On episode 174 of GT Radio, titled The Community, I read a definition from the book The Art of Community by Charles Vogl that goes: A community is a group of individuals who share a mutual concern for one another’s welfare.
I love that definition and I think it represents Geek Therapy and TAGGS perfectly.
TAGGS is the Therapeutic and Applied Geek and Gaming Summit, an event we’re organizing in partnership with The Bodhana Group. It was very easy for us to agree on a theme for this inaugural event:
Community: Everyone Has a Seat at the Table
Why “community”? Why “everyone has a seat at the table”? Well, I’ve seen over and over again how in the mental health field it’s very common for different groups to be territorial and divisive.
In leadership roles at different professional counseling organizations I had to advocate for counselors who were discriminated against despite having clinical education, training, and licensure. And we spent a lot of money lobbying state governments to recognize counselors and other masters-level clinicians.
In the world of Therapeutic and Applied Geek and Gaming (TAGG) I’ve seen many practitioners introduce themselves with “I’m not a therapist, but…” and then talk about years of experience successfully using games and media to serve every population, and in every setting, you can imagine.
We want TAGGS to be an event where it is implied that we all have a role to play. That’s why we have presenters from around the world representing different professions, education, and experience. We have mental health therapists, sure, but we have medical doctors, students, teachers, and advocates.
Our keynote series will highlight how the community of TAGG professionals have come together over the last 10 years, but also the role of cultural representation and diverse voices in our content.
While some people continue to attack and try to divide and even erase and discredit Geek Therapy, we not only continue to thrive and serve our community, we’re building TAGGS to celebrate the larger community GT is a part of.
TAGGS is not just a celebration, it is also a recognition of the contributions of our peers and an opportunity for us to all come together and learn from each other in a professional conference for the whole world to see.
I hope you’ll join us at TAGGS and become a part of what we’re all building together.
– Josué Cardona