Originally published at: Shared Values of the GT Community -
On a recent episode of GT Radio about the Geek Therapy Community, I talked about the core values that define the community and I want to take some time to flesh out each of those values here. (You can listen to episode 174 of GT Radio here.)
Celebrating Geek Culture
It was really hard for me to find people who liked the things I liked the way I liked them. And not just as a kid, even now it’s hard for me to find people who not only share my interests but care about them. It wasn’t until I was 21 that I discovered the idea of Geek culture. It took me that long to find a word that I felt truly defined my identity.
So when we talk about celebrating Geek culture, we’re celebrating all aspects of it. In the GT Community we don’t roll our eyes at each other because we care so much about a book, tv show, or comic book. We don’t treat each other badly because we have tattoos with our favorite superheroes or video game characters. It’s the complete opposite. We think those things are really cool.
We’ve adopted an unofficial motto: Don’t Yuck My Yum. We now how much it hurts to care about something and have other make fun of you, mistreat you, or deprive you of things because of your interests.
What are those interests? We’re general Geeks around here. Lots of us like the latest pop culture movies, shows, games, and sci-fi/fantasy books but we appreciate an intense interest and knowledge in almost everything. As long as it doesn’t hurt others, we love love to learn about each other’s interests.
Using Geek Culture for Good
This is where our official motto comes in: Geek Out. Do Good.
From the very beginning, we wanted to not only celebrate our hobbies but also that they could be used to do good things in the world.
We believe that our interests bring people together and can help build strong relationships. We like to talk about the potential benefits or gaming and reading fiction. We recognize the power that media can have on the way we see the world and how much it allows us to learn about ourselvese. And we celebrate how Twitch streamers raise money for charity and how popular media can further representation and the discussion of social issues.
We believe a lot of good can come from what many people consider to be hobbies.
Combining Knowledge and Interests
What really sets the Geek Therapy Community apart is that we advocate for the intentional use of geeky things in a variety of professional settings.
Our specialty is the use of comic books, video games, pop culture, and media narratives in mental health treatment, social work, and education. But our community isn’t limited to mental health and education professionals.
We believe that by combining our knowledge and skills with our geeky interests we can change the world. We can connect with clients and students. We can teach important and difficult concepts with examples from our favorite games and shows.
We also believe that we can and should embrace the interests of our clients and students to help them grow and learn. If it matters to them, it matters to us.
If any of these values resonate with you, please join any of our community spaces or check out the content on the Geek Therapy Network. We’d love to hear from you.
— Josué Cardona, Founder/ General Manager at Geek Therapy