Wednesday, December 23, 2015

The Clarity Project: Jacky Cruz Combining Literature Around Reality In Today’s Youth

I obtained this document from Enrique Gonzalez, who recommends the process of Clarity.

"Jacky Cruz deserves more recognition," says Enrique.
http://tiny.cc/jcclarity

                                                                                         
                                                                                         
           
Project C.L.A.R.I.T.Y.
Combining Literature Around Reality In Today’s Youth


The fundamental goals of this curriculum are to promote literacy and foster social‐cultural identity among all participants. Literacy and social consciousness build community relationships. Surrounding people with print and language instills a social consciousness that supports community relationships. Such consciousness bolsters individual responsibility and self‐determination. Such consciousness changes lives.

There are consistent activities through each session. There will always be sharing of language through poetry and stories. There will also be space provided for individual reflection though journal writing. The journals document the journey that we take during our time together. The journals maybe be written, drawn or expressed in anyway that is meaningful to the participant. A collection of activities and reflections will be treasured in a portfolio. The portfolios are an important relic, a collection of the readings, writing and expressions that each woman struggled with and shared to achieve clarity in their own lives.

The curriculum is designed for young girls and young women (ages 12-19 years of age) as they transition toward becoming women. Adult coaches, mujeres, together with the girls engage in a teaching and learning process that is the community based, culturally specific and woman centered. All participants are members of this learning community‐all are valuable contributors.

While woman concerns, trials and issues are the heart of the journey, the specifics of culture, language and history are interwoven throughout the curricular tapestry. Guiding the girls and young women rites of passage includes deconstructing issues of life, tearing apart the fabric of ourselves that we may build it up in a healthy, balance and powerful stance. Essentially we take the practical, identity, name it, talk about it within a context of the surrounding community and bring it back to the self for revision, change and transformation. There is power in engaging the issues‐dissecting the very thoughts, rules and issues that have bound us, limited us and robbed women of their identity.
Since girls, young women and women embrace the world so differently than men, this curriculum designed to work with females in their specifics. The members of this community own the forum. The form is established so that each member may bring their knowledge and experiences to the center, together the group builds on that knowledge and gains strength from new information and new perspectives.
Recurring themes are interwoven throughout the sessions‐issues of spirituality, emotions, breaking through the destruction; empowerment and hope will always be touched on as each sessions develops. There are sixteen sessions, each meant to guide the heart of the participants toward finding truth in their own life.










Session Outline

1. What’s In a Name?
2. Self‐Inventory‐ What’s Really Going On?
3. Family Ties‐ Our Family & Ourselves
4. Nuestras Vidas‐ The Women in Our Lives
5. Mothers‐ Will You Grow Up to Be Just Like Yours?
6. Relationships‐ People Around Us
7. Relationships with Fathers
8. Violence Against Women
9. Sexuality‐ Not the Same as Sex
10. Drugs, Alcohol‐Lifestyle and Choices
11. Mask Teaching (P1)
12. Mask Teaching (P2)
13. Grief, Loss and Healing
14. Making Dreams Come True
15. Portrayal of Women through Art & Media
16. The Future Starting Now…Graduation (Closure)

Most sessions will have a piece of literature that touches on the topic. The literature may be in the form of poetry, short stories, picture books, newspaper clippings or some other form. The literature, if possible, should be reproduced as made available for everyone to follow along and keep. The facilitator should read the literature out loud for everyone to hear and see, if there are pictures. The facilitator should also provide back ground information on the author so participants can become familiar with the author and their work.

Activities: Most activities ask participants to express their thoughts. Participants should be encouraged to write, draw, sketch or express themselves in which everyway is safe and comfortable for them. Some activities are quite intense and participants may not be ready to share what they are thinking. Participants should have the option to draw and sketch symbols. Activities need to be challenging yet there must be a safety zone. The challenge helps to develop self‐consciousness and literacy skills but the safety zone provides for the opportunity to learn in comfort.

