METHODS
To start constructing data to develop healing rituals , I began by creating a 37 question survey that included questions with demographic information , questions about how people are connecting , experiences of grief in terms of hardships , loss , and current events , and lastly , stories of joy and healing and water related memories . Participants were given an option to opt into a focus group at the end . I advertised the survey on my instagram account and encouraged friends to share on their social media accounts . I reached out to The Wall Las Memorias , Translounge ( LGBT Center of LA ), and Tia Chucha ’ s Centro Cultural to share the survey with their constituents .
The content contained in this zine is , at present moment , limited due to the limits of the survey thus far . One , most of the participants know me by one or two degrees . Secondly , the majority of participants are in my own age bracket ( I am 25 ). I totalled 100 participants , mostly in Los Angeles , though about 20 % were outside of California completely . I decided to include those responses because I see the participants as a diasporic community that extends from my own circles . In some ways I see the project as being for me and the community that I am a part of by degrees of separation . I don ’ t intend to be prescriptive of any universal human truth or claim to represent all Queer people . I hope that the project can serve as a model of connection for any group of people who share community grief .
In regards to the focus group , I invited participants that opted in to being contacted and chose a select few who gave compelling responses to the survey questions and who peaked an interest to hear more . I also paid attention to include a variety of participants with differing racial and gender experiences . The group was structured with a set of guiding questions and the participants participated popcorn-style . Participants gave consent to be recorded and were told that they were able to leave at any point , mute , turn video off , or redirect conversation as they pleased .
Moving forward , I hope to continue analyzing the data I have collected for future zines , make a second version of the survey based on the questions that have come up from the responses to this first one , expand to broader communities with a more specific focus on the Los Angeles Area , hold more focus groups , and begin a network of resources to form our collective grief toolkit and ritual .
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