The flyer I made for Boyz2Men
Wanna Join?
kinda proud of it
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Boyz to Men: Going Swimmingly!
Boyz 2 Men so far…
We have held two sessions with the boys at Gus Garcia Middle School, and I can honestly say that I am so so proud of our group! We’re truly pulling it off ladies!!
11/7/2011
The first group was a little iffy, I’m not going to lie… I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of boys that attended and by the football coach who seemed to want to dominate the group and bypass our agenda. I know his intentions were good, but I felt as if he was talking away precious discussions and time with his own personal rants. He turned from the biggest help (getting the boys to simmer down) to being a big hindrance by injecting himself a little too much into every conversation. It was annoying to say the least. You can imagine that I wasn’t heartbroken when he said next week (11/14) was his birthday and that he wasn’t going to be there…
“Happy Birthday, see ya!”
On our drive back, I was honestly a bit disheartened by how the first group went, but obviously I knew I was working with a superb group of ladies and that everything would turn out fine…
I was right!!
11/14/2011
This second group was amazing! Our number had been cut down to the number of boys who were actually interested in doing the group. There was about fifteen boys, and all of them were active participants in our games, activities, and discussions. By far, my favorite part of the day was the somewhat impromptu conversation on race, racism, bullying, etc. It was somewhat inspiring to see these boys talks so openly about situations in their lives, how they handled those situations, and their own personal thoughts. This was by far one of the best groups I’ve ever been a member of for a group of middle school boys.
The most exciting part is that I have been photographing/taking video of everything we’ve been doing! I can’t wait to compile everything together. I think it’s going to be something worth watching :)
Pictures from the Second Week
Group Discussion
Relay Race
Boyz 2 Men
Sunday, October 30, 2011
BOYZZZ 2 MENNN
It's an interesting task that the Boyz to Men group has before us. We are supposed to put together a program that is both applicable and empowering to African American and Hispanic boys. At first I thought a "separate but equal" approach was the best way to reach out to these boys meaning that we would have two different lesson plans for the different ethnic group, but when really thinking about the boys, why would we want to separate them? There's a known conflict between African Americans and Hispanics in the United States. We need to promote the boys to embrace each others differences and similarities and work together to better and empower themselves and each other.
It is important to create a bond between the boys, true camaraderie.
There's no argument that African American and Hispanic boys fall into the lower brackets in regards to achievement in school. They have among the lowest test scores and the highest dropout rates. I think we should inform the boys of these similarity that these two groups share and encourage them to overcome these challenges. We should help them brainstorm ideas to overcoming the achievement gap.
I think we should research methods/activities that people have been using in regards to closing the achievement gap and encouraging the boys to achieve beyond the limitations they may think society has placed on them.
For next semester, I think we should turn Boyz to Men into more of a club with leadership positions and allowing the boys to help the UT students design curriculums that they feel they want to discuss after participating in the 5 week program with us. We need to empower them by giving them leadership roles and allowing them to help develop the program so they feel more involved.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Communities.
I’ve always referred to these types of communities as low-income neighborhood. I can’t really remember a time when someone told me a different name to call them. I’ve heard of all the other names i.e. high risk, but for the most part it’s always been low-income neighborhoods.
I absolutely love the quote “We refer to ourselves as a community of opportunity, a community of strong assets and capable leadership. These terms for communities lacking financial resources communicate the challenges as well as the energy, promise, and hope in these neighborhoods.” I think it’s extremely important to go into a situation where you don’t look at all the problems, but look solely at the potential. It’s really just changing one’s mindset to being more optimistic. These communities are a plethora of opportunity. It’s always hard to change a mindset, but I think changing the community’s mindset will help change other’s mindsets and perceptions of the community.
Parachuting volunteers into a community is a hard thing to evaluate. On one hand it’s good because there is some good at work, but on the other hand they’re just going in doing a quick project that doesn’t really get into community to understanding. After going to Ghana, I completely realize that it is so so important to make a sustainable impact in the community. If you don’t it makes it harder for future groups coming in to be trusted by the volunteers. Also, a sustainable project means that the community takes an active role in the project to make it have substance and meaning to the community. That’s why it was so crucial to create a sustainable mentorship program for the kids at Hope.
