Women+in+the+World++General+Reflections

Oct 15, 2009 - Shanti Elliott  We went to Pilsen, to Mujeres Latinas en Accion, a women's advocacy organization working on domestic violence and women's leadership. It's one of the organizations under the umbrella of Chicago Foundation for Women, where we went on our Sept. fieldwork day.We learned about different forms of domestic violence and a bit about causes for it (economic stress, demeaning and violent media images, cultural assumptions and expectations, lack of support, etc.), and then headed out on the streets to pass out palm cards raising awareness about domestic violence (it's Domestic Violence Awareness Month) and letting people know that MLA is a place to go for help. Due to the rain and cold, not many people were on the street so we didn't pass out a whole lot. The kids weren't crazy about slogging through the weather, and grumbled that they were going to get sick again, but they were troopers. I think the conversation will be helpful for the students as they work on SL papers -- Rosa, the Domestic Violence Program Coordinator talked about the silencing and the stigmatization that surround DV, which is why the Awareness Month is important. The most difficult moment for me was when she talked about not fighting back, and went into some of the coping strategies women have to carry out and decisions they need to make to try to survive an assault. The speakers were program managers, not public speakers, so I imagine students got a little bored, sitting in the office for over an hour. For the next FW Day, I'm planning on carrying out their request to hear from a speaker from CLAIM (Chicago Legal Advocates for Incarcerated Mothers).

[|May 26, 2009] - Theresa Collins Women in the World accomplished one important program goal that we ( faculty facilitators) set for ourselves, and that was to plan and present their work to a larger community. Our students presented a great MX to the student body, and they seemed to have a lot of pride and ownership in their presentation. I was particularly pleased with the end product because I allowed myself (more or less) to hand over the reins of planning to the young women, although Kate and I did step in pretty regularly as facilitator/coaches, asking questions to help them get back on track, to focus their objectives a little bit, and to practice, practice, practice what they were going to say. Having a practice run at the retreat was fantastic, and the ability to get the feedback from their peers was priceless, and I woudl advocate that you keep the student film festival as a part of the retreat trip. I have thought for some time that it's vitally important that we spend about half the year educating the students, providing them with opportunities for connection, with structure for thinking about those connections, and then to take time toward the second half of the year to see what the kids say for themselves about their issues. It is completely possible for the students to get to a place where THEY plan the activities they want to participate in during the retreat, especially if we are able to get a few more days on the calendar for either action days or "Flex" days so that there is more continuity and energy. I hate feeling like I am telling students what to say, believe, or do, and while I have been disappointed at the lack of energy for EVERYTHING that Kate and I have planned this year, I appreciate the fact that we're asking kids for a lot, and some are more ready than others to make a committment to our issues, whatever they may be. I think that we have to open ourselves to the possibility that many students will not want to "go there" on these issues, but as long as we are helpful in facilitating at least some thinking and reflection on questions that connect the kids to the issues, we've done enough. This is why i liked the revision of the Grapes of Wrath assignment; I know that it was more personal, but it seemed more authentic to me-- the kids had more ownership of whatever level of knowledge they think they have. It's certainly more reflective of their own experience. Before I digress too much into my feelings about writing, I will simply reiterate the fact that -- in spite of a less than enthused group-- having students plan and present their work to a crowd is wonderful. They need more of it.