Thank you SAFIRE!

Chiravann performing her piec

By Chiravann Uch

This summer, I had the great opportunity of being a part of SAFIRE's summer session. Although I'm currently a second year at UC Berkeley, I didn't hesitate to accept the chance to spend another summer with SAFIRE, because of how much I get out of the program each year.

This summer was no different. Our summer celebration might have been the best yet, because of how well we transformed the topic of sexuality education into such diverse performances. In planning, I was curious to see how we can translate such heavy and personal topics into “performable” pieces without having the majority of the celebration become art pieces. I mean, it's sex. What more can we say?

Idol!

I feel like this celebration moved our audience into thinking more deeply about the meanings of sex, and what is often left out of our sex ed courses at school. We performed plays, game shows, musical pieces, dances, spoken word, and even did a story-time reading. We showed that there are so many layers to sexuality education, and that our youth programs are trying to teach as much of it as we can to our audience in one sitting.


My highlight was performing my spoken word piece. During the summer program, we discussed body image and healthy relationships, and I found myself relating to the topic in so many ways. I usually get away with doing behind the scenes “performances” like doing videos and art work, but I felt like this celebration I was given the opportunity to share something personal with the audience. I wrote a really personal piece about my relationship with myself, and how I used to abuse my self esteem.

Some fabulous raffle prizes.

During rehearsals, I struggled to fully perform my piece without choking or starting to cry, because hearing myself repeat all of these painful moments out loud made me relive all of the pain I have gone through. Getting up on stage in front of a room of more than 200 people was not an easy thing. But I pulled it together. The only two things that were sitting in the back of my mind was the support my SAFIRE family has for me, and the closure I was itching for in order to reach an inner peace with myself.

That night might have been one of my proudest moments. I was able to see that my audience felt the emotions I have felt in the last 18 years of my life. Thank you SAFIRE!