In order to involve the community in our STRONG group, It is imperative to get the kids excited about helping their school and community. First, we need to develop and train student leaders who can carry on the group for next year. It is important to develop some sort of leadership body within the group that we can give resources to so they can carry on STRONG for generations of students to come. In addition to that, I think it would be vital to involve the students of strong in community service based projects in their communities. For example, we will first start the kids working with the Purple Bike Project. By enlisting their help the kids will realize how easy, important, and useful helping one’s community is. Hopefully this will inspire them other students, their families, and their communities to aid the Mart Community as a whole.
But you aren't white?... No, just Katie.
I am privileged.
I always have been privileged, and I imagine as a result of the privileges I have received over the course of the first twenty-one years of my life I will continue to be privileged until the day I die. I have duly noted the fact that yes, I am privileged.
However, I am not admitting to the fact that I have never faced hardships. Everyone has faced their certain amount of hardships in life. everyone.
So in conclusion, I see myself as Katie, a girl who has seen her far share of privileges and hardships.
So keeping in mind that I am privileged and have faced certain hardships/setbacks is key when "going into" communities or engaging with people within a community to volunteer.
I imagine when I go into a community to volunteer, people see me first as a female, second as brown. What kind of brown is always up for debate... I could be Indian, Mexican, Egyptian, Argentinean, Middle Eastern, Malaysian, etc. The list is endless for what kind of "brown" I am. Being biracial helps people identify with you better (i.e. an Indian will always think I'm 100% Indian; whereas, someone of Latin decedent will feel fully comfortable starting up a conversation in Spanish with me). After I open my mouth, people think of me as "white." White meaning I have no accent, and it sounds like I am educated. This puts me in an interesting place, I may look like the people I am serving, but I don't necessarily sound like them.
Despite the fact talking about race is probably one of my least favorite things, I know race is the big colorful elephant in the room that everyone notices, but no one wants to talk about because they're too scared to address the topic or they feel if the topic isn't addressed it doesn't really exist. Yes, it does exist. I realize it does exist just like everyone else in the world does. For example, I went out to Abel's on the lake to watch the game on Saturday. While sitting up at the bar I did a scan of the outside patio, there was about 75+ people out there and my boyfriend and I were the only two people who were not white. cool. It took me until the second half of the game to realize that. So yes, race does exist, and yes, race is one of those things that is almost completely visible to the naked eye.
When a group of University of Texas students goes into a community that is predominately black or Hispanic, the community is going to notice that we don't necessarily relate to them right off the bat. For one, the majority of our group with a few exceptions are white females. Secondly, we are all college educated women who have all experienced some sort of privilege higher than the communities we are serving. It's almost painfully obvious.
I think it's important for us to overcome this barrier and see each other all as individuals, yes note the fact that we all have our unique backgrounds whether it be an Indian Mexican college student or an African American student at Mart High School. After we note the fact that we are all special and different in our own unique ways and that these certain traits have resulted in privileges and hardships in our lives, we can move on from that and work together to accomplish whatever goal we set out to accomplish for their community together.
Yes, I realized I represented 100% of the Asian and Hispanic population at Abel's on the Lake and my boyfriend represented 100% of the African American population at Abel's, but at the end of the day who gives a ****. We were all there for a common purpose, we united together because we were cheering on the Longhorns (despite that dismal lost), and although it took me about two hours to realize we were the huge minority at the bar, it took me less than thirty seconds to forget it because it didn't matter. We were all fans.
Just like going into a community different than your own, yes. acknowledge the fact that you are different and embrace your uniqueness. But leave with a higher understanding that people are just people, all with their own uniqueness intact.
So I'd hope at the end of the day the people I'd encounter in the community would see me as just Katie.
I always have been privileged, and I imagine as a result of the privileges I have received over the course of the first twenty-one years of my life I will continue to be privileged until the day I die. I have duly noted the fact that yes, I am privileged.
However, I am not admitting to the fact that I have never faced hardships. Everyone has faced their certain amount of hardships in life. everyone.
So in conclusion, I see myself as Katie, a girl who has seen her far share of privileges and hardships.
