Week 6 FINAL Activism log

Reflection:

 This week in my service learning, we had another little sister meeting, and the theme of this week was body image. We all started with stating our highs and lows for the week, and created our commitment tix where we state a commitment a big and little sister plan to make and carry through for the week. We had another activity where we had to label our favorite body parts, and state why. The activity was really positive, and the main purpose was to highlight and support positive reinforcement. Good esteem was also promoted in the girls, by the discussion after wards. The girls discussed their feelings, and how media tries to show false ideals of beauty. We had sister time where we allowed the little sisters time to discuss their feelings, and just events, situations, or random tidbits that they experienced throughout the week. In the final part of the meeting the little sisters had to analyze ads that depicted women, and come up with something that to them was positive or negative about it. The big sisters facilitated this activity by providing questions that made the little sisters look at the ads differently.

Reflection:

My activism in YWLP relates to the material in this week through the connection between media, and it playing a major role in globalization which facilitates capitalism. The media puts out a perception of women for young girls that is unrealistic. This media view is spread worldwide and portrays beautiful Caucasian European women, which can make some people feel inadequate because they don’t fit the mold; that is the “status quo.”  These ideas have influenced my feminist attitude that women can do anything! I also see that globalization and capitalism must be redefined if women are to gain any ounce of equal footing on a worldwide scale. This reminds me of the blog post which discusses the loss of local & economic resources. Because of this, government and the media do all they can to reach out to young teens and women and persuade them to purchase certain items (Kirk 371).

Reciprocity:

 From this service learning experience, I’ve gained so much knowledge. I’ve come to realize that these young mentees are the young minds of tomorrow, and they should be nurtured so that they can excel and reach levels that they never even thought were relevant. YWLP poses the perfect opportunity to reach out to those girls that need guidance, and those needing reassurance in life decisions or goals This experiment has taught me patience, and surprised me because some of these littles’ remind me of me at that age awhile ago

Word count: 443

Work Cited:

Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa- Rey. "Women's Bodies, Women's Health." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Kirk, Gwyn and Margot Okazawa- Rey. McGraw Hill, 2010. 371-391.

Week 5 Activism Log

Activism:

This week was a little sister meeting for YWLP, and we started with our traditional introduction of our highs and lows for the week. In our prior big sister meetings we designed phone books for our little sisters, so that they could make a list of responsible and trusted older individuals that they can talk to. This is especially important since Seminole County is an abstinence only county and we can’t discuss sex and issues related to sex with the girls. The phone book included resources to share issues with. We played the Cross the Line game in which a series of questions was asked, and the girls and big sisters crossed the line if it was relevant to them. We discussed our feelings after the activity, and how we felt to either cross the line or stay back even when we knew we SHOULD be crossing the line. The little sisters handled the activity beautifully and had lots of things to say. We had sister time, and then the meeting culminated with the girls coming up with rules (ABC’s) of conflict resolution, and an interesting end fun activity.

Reflection:

I was nervous as to how I’d connect the activities that we performed with our little sisters, and the main topic for this week was Women against Violence. My little sister however discussed past issues that involved domestic violence between the adults in her life. My little sister reminded me of something I read in the Radical Pleasure article we discussed this week. The male in my little sister’s situation reminded me of the people who perpetuate violence, and how they themselves are victims (Kirk, 284). I also realized that her story related to giving perpetrators of violence power and thus them having an impact on your life because that situation was exactly what was occurring in her life during that time;  I tried to provide guidance and just lend an ear to help her cope with the old pain from the situation. I reassured her that it wasn’t her fault, and that the issue of the adults in her life and their experiences shouldn’t affect how she treats them.

Reciprocity:

I believe this week’s message is imperative, and that all young women should be educated on the statistics and occurrences of Violence against Women. It is also important to note that you never know exactly who a person is, and just because you know them from school or are familiar with them doesn’t make them trustworthy. Discussing these issues with my little sister felt amazing because I felt that I helped provide a positive outlet for my little sister to express her frustrations and worrying about the adults in her life. YWLP has opened my eyes on how to be more understanding of issues, and find effective ways to relating with my little sister and those that may need an ear to listen.

