Service Learning Log #1

Activism

This Thursday, my partner, Lindsey A. Q. and I met after class to discuss what stores we were going to get in contact with for our supply drives (from 1:17 P.M.-2:14 P.M.). We searched on Lindsey’s computer and found the Publix website and stores in the area. I called five different Publix stores, one Winn-Dixie, and one Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store. Every store besides is fully booked. The lack of availability is the obvious pitfall in the project because some of the stores are booked until November. My partner and I did not contact our community partner this week, but we already received the go-ahead from Maria Roman, our program contact. Next week, we will go to the UCF Bookstore and/or local kid’s establishments to ask about availability.

Reflection

            The Women’s Bodies, Women’s Health chapter clearly relates to the work of YWLP and our personal project for YWLP. YWLP enables girls to be leaders and possess self-esteem. I believe my partner and I exhibit those strengths. We took this project into our own hands and continually take the initiative to accomplish our goals. To have self-esteem, people have to love themselves. This also relates to their bodies. Body image is at the forefront of people’s minds because it is the first thing that they see. Kirk and Okazawa-Rey state that, “Feminist scholars have analyzed the oppressive nature of ads and media representations that bombard women and girls with the ideal of beauty…” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 208). To combat this, the YWLP website offers the Little Sisters the opportunity to watch positive movies about women and one of them happens to be Real Women Have Curves (YWLP). Movies like this showcase real women and not the idealized version that the media usually shows. My partner and I will be able to contribute to these girls and hopefully we will gain knowledge for ourselves.

Reciprocity

I have always loved to work with or on the behalf of children or young people. It is so important to inspire young people and specifically young women to be all that they can be. My partner and I are working to give the Big and Little Sisters the supplies necessary to accomplish these goals. In today’s world, supplies for small and even large organizations are vital. Without them, it becomes increasingly difficult for these groups to survive, and hopefully we can help alleviate some of these issues.

From a feminist perspective, I believe that YWLP does exactly what the definition of feminism states: “…feminism concerns the liberation of women and girls from discrimination based on gender” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 4). For me, if these middle school girls are educated about the patriarchal society around them, they will be better equipped to deal with it and work against it when they mature.

Works Cited

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives 5^th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

Young Women’s Leaders Program (YWLP). University of Central Florida. Web. 25 February 2011.