So keeping in mind that I am privileged and have faced certain hardships/setbacks is key when "going into" communities or engaging with people within a community to volunteer.
I imagine when I go into a community to volunteer, people see me first as a female, second as brown. What kind of brown is always up for debate... I could be Indian, Mexican, Egyptian, Argentinean, Middle Eastern, Malaysian, etc. The list is endless for what kind of "brown" I am. Being biracial helps people identify with you better (i.e. an Indian will always think I'm 100% Indian; whereas, someone of Latin decedent will feel fully comfortable starting up a conversation in Spanish with me). After I open my mouth, people think of me as "white." White meaning I have no accent, and it sounds like I am educated. This puts me in an interesting place, I may look like the people I am serving, but I don't necessarily sound like them.
Despite the fact talking about race is probably one of my least favorite things, I know race is the big colorful elephant in the room that everyone notices, but no one wants to talk about because they're too scared to address the topic or they feel if the topic isn't addressed it doesn't really exist. Yes, it does exist. I realize it does exist just like everyone else in the world does. For example, I went out to Abel's on the lake to watch the game on Saturday. While sitting up at the bar I did a scan of the outside patio, there was about 75+ people out there and my boyfriend and I were the only two people who were not white. cool. It took me until the second half of the game to realize that. So yes, race does exist, and yes, race is one of those things that is almost completely visible to the naked eye.
When a group of University of Texas students goes into a community that is predominately black or Hispanic, the community is going to notice that we don't necessarily relate to them right off the bat. For one, the majority of our group with a few exceptions are white females. Secondly, we are all college educated women who have all experienced some sort of privilege higher than the communities we are serving. It's almost painfully obvious.
I think it's important for us to overcome this barrier and see each other all as individuals, yes note the fact that we all have our unique backgrounds whether it be an Indian Mexican college student or an African American student at Mart High School. After we note the fact that we are all special and different in our own unique ways and that these certain traits have resulted in privileges and hardships in our lives, we can move on from that and work together to accomplish whatever goal we set out to accomplish for their community together.
Yes, I realized I represented 100% of the Asian and Hispanic population at Abel's on the Lake and my boyfriend represented 100% of the African American population at Abel's, but at the end of the day who gives a ****. We were all there for a common purpose, we united together because we were cheering on the Longhorns (despite that dismal lost), and although it took me about two hours to realize we were the huge minority at the bar, it took me less than thirty seconds to forget it because it didn't matter. We were all fans.
Just like going into a community different than your own, yes. acknowledge the fact that you are different and embrace your uniqueness. But leave with a higher understanding that people are just people, all with their own uniqueness intact.
So I'd hope at the end of the day the people I'd encounter in the community would see me as just Katie.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Journey.
Resonating.
When reading the Beginner's Guide to Community-Based Arts the wheels in my head started turning, and I immediately began thinking of ideas for my project at GB (hopefully?). The first thing that really stood out to me was finding the heartbeat of the community, what a sweet saying! I think it's important to really relate to the people you're working with and find out how they operate, what they're interested in, passionate about, etc. Then and only then can you gain their acceptance and trust. I imagine that when working with JDs it's crazy important to first gain their trust above all else. The section that got be really excited was the Action section! It got me thinking, all those kids at GB have their untold stories, society labels them as "bad kids" because they messed up, but what society doesn't know is the stories behind these kids. There's more to them then just the label Juvenile Delinquent. They are kids. With all these untold stories, I think it's important for them to be able to voice their struggles, opinions, and hardships in a safe environment that is understanding and unbiased. Also, it's so so so important to make these kids realize that their community has NOT given up on them. They need to feel welcomed and accepted by their communities as individuals who do have bright futures ahead of them, not just the f*** up next door. It's all about raising self-awareness/self-esteem and promoting support from their community to better these kids' future. I think it would be a good idea to have the kids at GB be involved in some sort of community development project that would better the community that they are from. I look to Big Man's story for inspiration.
Community Development is cool!
The CRAFT model. it comes from the heart.
Contact: cultivating trust, mutual understanding and commitment as a foundation for your creative partnership.
Open. The Heartbeat.
