Service Learning Blog 1

Service Learning Journal from October 16, 2011

Activism:

This week we (Lindsey, Carmen, and I) went to Seville for the first time to work with NFWM and AMA.  We were very excited to begin our project, and quickly began work on the set for the play AMA is producing.  In the play there are two “sets,” one location is a kitchen and another is in a field.  To make sure we had a professional looking set, we traced a projected kitchen image and a field image onto two separate drop cloths and began painting them.  The hours flew by, and by the end of our time we had completed the field backdrop and most of the kitchen backdrop.  Our goal for the following week was to finish our backdrops and make more posters for the play and also for things such as the Poison Hotline and other information.

Reflection:

In our first week of class, we learned, “Knowledge is not neutral” (Women's Rights, Women's Liberation, Women's Studies).  Knowledge comes from experience and in turn is turned into an action, proving that one way or another people are not neutral.  I think this statement accurately sums up AMA and our group’s goal while we are working with them.  AMA has crafted a play to explain the dangers of pesticides, not only for the men who work in the fields that have been sprayed with them, but for the women and children living in the surrounding area.  The women of AMA have made it their goal to educate others in Seville, and hopefully all over Florida about the harm pesticides cause, something most people working and living near the fields do not know.  The women of AMA are very strong and think very highly of working to create awareness of issues such as this one, to protect the farm workers and their families.  I think these women are very brave to take up this fight to ensure safety, and perhaps influence change.

Reciprocity:

I grew up in a conservative and sometimes racist town here in Florida that thrived on the work of lower-class “Mexican orange pickers.”  I had not really ever thought much on the issue of farm worker’s safety or on the laws and mandates that are required of companies to keep their workers safe, but I accepted it for what it was and never objected to anyone’s (usually rude) opinions of the farm/plant workers.  After interacting with and learning more about their struggles through AMA and NFWM, my mentality has been greatly altered.  AMA and NFWM have given me a broader sense of these farm workers and their situations in America.  I have been shown through this first hand experience of how hard working these farm workers are and how they are worthy of more respect and deserving of rights than they are often given. 

Work Cited
Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa-Rey.  Women's Live: Multicultural Perspectives.  Fifth ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Word Count: 473

Analysis of an Advertisement

Originally I drawn to the ad very easily, but then I realized what Natan Jewelers was implying.  Natan has a whole series of ads depicting what a woman sees when a man proposes to her, especially when it is with a Natan ring.  Most of the advertisements show an overweight, balding, or ugly guy holding a closed ring box, and then in the picture beside it, the ring box is open, and the guy is suddenly thin, with hair, and a handsome face.  While all of these ads flared my temper, the one I put in my blog affected me much more so, because it depicts women as being willing to do anything once she has a pretty piece of jewelry. 

It is certainly condescending to women, especially since men see this and may form the opinion that they can do anything, and all they have to do for sex is just buy expensive jewelry, and the woman will just fall all over them.  The ad is explicitly objectifying the woman, giving the attitude that the woman is just a thing that can be bought to obtain what the guy desires, as discussed in chapter five of our textbook.  The ad “reduces the woman to her body, and values her only as a sex object” (page 208) by using the influence of the ring to get sex.  The ad discredits women as being pushovers and being so focused on materialistic items that we will succumb to anything if we’re are just given something expensive.  The ad wants to make women believe that they are only worth what their boyfriends/fiancés/husbands buy them, and that when we are given something as grand as expensive jewelry, we must return the favor by showing our gratitude through what the ad implies men want most - sex.  

Work Cited

Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa-Rey.  Women's Live: Multicultural Perspectives.  Fifth ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Service Learning Proposal

Service Learning Proposal for National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM)

Group members: Carmen T., Amanda M., and Lindsey H.

October 5, 2011

Meredith Tweed

WST 3015-002

Community Partner Profile:

National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM)

 Address: 4420 Parkway Commerce Blvd

               Orlando, FL 32808

 Contact: Lariza Garzon

Community Partner Mission Statement: “Together With Farm Workers Harvesting Justice” (National Farm Worker Ministry).

Political and /or Social Basis for Organization: The National Farm Worker Ministry works to assist local farm workers in their campaigns for their rights.  They work with various groups such as AgJobs, CIW Campaign for Fair Food and others to ensure that farm workers voices are heard.  Many farm workers are afraid to speak up about any abuse they are subject to, their low wages, and any illness they may contract after being exposed to pesticides or other work-related accidents or illnesses.  However, with the assistance of the National Farm Worker Ministry, the workers rights are brought to attention by picketing, educating the public, and organizing boycotts (National Farm Worker Ministry) to ensure justice for America’s farm workers.

The Proposal:

TO: Meredith L. Tweed

FROM: Carmen T., Amanda M., and Lindsey H.

