I don't know why but my font is all messed up. :[

Erica Hoffman

Professor Tweed

WST4021

4 December 2011

Activism Log #3

1.    Activism:

This week, we met with Sonia and devised a plan for leading her youth event and youth group on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, we entertained a group of kids from 3^rd grade up to middle school. We played quite a few games with them, such as elbow tag, silent speed ball, a name game, and a few leadership games. On Sunday, Sonia let us lead her weekly youth group for middle school aged kids. There was one boy and about eight girls at the youth group. We talked to them about leadership and helped them construct their idea of leadership using magazine cutouts. The success of our group’s activities this week was our communication and follow through, as well as how much fun we had with the children of St. Matthew’s. We had a lot of fun and they were interested in learning about leadership. I honestly do not think there were any pitfalls for this week!

2.    Reflection:

The activities we participated in this week taught me a lot about how to interact with youth. I learned that if you just engage them in a conversation about leadership, most of the time they will be more than willing to learn about it and engage in leadership. At first, the kids did not seem at all interested in our leadership games, however (as MacNeil states) after engaging them in meaningful and authentic leadership activities, they were very excited with the results. Making the advent chains allowed us to connect leadership to their everyday lives and experiences, as they were able to see how they can practice leadership each day and it related to their religious beliefs and the holiday season they are currently celebrating. We could see them getting more interested in the aspects of leadership required to play the games as they saw that they were actually working. This reminds me of when Van Linden and Fertman explain that “Leadership development may be so subtle that the youths themselves never realize they have leadership skills at all” (24). The children we worked with did not even realize that they had leadership abilities until they saw it manifested physically before their eyes.

3.    Reciprocity:

I truly gained a lot this week. I learned how to engage with members of my community regardless of religious affiliation or beliefs, as well as how to engage children in fun and meaningful activities. It was so rewarding to see their reactions after they successfully tied a knot in a piece of yarn as a team in one of our leadership games. Even though at first they seemed entirely uninterested, in the end all of their faces lit up as they realized what they were capable of accomplishing.

Word Count: 453.

Works Cited

MacNeil, Carole. “Bridging Generations: Applying ‘Adult’ Leadership Theories to Youth Leadership Development.” New Directions in Youth Development 109 (2006): 27-4. Web.

Van Linden, Josephine. Youth Leadership: A Guide to Understanding Leadership Development in Adolescents. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998. Print.

Activism Blog #2

**This was written the week of 11/13. Forgot to post it!**

     1.  Activism:

This week, we planned and attended our Safe House bag making event. Not all of us could make it, so it was only Nichole, Candace and I. We met at the troop leader's house for the weekly girl scout meeting. When we got there, the girls had already gathered and brought some hygiene products for our bags, which proved to be very helpful. We started by introducing ourselves and doing two ice-breakers with the girls: two truths and a lie, and high-low. These ice-breakers were a fun way of getting to know one another and becoming more comfortable with the group. We began by decorating about 60 paper bags with the girls. The girls wrote nice messages on the bags and drew pretty and uplifting pictures. Some of the girls took the initiative to organize all of the products we brought, in order to make it easier to sort through. Next, we formed a double assembly line, each girl placing a different product into each bag. When we finished, we had assembled over 60 bags! Our greatest success was the number of bags we were able to assemble, and how much fun the girls seemed to have. Our pitfall for this week was that not all of our group was able to attend.

2. Reflection:

This week's activism relates to the material we have discussed in class, as we helped the girls complete service within their community while still having fun and being safe. This week's activity influenced the way I view girl's leadership, as I realized that the girls truly want to be involved when they have control, when they understand what they are doing and why they are doing it, and when they have fun. As Shauna Pomerantz argues in “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” girls “are generally framed as lacking control, power, and brains” (150). When we shared power and control over the project with the girls and showed that we value their thoughts and opinions, they opened up to us and had a great time. I believe that it is the mission of the Girl Scouts to show girls that being leaders and being active in the community can be both enriching and fun. As Pomerantz explains, “rather than generating more and more ways for girls to 'be' in our society, this proliferation of discourse has limited possibilities for girls, trapping them within polar states that regulate what they can say and do” (149). The Girl Scouts program attempts to combat this limitation of girls by providing them with a structure and space for deciding what they think being a girl involves, and how to do so.