The art based program that I found most useful was the the Zuni Nation piece by Chris Edaakie. You have to find out what makes a community tick. I am a college student going into communities that I have never really been apart of. I am an outsider, and in order to gain their trust and respect I need to immerse myself in their culture and walk a mile in their shoes to better serve them. In order to gain one's trust you must be honest and open with them. I believe being honest and open with the kids at Gardner Betts is the best way to get them to open up to me.
Research: Gather information from the people, places and issues you are working with.
Absorb. The Wheel.
Ricardo Levins Morales stresses the important of listening, observing, and questioning. After one is able to absorb the material you must filter it through your personal experiences. It is important to know what the community wants by listening to them through both verbal and body language. I have never worked with juvenile delinquents before, but I have had done a little research. It is important to combine my previous knowledge with what I learn from interacting with the community. Tom Hansel brings up the analogy of a wheel. "Everyone's viewpoint is like part of a wheel. Only by listening to all the different perspectives can you get the whole wheel rolling." In my opinion, research means incorporating every bit of information you can. In dealing with the east Austin community, I would need to do my own research, but also talk to the people in the community, the kids in GB, and people outside the East Austin Community. Everyone is a part of the wheel.
Action: Produce a new work of art that benefits the community.
Voice. Untold. Possibilities.
Mujer Artes shows the importance of weaving together everyone's ideas, passions, and interests into an amazing product, Arbol de la Muerte. Through their collaboration, they were able to send out a message and tell the untold stories. Village of Arts and Humanities is amazing! What a great story!! I have such great admiration for Lily Yeh and how she got such great community involvement. Coming together, classic. Action means getting everyone involved, and when I think of everyone I mean everyone! When thinking specifically about East Austin, it is important to make the community realize that their youth are in trouble, their future is in trouble, and that everyone needs to come together as a community to help lead these children in the right direction, and not to simply forget about them. Everyone needs to realize that possibilities that are opened up when people come together for a common good. Positive energies yields positive results.
Feedback: Spark Community reflection, dialogue and organizing to spread the impact of the new work.
Share. Ripples.
Dialogue, give and take. That's key, there has to be some sort of communication when going into any community. After the Action takes place, there needs to be a breakdown by all parties involved in order to voice their questions, comments, and concerns. Once you realize that something is successful pass it on, and involve others. 360 Degrees has got my mind on GB. I really think there needs to be an open dialogue among all members of the East Austin Community.
Teaching: Pass on new community-building skills to others to sustain the impact.
Teach.
Everybody Teaches Everybody sums it up. It's important to take what you have learned and teach someone else, pass on the skills. When developing a mentoring program for the kids at GB, it would be beneficial for them to then share what they have learned with other kids in similar situations. A learning and teaching cycle that can't stop won't stop.
Page 27...
"be honest and open with yourself as you are asking others to be"
I think at the end of the day, you just have to be real with people. Rhodessa Jones got her s*** out there to the ladies she was working with, and I think we need to do that too with our projects. The community needs to realize that we are real human beings who genuinely want to get to know them and help them help themselves. I think it's important not to go in there with our credentials written across our chests trying to be their "o so holy" savior who is coming to save the day. No one wants to be open and honest with someone who is trying to come in looking like a savior. That would just be an uptight, lame situation, and nothing would be accomplished. You are everyone's equal. No one is better than anyone else, and the sooner everyone realizes that the sooner everyone will be open and honest with each other. Just be yourself. be cool. be chill.
When reading the Beginner's Guide to Community-Based Arts the wheels in my head started turning, and I immediately began thinking of ideas for my project at GB (hopefully?). The first thing that really stood out to me was finding the heartbeat of the community, what a sweet saying! I think it's important to really relate to the people you're working with and find out how they operate, what they're interested in, passionate about, etc. Then and only then can you gain their acceptance and trust. I imagine that when working with JDs it's crazy important to first gain their trust above all else. The section that got be really excited was the Action section! It got me thinking, all those kids at GB have their untold stories, society labels them as "bad kids" because they messed up, but what society doesn't know is the stories behind these kids. There's more to them then just the label Juvenile Delinquent. They are kids. With all these untold stories, I think it's important for them to be able to voice their struggles, opinions, and hardships in a safe environment that is understanding and unbiased. Also, it's so so so important to make these kids realize that their community has NOT given up on them. They need to feel welcomed and accepted by their communities as individuals who do have bright futures ahead of them, not just the f*** up next door. It's all about raising self-awareness/self-esteem and promoting support from their community to better these kids' future. I think it would be a good idea to have the kids at GB be involved in some sort of community development project that would better the community that they are from. I look to Big Man's story for inspiration.