DATE: October 5, 2011

Proposal to Assist with the Creation of a Play for a Service Learning Project

Need for volunteers for the Community Outreach Program: Our group will be working with Allianza de Mujeres Activas Inc. (AMA) through the National Farm Worker Ministry.  AMA’s mission is to “help the Hispanic farm worker community and families of limited income in Central Florida to improve their social problems and health challenges.  In doing so we offer workshops, cultural programs, information and links to organizations that offer assistance (Allianza de Mujeres Activas Inc.).  Currently, AMA is putting together a play to raise awareness about the harm of pesticides, even when one is not working in the field.    AMA has received a grant from the government and has begun working on a script, but they need assistance with finalizing the script in addition to building and painting the set, creating the costumes, and bringing materials that will be used to create the set.  Through this project AMA hopes to reach out to those who are suffering from the adverse side effects of pesticides and they hope to raise awareness to prevent illnesses due to pesticides.

Plan Proposal:

AMA and NFWM have set aside two dates later this month to begin working on the play.  They need volunteers to help with obtaining materials and constructing their set and costumes to raise awareness.  Our group has committed to be there for both dates so we can assist AMA in their creative process to ensure the show reaches out to as many people as it possibly can.

Rationale for Women’s Studies

The plight of women often goes unnoticed to the public and the government.  Women of different ethnicities and races (other than white) are more likely to be ignored by the government and powerful figures because those positions are often Caucasian-dominated.  It is easy for us to turn a blind eye to the undocumented immigrants that are struggling to get by in America and putting themselves at risk just to make a living, because as some Americans like to say, “They’re illegal.”  In Women’s Studies we read in a speech given by Sojourner Truth, “None but Jesus heard me” (Ain’t I a Woman?).  In Women’s Studies we are learning how to give voices to the voiceless, to make sure others hear and DO something to change the lives of the people who are struggling.  We are taught that activism is a good thing and that it can make a world of difference for those that are being ignored.  Allianza de Mujeres Activas Inc. are currently struggling to be heard and acknowledged, and Carmen, Lindsey and I are very excited to take steps to ensure equality and respects are achieved (Fight Like a Girl) for the women of AMA.

Action:

We have already met Ms. Garzon, our contact at NFWM, and set up our dates to work on the play.  Ms. Garzon is contacting us soon with supplies we may need to bring, such as paint for the set or fabric for costumes, and on our two selected days, we will drive out to Seville to meet with AMA and help prepare for the play in whatever way we can.

Timeline:

Our final project (Presentation and Reflection Paper) will be turned in on November 30, 2011.  In addition to the dates listed below we may add in another day to get together and work on our project.

1.     September 28, 2011: We met up with Lariza Garzon, our contact and discussed our project

2.     October 16, 2011: We will go to Seville (AMA’s location) for the first day of building and designing sets and costumes

3.     October 23, 2011: We will go to Seville (AMA’s location) for the second day of building and designing sets and costumes

Work Cited

“AMA: Allianza de Mujeres Activas Inc.”  Allianza de Mujeres Activas Inc. pamphlet.  2011.

Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Fifth ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

"National Farm Worker Ministry."  The National Farm Worker Ministry website. 3 October 2011. http://nfwm.org/

Seely, Megan.  Fight Like a Girl.  New York and London: New York University Press, 2007.

Word Count: 880

Introduction

Hi everyone!  I'm Amanda Moss, I'm a Junior and this my first semester at UCF.  I am a History major, and I plan on double minoring in American Studies and Women Studies.  I'm hoping to move on to Graduate school (William and Mary in Virginia is my dream school) to pursue an American Studies career in some capacity.

I've always been really interested in learning the history of women, reading about their lives and careers, and seeing how we've progressed over time, so declaring Women Studies as one of my minors seems inevitable for me.  One of my closest friends and I always exchange new articles and blog posts dealing with women, and we discuss, rant, and rave about them, so I am very excited about this course!

As far as activism goes, the most I often do is post statuses and web links to informative articles via Facebook, so others can (hopefully) read them, gain knowledge, and make an informed opinion.  Last year, at Valencia Community College I was very active in Amnesty International, we hosted several events during the year, and we had two or three pertaining to women, such as Maternal Health, Spousal/Children Abuse and Women's Roles in Culture.  I think activism is VERY important.  Not only does it promote your cause in a way that can change the world, such as when women marched to vote, or picketed in front of the White House, but it also creates awareness and disperses knowledge to people who may know nothing or very little (or hold a false assumption) about your cause.

My American History teacher -Professor Duce- at Polk State College (yes, I have been to three colleges in three years) showed my class Iron Jawed Angels, which certainly impacted me and further changed my opinion about the United States government.  It truly is a brilliant movie, and shows the struggle of Alice Paul and the women who set out to change history.  It shows how women and men (specifically within the government) interact, and how the government can hide anything they want, or twist it to make others (in this case the protestors) villains.  In her class we also discussed gender roles, specifically during the Industrial Revolution and during the Wars, on the home front or in the hospitals.
I love researching about John and Abigail Adams because they seem like such vivid exceptions of the traditional gender roles, especially for their time.  In their letters Abigail often gives John advice even when he doesn't ask for it, and she tends to be right on the nose with what is needed or fair.  After all, she told him while the Congress was writing the Declaration, "Remember the women," he ignored that piece of advice, and you see what happened in history.  It is speculated that the only reason John Adams became President was because of her advice to him that he heeded and the excellent parties she hosted.  I really respect both of them and during this semester I hope to learn more about couples like this.

I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus and the blogging protocols.  I'm excited for this course!