Journals: The journal is each participant’s individual time to reflect. While writing is the most traditional form of entries, pictures and/or drawings, sketches or any form of expression are great.
Facilitators should read and, when possible, respond to journals.
Portfolios: The portfolios are crucial to the curriculum and the rites of passage journey. Each participant should be provided with a three ring binder in which she will collect the readings, writings and drawings that they complete in group. The portfolios should be kept together at the meeting site. They are a work in process and will be taken home at graduation.

Sharing: Each session includes sharing. Participants may share their finished products after an activity or they may share ideas during a discussion. Sharing needs to be safe and confidential. Everyone is important and it is important and it is important to respect each other, which is part of building and maintaining community.
Facilitators: The role of the facilitators is to guide discussion to challenge participants to challenge themselves. The facilitators are coaches; they foster involvement, mediate conflict and engage all members of the community.

Time: The activities are designed to take up to 2 hours of working time. The working time includes reading literature, discussing topics, completing activities and journaling. There may be a need to have one or two make up sessions. Participants will need time to make up activities that they missed through out the four month period. The last few sessions have a light workload. It is important that the group process the end of group meetings. The last few sessions are a good time to talk about finishing the program. It is also a good time to complete and redefine portfolios.

Session 1
What’s In A Name?

Session Outline:
Name Research On one side of the paper— Family History: who named you, why you were given that name, anyone else in the family with your name, etc.
Research: what do the baby books say the name means, what do other people
know about your name.
Expectations: list the expectations that your family had for you upon naming you on the other side of the paper

GOALS: The goals are to break the ice, to begin building community in the group. The name
project is important so that each participant introduces herself, contributes a part of herself
to the group’s tapestry and at the same time she leaves having researched her name.

OBJECTIVES: Participants will introduce themselves to the group
Participants will contribute to the group’s name tapestry
Participants will research, remember and design their name project
Participants will share what’s in their name with the group                                                                                                                                                                        

Session 2
Self‐Inventory‐What’s Really Going On?

Session Outline:
Self‐Inventory Worksheet
Wish List and Choosing Priorities

GOALS: The goal is to have youth begin to think about whom they are and what is important to them.

OBJECTIVES: Participants will interview another group member
Participants will complete the self‐inventory sheet provided
Participants will develop a wish list
Participants will choose priorities from their wish list

Session 3
Family Ties‐Our Families and Ourselves

Session Outline:
Define FAMILY
Complete Family Circle worksheet
List the roles you play in your family

GOALS: The participants will reflect on their families—the people and the relationships. They will also think about the roles that they play in their families.

OBJECTIVES: Participants will define FAMILY
Participants will identify the people who make up their family
Participants will spatially depict their family connections, themselves included
Participants will list the roles that they play in their family.

Session 4
Nuestras Vidas‐ The Women in Our Lives
Session Outline:
Female Lineage-Identify all of the women in your personal history and present family

Next to each person, list three values that can be attached to that woman

GOALS: Participants will review and reflect on their female lineage. They will list the women of their past, present and future. In addition, they will attach values to each of the women in their lineage.
OBJECTIVES: Participants will identify the women in their lineage.
Participants will list values that the women in their lineage have.

Session 5
Mothers‐Will You Grow Up to Be Just Like Yours?
Session Outline:
Dichotomy Chart, as a group, chart the ideal mother and the not so ideal mother
Draw your mother where and how you remembered her most

GOALS: Participants will discuss the myths versus the realities of motherhood. The group will deconstruct the concept of what it is to be a mother and will look at their own mothers and the relationships they have with them.

OBJECTIVES: Participants will identify ideal mother qualities.
Participants will identify the qualities of not so ideal mothers.
Participants will reflect on their own mother as a person.
Participants will complete a Memories of Mom project.

Session 6
Relationships‐ People Around Us
Session Outline:
Read Jester Has Lost His Jingle

Discuss the story and how it ties in with society, our community today

Draw or Write about What Makes you Lose your Jingle

Draw or Write about What Helps You Get Your Jingle Back

GOALS: After reading the story, participants will discuss what it means to lose your jingle, to lose hope. The story is easily connected to current events from the news. Issues of poverty, violence, illness, distress and despair within our lives, the sadness that we see and feel daily.