Community Development is cool!
The CRAFT model. it comes from the heart.
Contact: cultivating trust, mutual understanding and commitment as a foundation for your creative partnership.
Open. The Heartbeat.
The art based program that I found most useful was the the Zuni Nation piece by Chris Edaakie. You have to find out what makes a community tick. I am a college student going into communities that I have never really been apart of. I am an outsider, and in order to gain their trust and respect I need to immerse myself in their culture and walk a mile in their shoes to better serve them. In order to gain one's trust you must be honest and open with them. I believe being honest and open with the kids at Gardner Betts is the best way to get them to open up to me.
Research: Gather information from the people, places and issues you are working with.
Absorb. The Wheel.
Ricardo Levins Morales stresses the important of listening, observing, and questioning. After one is able to absorb the material you must filter it through your personal experiences. It is important to know what the community wants by listening to them through both verbal and body language. I have never worked with juvenile delinquents before, but I have had done a little research. It is important to combine my previous knowledge with what I learn from interacting with the community. Tom Hansel brings up the analogy of a wheel. "Everyone's viewpoint is like part of a wheel. Only by listening to all the different perspectives can you get the whole wheel rolling." In my opinion, research means incorporating every bit of information you can. In dealing with the east Austin community, I would need to do my own research, but also talk to the people in the community, the kids in GB, and people outside the East Austin Community. Everyone is a part of the wheel.
Action: Produce a new work of art that benefits the community.
Voice. Untold. Possibilities.
Mujer Artes shows the importance of weaving together everyone's ideas, passions, and interests into an amazing product, Arbol de la Muerte. Through their collaboration, they were able to send out a message and tell the untold stories. Village of Arts and Humanities is amazing! What a great story!! I have such great admiration for Lily Yeh and how she got such great community involvement. Coming together, classic. Action means getting everyone involved, and when I think of everyone I mean everyone! When thinking specifically about East Austin, it is important to make the community realize that their youth are in trouble, their future is in trouble, and that everyone needs to come together as a community to help lead these children in the right direction, and not to simply forget about them. Everyone needs to realize that possibilities that are opened up when people come together for a common good. Positive energies yields positive results.
Feedback: Spark Community reflection, dialogue and organizing to spread the impact of the new work.
Share. Ripples.
Dialogue, give and take. That's key, there has to be some sort of communication when going into any community. After the Action takes place, there needs to be a breakdown by all parties involved in order to voice their questions, comments, and concerns. Once you realize that something is successful pass it on, and involve others. 360 Degrees has got my mind on GB. I really think there needs to be an open dialogue among all members of the East Austin Community.
Teaching: Pass on new community-building skills to others to sustain the impact.
Teach.
Everybody Teaches Everybody sums it up. It's important to take what you have learned and teach someone else, pass on the skills. When developing a mentoring program for the kids at GB, it would be beneficial for them to then share what they have learned with other kids in similar situations. A learning and teaching cycle that can't stop won't stop.
Page 27...
"be honest and open with yourself as you are asking others to be"
I think at the end of the day, you just have to be real with people. Rhodessa Jones got her s*** out there to the ladies she was working with, and I think we need to do that too with our projects. The community needs to realize that we are real human beings who genuinely want to get to know them and help them help themselves. I think it's important not to go in there with our credentials written across our chests trying to be their "o so holy" savior who is coming to save the day. No one wants to be open and honest with someone who is trying to come in looking like a savior. That would just be an uptight, lame situation, and nothing would be accomplished. You are everyone's equal. No one is better than anyone else, and the sooner everyone realizes that the sooner everyone will be open and honest with each other. Just be yourself. be cool. be chill.
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