Adult Education Women are Super (ROLE) Models & Partners

*we began by discussing the multi-stakeholder visioning process

*a participatory process

*moving forward-enhancing professional skills, supporting community, building pathways to high education and job opportunities

*Assets vs. Needs approach i.e. the glass is half full approach to learning, listening to not just what learners think but what they need

*Student Voices Study in 2008 with 151 learners including current students and alumni across all sectors

*found that students were looking for opportunities to give back to their fellow students in the form of peer mentors, tutors, and counselors

*Strategies were developed and categorized based on need by the alumni

*support and motivation

*community organizing and outreach

*information and communication

*Advocacy

*The instructor then acts us all to define leadership; a long list of attributes was given

*Leadership:The decision to see that everything around you goes well.

*Issues that face women in leadership are

*Oppression;externally and socially

*Internalized oppression;no power, negative self-image,limited capacity to inspire

*passing the hurt vs. creating a culture of healing

*Isolation;cultural/language/economic barriers

*At this time we did a listening exchange exercise where we worked with a partner describing what our programs are doing to engage women in leadership. The listener was required to be silent but encouraging without interruptions or judgements

*upon further discussion of leadership qualities the instructor suggested that the same qualities required to be a leader are required to be an adult learner

*At this time we were introduced to program that began in New York in 2009 called We are New York or WANY an ESOL program

*In 2010 WANY began a leadership internship program

*the Future Now Program based on whole student centered principles

*Head-strong academics

*Heart-emotional support

*Soul-values adult learner bring to the classroom

*Engaging Adult learners as partners increases retention rates, improves program outcomes, decreases drop out rates

*We watched short video, (part of a TV series) specifically for adult learners that deals with obstacles that stand in the way of success. These videos are available with sub titles-used another tool/support system

*Adult Education Alumni Alliance

*objectives are based around improving outcomes for learner and alumni, the structure of a sustainable network in NYC, creation of a student centered adult education system

*We then discussed the the transition from local to systemic Action

Leaders

*Biming Long

*Role model for ESOL students in Chinatown community. She went from student to educator in the English and Grammar dept.

*currently a WANY intern at the Mayor's office

*Pamela Soriano

*serves a student liaison bridging the gap between students and program leaders

*Guadalupe Delgado

*on the student newspaper, works a research assistant

*works as a WANY intern at the Mayor's office using the We are New York TV series to improves the lives of other learners

*Diane Francis

*Works as a mentor and instructor for the Queens library adult literacy program

*works a WANY leadership intern for the Mayor's office. She is also a founding member of the Adult Education Alumni Alliance

*Objectives of leadership internships are; increased student retention and transitions to college level, increased literacy by helping people learn English, developed alumni leadership and advocacy

The lessons learned from these programs are

* learners are assets

*alumni are a "secret weapon"

*communities have to have the goal of empowerment

*the culture of adult learning needs to be shifted on both a local and systemic level towards learner centered and learner led programs

