011 | The People of Reset Series: UNLEARN

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Photo Credit: Zahra Siddiqui

Dean Lobo (AKA Unlearn) shares his brilliant perspective on what it means to be queer, the importance of grace, and how play and rest are radical acts in a world bent on transactional productivity. This conversation is as warm and wonderful as Dean himself. It's a treasure of an episode and could be used in educational settings the world over. 

GUEST BIO: Dean is a queer, racialized settler and a soul searcher. His immigration to Canada opened doors for him to explore and affirm his queerness, all while reflecting on the themes of self-identity, home, and belonging.

A communicator at heart and by profession, Dean has actively championed 2SLGBTQ+ human rights through his work as a journalist, educator, and communications strategist.

Dean is thankful to the Reset community for introducing him to the radical acts of rest and play, something he hopes to embody and put into daily practice, while unlearning what ceases to serve.

The episode begins with a haunting cover, by Dean, of Coldplay's Fix You on the piano.

Connect with Dean on Instagram @deanpianist

Learn more about The 519.

Purchase Shikhandi: And Other Tales They Don't Tell You.

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RESET is a non-profit social enterprise that addresses loneliness by creating liminal and permanent social infrastructure including adult summer camp, pop-up playgrounds, and more.

The Reset Living Room is located in Little Jamaica at 634 Vaughan Road in Toronto.

Camp Reset is an annual four-day tech-free, "no-work-talk" immersive experience that takes place at a traditional summer camp in Bancroft, Ontario, where participants are invited to choose alternate names and engage in rest and play.

At Camp Reset, Lara Margaret Marjerrison is known as Gem.

After Camp Reset 2023, Gem/Lara found herself pondering what, specifically, brought together 250 people from such diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. The People of Reset Series is an exploration in search of the through-line.

Learn more about Reset.

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INSIDE STORIES exists to foster connection in a world suffering and dying from disconnectivity. It seeks to examine the stories we tell and don’t tell and how that impacts us.

The INSIDE STORIES PEOPLE in PLACES PODCAST examines specifically our relationship with Place and its influence on our ways of existing, our beliefs about ourselves and others, and our sense of belonging…or not.