pandemic, but she thoroughly enjoys helping establish community and engaging kids both in person and online.
Hallie has an especially fun time running in her tabletop Tuesdays online, which lets kids explore fantasy worlds in lively gaming sessions, and has now expanded to some in-person games at a local library. When asked about the challenges of getting games going online, she explains she seeks out “games that are friendly to new players. We draw a map together on a white board, use prompt cards, and try games that are easily scalable depending on the number of kids who join.”
While the COVID pandemic has made for a lot of challenges in building community, focusing on online programming has in some ways made it more inclusive — the youth further out in rural Maine are able to join in. Hallie explains, “serving rural communities is a big challenge, as we need to make sure we are authentically reaching out.”
When asked about further challenges, Hallie explains “the legislative season is hard on youth, and it can be rough helping kids who are dealing with crises, and facing all the anti-trans news.” Establishing strong ties to the trans community can be a lifeline for kids who are otherwise seeing a barrage of bad news and hate targeted toward their community. Volunteering with MaineTransNet is rewarding to Hallie and goes a long way towards countering that hate. She says “getting to be in community with other trans people is huge. I love seeing the community grow and come together, and seeing kids grow up with our support.”
One exciting way the Youth Program team supports kids is through their care packages. Hallie explains how the team came together to assemble the packages after reaching out to kids in the community to see what they might love to get in the mail. “We have a big full day of putting packages together. It’s just a joy to decide what kids are getting, and to help the kids feel valued." This year, Hallie says, “it was amazing to work with other trans folks to put the packages together, and to see some evidence of just how happy they made the kids out there.” The team added personalized messages in each package, and Hallie says “I think that a personal touch plus just some kindness and joy in these very dark months really had an impact.” It’s always fun to get mail — and mail full of love and support from the community can mean so much.
Looking ahead, her goals for 2023 include spending time systematizing aspects of her programming that have been more ad hoc — she hopes to get to streamline and solidify the current programming, to allow for more expansion. New volunteers looking to work with the Youth Services committee could join and help out with Discord moderation for online communities, for both adult and youth. It can be hard to find the right people to moderate, and takes time and training, but helps even more people have a safe space to be together online.
She’s also excited to be offering merchandise soon, all designed by the teens in the youth programming. “And they are compensated for all the sales made!” The Youth Services team is currently soliciting designs on social media around the theme of Maine Wildlife, and they are all looking forward to seeing what designs will be submitted. Keep an eye out for merchandise in the MaineTransNet thrift shop later this year! Another important goal — further outreach into the community. “We want to develop relationships with schools. Right now, we find people when they contact us looking for resources.” Growing community with thought and care is high on her list.