Our Fun, Friendly, Sexual Selves

This very fun, laid back, and extremely informative workshop was one that I will probably never be able to forget, even if i tried. Kathryn Ssedoga, the main speaker of the workshop, did an absolutely amazing job helping all of the women apart of this session learn more and become more appreciative about their female parts. She carefully explained to us a matter of different true FACTS of our own bodies that more than half of the women in the session did not already know about themselves. I was glad to witness the many smiling and relaxed faces leaving the room once the session was over.
Kathryn gave us a quick agenda of everything that she had taught us, including the true definition of sexual health, a detailed explanation of the female anatomy, true facts of feminine hygiene, our own g-spot, masturbation, orgasms, and toys, projects based on these topics in London, Ontario, and helpful resources as well. The first vital statement that she made to us was "how we talk about each other is as important as what we talk about." Then she went over 'what is health?' and 'what is sexual health?' The "ingredients" for healthy sexuality were as follows:
- Being able to communicate about your feelings
- Understanding STD's and how to prevent them
- Access to good health care, birth control, and STD help.
- Finding relationships based on respect
- Understanding and being able to make the right choices about reproduction
- Being able to talk to friends who can help you make good decisions about your sexual life.
Okay, so maybe some of these items seem like a few things that you have already have heard once, if not, many times before. Well, does any health teacher you've ever had told you how you can better pleasure yourself during sex? Kathryn then went into great explanation about female parts that are pleasurable to women, and how to make the most pleasure out of those parts. Why are these facts ones that women are not readily available to? Why are there brilliant women with lots of education privileges that have no idea about any of these facts? Why does the system hide these facts away from women? Women are taught to stay away from sex, not to become more pleasured by it. Why does this happen? Kathryn went into even greater description with use of great visuals, including a puppet, pictures taken out of a coloring book that everyone in the session received to color in themselves, a book with different female parts to understand how different and still healthy we all are, videos that we watched from online, and just by her telling us more of her own experiences as well.
Kathryn taught us how to really keep ourselves clean, (very oppositional to common knowledge,) and even gave us information from real gynecologists that want to help just as much as she does. She went over which toys are safer to use than others, and even the myths and beliefs about shaving and trimming. At the end of the session, there was still much information to go over, after already learning so much. Kathryn handed out free condoms, free female condoms, (and taught us how to use them and how beneficial they can be,) and even gave us other fun sexual inventions made for a better tasting and much safer female-favored oral sex. Who would not want to take advantage of such valuable advice? Many women walked into this workshop being much more unconfident and uncomfortable than they did once they walked out. If this woman was ever able to teach a course on the matter anywhere in this country, I would definitely be one of the first to sign up for the class. I secretly wanted to stay after the workshop had already ended, however like all good things, this session had to eventually come to and end. I had no idea what I was heading in for at the start of the workshop, but I am never happier that I was lucky enough to attend and learn as much as i did.

The Dynamics of Domestic Violence

As I walked into the room that this workshop was being held in, the people running it were still setting up the room a little bit to get it ready for the session. They were placing all of the chairs together in a circle to create a more Socratic atmosphere. As people started filling in the circle, it slowly grew into a larger and larger circle filled with women, all with different experiences and memories that each could relate to this one single topic.
Karen Wyman, one of the board members and an amazing speaker, set us all off by having us go around the circle stating our first names, and one word that we each think describes love. As the circle went around and different women were giving their answers, it was clear that we were all perfectly aware of what the term means and stands for. Then she asked everyone, "What is love not?" As we sat quietly thinking of possible answers, she then asked another question, "What exactly is domestic violence?" One woman immediately raised her hand with a perfect answer, explaining how domestic violence does not only include physical abuse, but also financial, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse as well. Another woman said that domestic violence was neglect, and another claimed that it was unbalanced control in a relationship. Which one of these answers were the correct ones? Every single one of them.
Karen went on to explain how everyone was correct, and how domestic violence seems to happen in the context of a relationship in which one should feel safe. Ironic? Then she exclaimed how MOST, (not all,) of domestic violence is done by a man to a woman. I know that some of these answers sound like something that most people have already heard before, including myself, however just being apart of this 1 hour and 10 minute workshop was beneficial enough for anyone walking out of the room to say that they had at least learned one thing that they were not already aware of.
Karen then asked everyone to stand up, and proceeded to explain that one side of the room was now going to be the "disagree" side, and the other side of the room was going to be the "agree" side. She asked us a few questions, or stated a few common statements about domestic violence, and the learners were told to either go to the disagree or the agree side of the room, even if they were stuck in the middle. It became very clear after only the first question that there were many different experiences and memories floating around the room amongst the huge variety of women, because each one had interesting and eye-opening thoughts, ideas, and theories to share with one another. Karen made statements like, "I will leave the first time he hits me," and half of the women went to the agree side, and the other half went to the disagree side. Learning what the other women on the opposing side of you had to say about why they chose their answer was where most of the learning came from. Karen asked about 3 or 4 more questions relating to the topic before we had one last closing discussion about the matter. Was it a good experience for me? If there was an agree side the room that I am sitting in now, then I would already be there answering this question. I did not learn in this workshop by reading, doing writing exercises, listening to a lecture, or reading off of someone's homemade power point presentation about their own opinion based research. I learned by listening to what all of these other strong women had to say about their own lives. Even I had my own input to maybe even help others.
Why doesn't a woman just leave after being abused? It's easier said than done. 40% of the murdered women in America died trying to leave an abusive household. FORTY PERCENT! Who do we make responsible when we ask why didn't SHE leave? Obviously we put the problem in the hands of the women, the victims, or the innocent ones. Is this fair? Of course not. 80% of incarcerated women in America were exposed to some sort of domestic violence beforehand at some point in their lives. Doesn't this statement speak enough for itself? Obviously not enough... because there has yet to be change. How do we address this matter? How can we help one another? How will we ever be able to make any changes? How does the system try to help? On the other hand, what is the system doing that it is not getting any better, or in most cases, getting even worse?