OBJECTIVES: Participants will hear the story.
Participants will identify current events that break people apart.
Participants will identify people and activities that help them to embrace hope

Session 7
Relationships‐ with Fathers
Session Outline:
Discuss the ideal relationships with a male
Discuss the real life issues that complicate their father relationship

GOALS: Participants will discuss relationships of our dreams and real life relationships with fathers that we have experienced.

OBJECTIVES: Participants will identify qualities (descriptive words and activities) or an ideal relationship with father
Participants will identify qualities of a not so ideal relationship, real life
Participants will identify the three relationships in the stories

Session 8
Violence Against Women
Session Outline:
Define the different types of violence against women
Define the Cycle of Violence

GOALS: Discuss how violent affects women on both a local and international perspective. The The “Chimal Activity” will assist young women in identifying the importance of creating personal relationship boundaries.

READING: Mujeres de Juarez and current events
Use current events on community and international violence against women (i.e. Mujeres de Juarez)
Chimal Teaching (activity)

Objective: To assist young women in identifying the importance of creating personal relationship boundaries.

Session 9
Sexuality‐Not the Same as Sex
Session Outline:
Define Sexuality
Sex Education (knowledge of STD’S & HIV/AIDS)

GOALS: The group will define their roles as women in both sex and sexuality. Generate discussion on sexuality and related issues of power, self –determination, social codes of conduct and other issues.

OBJECTIVES: Sex‐Facilitators will help group differentiate between sex and sexuality. Group will provide examples for both. The group’s ideas can be written on the board. Statistics on women and minority women with HIV/AIDS will be provided and discussed. Sexual education on STI will be discussed, including information handouts and options to make an appointment at our Bienvenidos Community Health Center or a near by health clinic in their area. Discuss assumptions /beliefs/myths that they and their peers, family and cultural have. Sexuality‐‐‐Facilitators will help group identity their sexuality as a woman. Discussion can be on the culturally associated depending on the participants.


Session 10
Drugs, Alcohol‐Lifestyle and Choices
Session Outline:
Discussion of the life impact that drugs and alcohol have on our life-Coyotaso Teaching

GOALS: This session provides the opportunity for the group to discuss the impact that drugs and alcohol can have on life. Participants will hear the story of a survivor; a person in recovery.

OBJECTIVES: Participants will be exposed to the hazards that drugs and alcohol can have on their life. Participants will hear the story of a survivor; a person in recovery.





Session 11 & Session 12
Mascara/Mask Teaching
Session Outline:
Making of Mascara w/mascara worksheet
Participants will identify perceptions of themselves

OBJECTIVE: To identify how young women are perceived and how they really are “in the inside” of their masks. Explore self‐identity and perceptions. Mask/Mascara worksheet.


Session 13
Grief, Loss and Healing
Session Outline:
Decorate a candle in remembrance/honor of those people who have passed in their lives.

OBJECTIVE: Young women will explore how to deal with “loss” in their lives by making a personal and /or group alter. Explore how the alter can serve as a sacred place to honor someone who has passed away, meditate and pray.

Session 14
Making Dreams Come True
Session Outline:
Draw your dream-Short term goals/Long term goals

GOAL(S): The session will provide participants the opportunity to dream, to simply dream and share what their life would be in a dream. Participants will also contemplate their goals, both short and long term goals.

OBJECTIVES: Participants will draw their dream.
Participants will identify three short term goals.
Participants will identify three long term goals.


Session 15
Portrayal of Women Through Art
Session Outline:
Participants will become familiar with art/media and Latino artists.
Identify the different ways women are portrayed in art.

OBJECTIVES: Discuss and explore the portrayal of women in the media and begin to redefine an image for women. In addition, young women will explore how these images impacts their body image and may lead to eating disorders. Sessions may include the following: cultural art, advertisements and eating disorders.

Session 16
The Future Starting Now

OBJECTIVE(S): Provide closure for C.L.A.R.I.T.Y. group and discuss the impact of C.L.A.R.I.T.Y. sessions. Young women will also have the opportunity to prep for upcoming graduation ceremony.


Jacky -- please contact me.   ManyPosters@gmail.com
http://tiny.cc/jcclarity   Use this link to help students find this page

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