đ« What Is Tea & Spice? â
Tea & Spice conversations are community-based focus groups where women come together to share their real-life health experiencesâwith each other and with TCYâs trained facilitators. These sessions arenât just storytelling circlesâtheyâre a research tool rooted in care, connection, and change.
We call them âTea & Spiceâ because, across cultures, tea symbolizes connection, healing, and careâand spices carry power, tradition, and strength. Together, they set the tone for a space that is both comforting and courageous.
đ Why Storytelling?
For too long, womenâs voices have been left out of the research that shapes our health systems. Every womanâs story holds wisdom that can help us uncover the root causes of what's brokenâand imagine what better health & care should look like.
Thatâs why Tea & Spice sessions are grounded in community-based participatory research (CBPR) and designed as focus groups that value lived experience as valid data.
đĄ What We Learn đ
Tea & Spice focus groups help us:
Identify the multiple barriers women face in getting the care they need.
Understand what resources and support can make that care possible.
Design solutions that are community-informed and culturally relevant.
Turn stories into data that drives change in health systems & policies.