Stress Reduction in the Classroom

This workshop was run by Amy Cameron, an ESOL teacher and Zainab Shaker, a refugee from Iraq and an ESOL student. Both women expressed finding that many students had high levels of stress. Stress can greatly disrupt learning and memory in the classroom. When the workshop first began we were separated into two groups and within the groups we each shared our names and something that caused us stress. There were many different kinds of stressors for the groups varying from school, work, kids, finances, and anxiety in general. Next we shared ways of coping with these stressors. Many women voiced that exercise or more specifically, walking, as a great stress reliever. Cameron then had several of us in the room read what some of her students had written about what was stressing them out. Many of the women were stressed about recently losing a job or not being able to find one. Also, many of them were afraid or ashamed of their literacy levels and the affect it had on them in their day to day lives. Cameron explained how in her class she and the students created a "Tree of Knowledge," as way of exploring stress management.

Shaker then explained what the "Tree of Knowledge" was made up of:

The Roots- What you learned from your family about stress

The Trunk- What you learned from your culture about stress

The Branches- What you taught yourself about stress

The Clouds- A stressor

We each made a mini version of the "Tree of Knowledge," for ourselves. Next Cameron explored a variety of stress reducers that she tested through experimental learning with her students at the beginning of each class and briefly experimented with us. Belly breathing was first where breathing with your stomach was the focus. Followed by guided visualization which still involved belly breathing while closing your eyes and listening to Cameron while she took you to a tropical island where you could throw your stress(in the form of a medium sized rock) into the ocean. Next we colored mandalas(which I found to be the most relaxing) and lastly she demonstrated some yoga moves that may reduce stress.

I definately left this workshop feeling more relaxed after we had just practiced a slew of potential stress reducers. Also, I felt relief after hearing all the varieties of ways these other women were affected by stressors because I think sometimes it's easy to get wrapped up in things instead of taking a minute to relax and figure out how to deal with them.

As We Prepare to Leave...

The final session has started, and our numbers are a bit smaller than they have been as some women have begun their journeys home. I am thinking of how WE LEARN is both a leave-taking and a home-coming. We leave our daily lives, homes, jobs, and arrive - some of us to a strange city and location - at a conference that, strangely enough, feels like home. Whether it's our first time or our seventh time at WE LEARN, we feel welcomed and greeted by the learners and leaders here.

WE LEARN is a place to leave behind all those things that we no longer need - doubts, insecurities, settling for less than we deserve, anxiety, loneliness. WE LEARN is also a place to come home to the best of ourselves - our strength, our determination, our competence, our creativity, and our passion for justice.

As we move through the weekend, we greet ourselves in one another, and we hold mirrors up to reflect to one another our exquisite beauty, power, and courage. We come together in celebration, in grief, in laughter, in joy, and in challenge. We build each other up while we're here so that we can return home ready to do the work of our lives, whether that is the work of home, parenting, social justice, community organizing, or learning to love one another well. The energy of coming home to WE LEARN carries us back home to our lives and sustains us as we work to make the world safer, healthier, and more equitable for women.

Thank you all for making WE LEARN such an important weekend! See you soon.

Connecting Research on Women's Literacy and Social Justice

How does research affect policy? How do we make research applicable to our practice?
How can we all be involved in conducting it? It should not be something just done by researchers and removed from every day life.

People introduced themselves.