3. Reciprocity:

What I gained most from this week's activities was the experience of relating to adolescent girls both one-on-one and in a group setting. While I desperately want to have children of my own some day, I have always felt slightly awkward around children and adolescents. However, this week I really learned that if I just open up and have fun, it is easy and enjoyable to relate to girls in an authentic and meaningful way.

Word Count: 520.

Works Cited

Pomerantz, Shauna. “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Un/Defining the 'Girl.' 

     Jeunesse: Youth People, Texts, Cultures. 1.2 (2009). Print.

Activism Blog #1

1. Activism:

This week, our service learning group visited with the SafeHouse of Seminole in order to help the Girl Scout troop with taking part in community service. We met with the Troop Leader and some of the Girl Scouts on Saturday at SafeHouse. There were five of us, but only two girl scouts. I would consider this our only pitfall, as we were hoping that all of the girls would show up.

Our first activity was to make Halloween bags for the children of SafeHouse. We stuffed over thirty bags with candy, small toys and pencils for each one of the children. This activity was a fun way to give a little to SafeHouse by ensuring that all of the children had a fun and happy Halloween. Secondly, we played with the children and helped them to make tie-dyed t-shirts. This was a great activity, as we were able to interact with the children and everyone had a lot of fun. We made shirts for all of the children who were present, as well as all the children who were not able to be there. Next week we need to solidify all of our plans for Sunday’s Girl Scouts meeting.

2. Reflection:

The activity we completed for this week relates very well to Girls Leadership. Through the tie-dying activity, we were able to provide the Girl Scouts with an opportunity to use their leadership. The girls were able to interact with the children and to help them with their t-shirts. They were just as much in charge of this part of the event as we were, so we truly practiced power-sharing and realistic, authentic leadership experiences. We were able to follow Lyn Mikel Brown's example of listening “to what girls tell us they need and then to provide the opportunities, resources and the scaffolding for their creative, meaningful work” (8). This week changed how I view Girls Leadership, as I saw the girls truly enjoy what they were doing and express their desires to lead by helping the children and teaching them what to do. The girls exhibited aspects of transformational leadership, as they displayed a need to “share ideas, energy, and creativity,” rather than wishing to perform leadership “tasks” such as delegating or taking charge (Van Linden 17).

3. Reciprocity

I feel that I am getting a great deal from this service learning experience. Not only am I learning even more about Girls Leadership, but also about how to help my community. Working at SafeHouse was very gratifying, as I learned about working with children and had a lot of fun. Working with the Girl Scouts is helping me to better understand how to foster leadership development without taking an intervention approach, and how to apply the theories I have learned into practice with real girls.

Works Cited

Brown, Lyn Mikel. “The 'Girls' in Girls' Studies.” Girlhood Studies 1.1 (2008): 1-12.

     Print.

Van Linden, Josephine, and Carl Fertman. Youth Leadership: A Guide to

     Understanding Leadership Development in Adolescents. San Francisco: Jossey-

     Bass,1998. Print.  

Girls Rock! Video Response

I really enjoyed this week's movie, Girls Rock!  I thought that this article really relates to a lot of what we have read and discussed so far this semester, particularly the MacNeil article. In the article, MacNeil discusses how leadership experiences must be authentic and relevant to the youth's lives in order for it to be an effective means of leadership development. I believe that this is exactly what we see in Girls Rock!, as the girls are able to practice leadership within groups of their peers. They write their own songs about whatever they want to write about, which makes the experience both authentic and relevant to their lives. They are also able to choose their own genres and instruments, which also creates the authenticity aspect of the leadership experience.

