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