Presenter #1: Reading Course for Farmer's Wives

Cornell University Farmer's Wives Reading Course. Introduced home ec into rural communities in upstate New York (e.g, sanitary practices, etc.). In addition to education research, it served to bring women together. In this area people were very isolated. There was limited electricity, technology, and materials of interest (such as magazines) to women. Women were asked to prioritize what they wanted to learn about saving time and doing housework more productively. They got a publication called "Saving Steps." In the process of sharing this information (collected via postcards), women had a chance to connect. Over time, these developed into study clubs that had the bulletins as the central text and larger events.

Key quote: Gathering in community is crucial to one's lives, especially those who are isolated in rural areas.

Presenter #2: Youth Aging out of Foster Care

There is a need for comprehensive services for youth that are aging out. Link between aging out unprepared and negative outcomes. Homelessness, literacy, incarceration, etc. Foster children are less likely to finish high school. Comprehensive services will help with transition. This can be done using existing resources - we have to change the paradigm in how we use it. One program is very successful and they are notable for having 40% of their staff being former foster students. In general, it is more expensive to care for homeless people, due to things like medical care for things that should be routine.

Kids need unconditional commitments from adults that foster parents won't give up on them. They are treated different, but they are just like us. We have to think of them as people.

Key Quote: The new face of homelessness is youth aging out of foster care.

Presenter #3: Literacy Among Ecuadorian Women Weavers

Women's cooperatives in this area of Ecuador has offered transformative potential, in addition to organizing for fair prices. They encourage literacy. This research project focuses on interviewing women in these cooperatives about their understanding of literacy and their work. (Ann Berthof (sp?) - the meaning beyond money).

One cooperative: Sweater weavers. Had workshops for workers, techniques, but self-esteem, domestic violence, etc. were the most noted. Second: Straw weavers.
Third: Embroiderers. All struggling with changes in the world marketplace.

Results of the study: Limited access to materials (book, internet, etc.) but have cell phones. Limited need for reading. But literacy had become important. Needed it for redesign. Surprised or hesitant about using social services.

Key Quote: How might these women connect the strengths they demonstrate daily, and in their cooperatives, with larger social justice issues?

*

Question: How does research or interventions add to the complexity of the problem? Like women's shelters not addressing women's safety. How do we make sure we don't make things worse?

* Who has the whole picture? People might not know to call it patriarchy, or what the issue is.
- Response: Nobody has the whole picture

* Biggest problem (in Canada) is for people to understand that they must be inclusive. Learners must be there, since they have experiences and expertise that professionals don't have. It is a matter of respect. Big problem - non-inclusivity.

* Students feel isolated within own communities and families because they are getting an education. There is a tension between wanting to maintaining a connection to their families and wanting to do something different. Do we pay enough attention to how difficult taking this step is. (Note: Like the movie Educating Rita).

* Discourses about how we talk about groups of people.

* As a learner, waiting for someone to invite me is a lack of power. Instead of waiting for them to change, I want to give other literacy students the skills I have developed.
Advocate for themselves.

* Topic: How do people learn to work with social services, get over the hurdles or their hesitancy, and work with the resources that are already there? Or not - because not all people do get over it (e.g., refugees).

* What are the issues we should be doing research about to change policy?
- Example: Both parties need more awareness. Sometime staff at homeless shelters need more awareness, not just family being more aware of regulations. Staff who have not been in that situation don't understand. Or Foster Parents need training about resources, so it is not just about the kids not doing the right thing.

Question: What does research mean to you?
- It is common sense. This is way we should use to redirect things.

* We'd like to look at creating best practices about agencies informing people about how to utilize the resources. What would be the best practices to makes sure the employees are equally informed? Increase access to funding.
- How to help other countries as well.
- We need to educate the first line responders. And that has to be done via the people who have lived it and it know it.

MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Boundaries

In this session we talked how there are no age boundaries to go back to school. Age is just a number and you should go back to school at any time. One women stood up to share her story how she went back to get to get her G.E.D. at the age of 50. Now standing before us at the age of 64 she is in the possession of two Master's Degrees. It touched everyone in the room. It provided that extra push anyone needed to keep chugging along in school. It proved that their are NO Boundaries. Our culture only accepts children to learn and not Adult Learners. However, these women are fighting against society, and snotty remarks to further their education and themselves. Without education these women feel helpless. Education pushes them to be someone and provides them with hope. These women inspire me.