I really enjoyed how the movie focused on both young girls and older girls, as it illustrated the presence of a broad spectrum of girlhood experiences. Each and every girl had different experiences, struggles and strengths, which the movie did a great job of representing. If this movie challenges anything that we have learned or discussed thus far, I would say that it is the “girl power” and “Ophelia” binary. The movie shows that girls can embody “girl power” or the “at-risk/Ophelia” traits, or can range anywhere in between or outside of such constructs of girlhood. Every girl in the film demonstrated that the “girl” experience is a subjective and personal one, and that “girl” is a fluid identity which can change daily based on experiences and various situations.

Rather than attempting to “fix” any “at-risk” girls, or exploiting or tokenizing “successful/powerful” girls, the rock camp simply focuses on providing a space for girls to explore themselves and what they want to get out of leadership/rock camp. Even if the girls never play another instrument again, they learn how to communicate effectively with one another, how to set a goal and reach it, and how to have fun and be confident with themselves. This movie shows us that girls leadership can be fun for everyone, and can be effective in even the most creative and “alternative” ways (such as rock and roll).


Word Count: 363

SL Proposal

Service Learning Proposal for Girl Scouts of America

By: Erica H, Ashleigh A, Nichole R, Abi R, Candace T, Jacqui C, Valerie T, Anna S. and Esteffani C.

September 29, 2011

Meredith Tweed

WST4021-0001

Community Partner Profile:

Community Partner: Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Florida Citrus Council, Troop #331

Contact Information: Judy Williamson, Troop Leader

Our Community partner for service learning is the Girl Scouts of the USA, particularly Troop #331 of the Florida Citrus Council. They are part of the Florida Citrus council branch of Girl Scouts of the USA. The Girl Scouts program was formed almost a century ago in 1912 by Juliette Low, whose goal was to give girls the opportunity to explore their communities and to get out of the confinements of their homes. Today there are over two million girls participating in the Girl Scouts, with almost one million adults participating as volunteers. The mission of Girl Scouts is to “…build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place” (Girl Scouts). Through the numerous activities that the girls are able to participate in, ranging from field trips to community service, this organization aims to provide girls with the tools to develop themselves both socially and individually. The organization gets their funding from an array of partners. These partners include individuals, corporations and government entities. GSUSA acknowledges that girls have constantly changing needs.

Second-Level Community Partner: SafeHouse of Seminole County

SafeHouse of Seminole is a shelter that provides a secure environment for women and children who have fallen victim to domestic violence. SafeHouse currently provides a variety of counseling and outreach programs for women coping with the trauma that domestic violence causes. SafeHouse also gives access to an emergency shelter, crisis hotline, and court advocacy for those who need it. As the percentage of women who experience domestic violence continues to climb over 20%, establishments like SafeHouse have become a vital part of our society.

Proposal:

Need for Action/Volunteerism

Girl Scouts of the USA Troop #331 needs assistance in planning and carrying out activities and events for community service. This includes not only smaller-scale service day activities for the girls in Troop #331, but also a larger-scale day of service for the entire Rainbow Lakes unit of Girl Scouts which Troop #331 belongs to. These service days must be appropriate for the girls, address a specific community need and stay true to the fun spirit of the Girl Scouts.

Many women who are seeking refuge at SafeHouse do so without any material possessions, as well as a lack of resources to provide themselves with items such as hygiene projects. Similarly, the organization needs volunteers in assisting with gardening and other maintenance services.

Plan of Action Proposal:

We have several plans to help the girls understand the influence they can have on their community. One of the events we are planning will be with the SafeHouse of Seminole. We will be doing direct service by performing any service needed by the organization. We are also going to be doing indirect service by making bags which will contain personal hygiene products. This will help the girls to understand that both indirect and direct service with organizations can be beneficial to themselves as well as the community on the whole.

