As part of the social change component of the degree, we have to implement a social change project. I have been dreading choosing my project because I can foresee it being either a very meaningful experience or a disappointment that doesn't ignite me. My senior political science paper, which interested but did not captivate me, qualified as a bit of a disappointment. It was on whether religion overcomes socioeconomic status in forming voter preference.
I had a moment of literal magic today: all of my ideas and interests for this social change project coalesced in an instant, literally like a lightening strike brought them together. I had turned in a preliminary proposal that I didn't really believe in and was on my way to discuss it with a group. I suddenly realized that I want to create a safe girls-only after-school zone where we can discuss self worth and adolescence issues, get girls interested in careers in math and science, learn art/music/writing/dance/whatever they want, learn about the status of women all around the world, and raise money for schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This may not seem original but things like this are often left out of the urban education story. This burst of revelation was full of recharging, energizing excitement for a future accomplishment.
The underlying factors influencing my decision:
- A few weeks ago, a few of my girl students said they had had thoughts of suicide and that those thoughts were common among their friends.
- Most urban enrichment programs focus on boys.
- These same girl students said one of their shared big fears are that their boyfriends will hit them.
- One of my friends teaches a Saturday girls-only engineering class and loves it.
- I have the most problems with connecting with female students; the weird competitive tense dynamic that sometimes happens between female friends apparently extends to the middle school female student-female teacher relationship.
- I have been looking for a way to do Pennies for Peace and think it will work much better if the girls are invested in it and represent the program rather than having me do all of the promoting. Even more relevant is that we would be raising money to help elevate and educate girls in Pakistan.
I think I need to do a lot of research to figure out how to make this incredibly meaningful and transformational, not a feel-good hour to fill the time. I want a logo and an awesome group name. Please let me know of ideas for experts, books, or if you have any suggestions!
(I am also excited because I can see how this project can lead to future opportunities...)
6 comments:
Savanna! We need to talk more about this! It ties somewhat into what I've been trying to do with middle/high-school age girls and photo therapy. Using photography to help them appreciate their beauty (their true beauty - not the sexually easy pouty kind of photos they seem to think they need to define themselves with in their online profiles.) I have some awesome materials (quotes, stories, themed lessons, etc.) that you could use if you wanted! By the way, I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Oh, and also having them use photography as an artistic expression and release - looking for the beauty and facing the often ugly realities of their environments.
LOVE this idea. So much is missed in the sterility of a classroom setting. This kind of stuff should be in the parent's court, but it sadly doesn't happen in far too many cases.
Two experts I would recommend: Nicholas Kristof is a writer for the New York Times and one of my personal heroes (I want Freidman for Pres and Kristof for VP) - he often talks about women's issues and their importance in development, and he and his wife recently wrote a book called "The Other Half of the Sky" which i hope to be able to read soon.
Dr. Valerie Hudson at BYU also has a major WomanStats project that I worked on in school. It's a free online database of statistics related to women throughout the world. It's enormous. www.womenstats.org
Good luck!
Maybe I can invite the moms sometimes. That would be cool.
There is a program for girls in the Boys and Girls Club called Smart Girls. I actually ran that program with the teen girls last Summer. The truth is that they want to, and need to, have a safe place to talk about abuse, sex, drugs and drama. However, it needs to be facilitated and led by someone who is confident working with teen girls and who can control the situation. But it also has to be safe and welcoming to everyone involved.
I think it's an awesome idea. For a long time I was so passionate about working with teens...specifically teen girls. I don't know if you knew this, but I worked in Wilderness Therapy for teens for 8 months when I was 19 and 20 and I spent 6 of those months working with the girls. It was amazing. I still think about those girls. They changed my life forever. It was so hard and so rewarding. I think pressures and expectations (or lack thereof) on girls in this world are unbelievable...and I think that leads to some of the drama and insecurity you referred to.
You might want to market the program as a requirement...because a lot of teen girls will think it's "uncool" especially if there are no boys there. It would be awesome if there were a class that was required by all teen girls in this country in order to graduate that was along the same lines you are trying to accomplish. Or is you have the right person marketing it and running it who is passionate it could definitely be a success.
We should talk. This is a fabulous idea. There is so much need in this area. It was one of my main goals to reach my girls that I taught in terms of believing they could do math and science. and I know it is "uncool" often unless there are boys... but secretly girls crave this interaction. As a coach of a girls sports team... so many girls have the need to be unified with other girls in something that empowers them. I could go on forever. Anyways, it would be fun to talk either way. I am in AK right now but in 1 week I will be on the mainland;) We should skype like we said a while ago...
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