 

Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa- Rey. "Women's Bodies, Women's Health." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Kirk, Gwyn and Margot Okazawa- Rey. McGraw Hill, 2010. 283-284.

word count:488

Women and the Workforce Assignment “Julie and Julia”

The movie I’m covering in this article is the story of Julie and Julia. In this movie, a young married woman named Julie is an aspiring writer that works as a call center. She tries to find enjoyment in her life and decides to cook every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child a world renowned chef. She writes a blog in which she discusses her trials and tribulations in cooking, and her progress in her writing as she gets farther and farther into the cookbook. The view towards Women’s work in the US is a dismissive one especially in the field of writing. This representation shows Women’s work as expendable, and not at the level of men. In the film Julie’s work is more private in the form of her creating her blog, and her work is in the home space, and that of the private sphere. From the text, I believe the idea from the article “To Whom Much is Given,” that women experience a double edged sword, and they don’t take care of themselves, and take responsibility of everybody else and she was suffering because of it (Kirk, 363). Also from the article “Making a Home, Making a Living,” I felt the idea of the Glass Ceiling pertains to Julie because she saw the top echelon where she wanted to be, but no matter what she did in her writing career she couldn’t be successful (Kirk,311).  Women must try to overcome being seen as weak or incapable, and if they are effective leaders NOT being seen as ball busters and a “bitch.” The representation of Women’s work, I must say does match my experiences, because I’ve been seen as the ball buster just because I had a voice and wanted to speak out. I have higher expectations of where I want to be, and I don’t want the glass ceiling to affect me. It is seen that a woman can’t be strong, but can’t be subservient either (Kirk, 368). This idea is reinforcing the double edged sword. Julie’s recognition only came after she obtained a loyal following from her blog. The story of Julie and Julia is one of power, strength, and perseverance, and her work ethic proves that women in certain fields can through hard work and sticking for their craft reach a level of success.

Work Cited

Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa- Rey. “ Making a Home, Making a Living." And “To Whom Much is Given” Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Kirk, Gwyn and Margot Okazawa- Rey. McGraw Hill, 2010. 301-369.

Week 4 Activism Post

Activism:  This week I had another big sister meeting, and this week the theme that we were covering was body image. We did multiple activities where we had to describe the positive and negative attributes of magazine ads, and we also had to name our favorite body parts and describe why we felt that way. I’ve had continual contact with my little sister, and she’s currently battling a cold and preparing for chorus try- outs. We also learned some effective ways to ask open ended questions, as a way of getting the girls to express their feelings about body image. Next week to effectively handle body image with the girls we can let them know that it’s ok to feel how they feel, and by providing them reassurance that they are great girls and are beautiful inside and out. We should also discuss the impact that body image has on the girls day to day lives in school as well as home. The big sisters should provide advice on how to combat negative body image issues that they face or that are around them.

Reflection:  In class the unit we discussed was Women, Work, and Family, and honestly I saw no obvious connection to that and body image. The unit mainly dealt with family, work, women, and the unencumbered worker. The thing I would say is that the situation of women and the unencumbered worker is a sad one, women are told to reach for the stars, and that they can be anyone they want to be, and indeed they can as long as they are unencumbered. But, as soon as they make the decision to have a family their potential net worth drops and they lose hundreds of thousands over the course of a lifetime (Kirk, 2010). I believe my community partner is definitely against this capitalist way of thinking, and that’s why there are programs to keep girls in school. The impact this course and my service learning in YWLP is having on me is remarkable. I see so many things wrong with the system and so many ideas that need to be revaluated, I strive even harder to encourage my little sister that she can accomplish anything, that her mind is one of her best assets, and that she is a strong girl, and should be treated with respect and as an equal.

Reciprocity: Personally, I’m gaining much more respective for the next generation. These pre-teens are wise beyond their years, and house a wealth of knowledge that those around them take for granted. I see that they are girls with goals, dreams and a purpose. They are the future, and after being involved with this program I feel comfortable that one day I may be working side by side with them. They are truly amazing little girls. From a feminist perspective, I see a wealth of potential and a bright future for the feminist movement. With these girls as the future forefronts of the initiative of womens' rights, we’ve come so far, and yet there is farther we can go.

Work Cited:

1.    Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010.