The second, larger event is still in the planning stages. The tentative plan is to have a “Fun Day” that will join the girls from YWLP and the Rainbow Lakes Girl Scouts unit together to help the girls develop leadership. During this event, the Girl Scouts will collect cans and non perishable items to donate to a non-profit organization, and also participate in Fun Day activities at a local skating rink (or similar location). Each troop will be responsible for creating or bringing something to the event, such as a holiday basket for donation.

Rationale

Our particular project relates specifically to our Girls and Leadership course, as we are working with a local Girl Scout troop. The Girl Scouts seek to develop leadership within its members and to build a relationship between the girls and the community. As Van Linden and Fertman explain, “leadership is demonstrated every day in myriad ways by adolescents in their families, schools, workplaces, and communities. Leadership development may be so subtle that the youths themselves never realize they have leadership skills at all” (24). Our goal is to show the girls, through hands on experience, not only that they all have leadership potential, but also that there are several ways to be leaders.

Our project follows Lyn Brown's idea that “we have to seek out, support, and collaborate with girls and with sister organizations outside the academy; restructure our courses to include girl centered community action and social justice projects” (11). In this way, we are reaching out and engaging with real girls in our community in order to facilitate their leadership development.

Action Steps Taken Thus Far

Jacqui has already contacted the troop leaders regarding our interest in volunteering with them this semester. We have presented them with all of our possible volunteer opportunities, which they have confirmed their interest in. We are currently working out definite dates. We are making plans to contact several companies to solicit donations of sample products. Erica has already acquired one case of face wash for these bags.

Each group member is responsible for an equal share of their time and work in order to accomplish both of these goals. We hope that each member of our team will be able to attend all of the events, but each member is required to help plan and coordinate at least one event.

Timeline for Action

October 1: Contact Judy Williamson with proposed dates

October 9: Possible meet and greet with Troop 331

October 29: Fun Day event

TBD: Volunteer Day at SafeHouse

TBD: Troop 331 event - Making care packages to be donated

Works Cited

Brown, L.M. “The 'Girls' in Girls' Studies”. Girlhood Studies 1.1 (June 2008): 1-12. Print.

Girl Scouts of the United States of America. Who We Are. 2011. 28 September 2011 <http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/>.GSUSA. 2010 Annual Report. Annual Report. New York: Girl Scouts of the USA, 2010. Web.

Van Linden, Josephine. Youth Leadership: A Guide to Understanding Leadership Devel opment in Adolescents. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998. Print.

Word Count: 1054

Introductions

Hello everyone! My name is Erica Hoffman, and I am so excited to be in Girls and Leadership this semester! I am currently a senior at UCF, I should have graduated last spring but I decided to stay one extra semester and do a minor in Women's Studies. This December I will be graduating with a Bachelor's in English Literature, a minor in Women's Studies and a Service Learning Certificate.

I moved to Orlando (Winter Park) from Gainesville, but I grew up in South Florida (Jupiter). I am currently in the process of applying to graduate schools for Masters programs in Literature. Two interesting things about me are that I absolutely love cats (and have three), and that I love to sing. Hopefully one of these days I will actually audition for some sort of singing competition.

I am interested in girls studies because I believe that the only way to gain equality and respect for all women is to start with today's youth, as they are our building blocks for the future. Without learning about and working with young girls we are unable to contribute to their development and education, which is necessary for change. I feel very passionate about reaching out to girls of all ages and backgrounds and showing them that their opportunities are endless if they embrace education and leadership.

This semester, I want to learn about the many ways I can be actively involved with girls in our community and around the world in order to guide them, support them or just make a difference in some way. I want to learn about how girls are treated and have been treated historically, why they may have been treated this way, and how they are currently dealing with it. I also want to learn about how these things affect the community, as well as how girls leadership affects women.

I have read the blog terms and protocols and thoroughly understand them. I agree to all terms of the online blog as well as the course syllabus.