The Creative Autonomy Initiative was developed by E, R, and S: three college-age women currently attending the University of Central Florida. In order to meet the service-learning requirement of our Girls and Leadership course, we decided to work with an organization we were already involved with on our university's campus: the Young Women Leaders Program (or, more affectionately, YWLP). What is service-learning, you ask? And YWLP? Who are E, R, and S? Creative Autono-what? Well, we'll tell you:
Service-learning is a practice employed throughout UCF's disciplines which requires community involvement and reflection in regard to its relation to course content and vice versa in order to enhance their academic experience. In service-learning courses, students are required to complete fifteen hours of what is essentially community service per semester. However, these community service hours are more complex than just volunteering at a local animal shelter or pitching in at the nearby soup kitchen; it is requirement that the service work that an individual is doing is directly related, or can be applied, to what said individual is learning in the classroom. Parallels must be drawn between the course, its texts, and the project through active participation and reflection. In a Theories of Masculinity class, perhaps a service-learning student or group would develop a project involving a nearby chapter of Men Can Stop Rape.
YWLP is sponsored by the Women's Studies department at UCF and is comprised of omwne attending the university acting as mentors (Big Sisters) to participating 7th grade girls from three local public middle schools (Little Sisters), and six Facilitators that prompt discussion and conduct weekly lessons. By pairing Bigs with Littles within larger mentoring groups, this program focuses on encouraging the Littles to learn about their own autonomy, competency, independent thinking, empowerment, self-esteem, and desires for their futures. The ultimate goal is to promote in the girls their own potential as leaders. Littles participate for the length of a semester, whereas Bigs may participate as long as they are students at UCF.
Little Sisters are selected by the local public middle schools' administrators, predominantly by the schools' guidance counselors. They are not the girls at the tops of their classes or the popularity lader, nor are they the girls that are constantly struggling in school or with their peers. They are the girls often caught in the middle, sometimes forgotten or neglected in favor of the other two extremes that seem in greater need of enrichment or challenge. These girls exhibit qualities of leadership but may not always have been consistent in channeling them. The girls may not believe that they are leaders or understand all the many forms that leadership can take. Girls are leaders everyday in everything they do. Class presidency, being on cheerleading squad, or qualifying for the school spelling bee are not the only ways to be leaders. All girls are influential and powerful beings. YWLP's goal is help the girls recognize that.
A different lesson is covered at each meeting: one week it may be body image, another week it could be preventing gossip or cyber-bullying. Lessons include group discussion, sister time, and activities that engage the girls up out of their chairs. In these lessons, the Littles demonstrate the leadership skills they already possess and exhibit a positive rise in their self-esteem and participation. There are five weekend activities per semester that are optional: one might be playing Bingo at a local nursing home and another might be a water balloon fight and a picnic at a park. Finally, there is UCF Day: one full Saturday when the Littles come to UCF's campus and get a tour, lunch, participate in craft projects, scavenger hunts, and a lesson or two.
E has been involved with YWLP for three semesters. The first two semesters she was a Big Sister, and this semester she has taken on the role of Facilitator at one of the middle schools. R and S have been involved with YWLP as Big Sisters for two semesters. This project is very near and dear to their hearts, remembering back to how their perceptions of themselves may have been better or their faith in themselves may have been stronger sooner had they had a program like YWLP available to them at the age of thirteen.
There are many ways to support girls and to discuss the subjects of girlhood and girls leadership, this is only one. Our Creative Autonomy Initiative was inspired by every one of our girls, and it was developed in the hopes that they can and will create a better world for themselves than the one we have offered them. A detailed discussion of the components of our project can be found in the next post.
We were once girls. We were powerful, ingenious, and often we had no idea.
They are now girls. They are powerful, ingenious, and they deserve to know.
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