Happy New Year!
After getting the information and teacher support that I need, I'm starting to dive into program planning! This is where it gets really exciting; I'm brainstorming with teachers and some of my peers to think about what would make these presentations fun and effective. Using information that Dr. Kakaiya provided, I'm weaving in lessons on mental and emotional health that are based on scientific research.
Here are some of my thoughts on the process so far:
I'm finally putting the pieces together at this stage. This is exciting because my project idea is finally coming together to something physical. In terms of getting to this point, it's been pretty smooth. I was lucky that all the mentors I contacted were excited to help me in some way. Ms. Crump, the teacher for High Tech Middle Chula Vista's GAL x-block is going to have me present to her class, and Mrs. Soler, High Tech High Chula Vista's Women's Health teacher is also inviting me. The next steps are up to me: I have to organize the information I've been given and coordinate meeting dates and times.
I've already learned a lot from my presentation planning. One of them is to over-plan, but to be ready to cut it short. It's better to have more planned than to be scrambling to think of something on the spot or to unnecessarily elongate an activity. From Full of Ourselves, I learned that it's important to have an opening circle, a closing circle or discussion, and a "call to action" to keep the audience thinking about the workshop's content after it's over. A call to action is almost like a homework activity that girls will do over the week and share out about in during the next meeting. I also learned that as a leader, I have to be careful to be sensitive to my own body issues and insecurities, and refrain from discussing them in a disempowering way during the workshops.
Over the four workshops, we will be learning about and discussing self-awareness, the teen brains, and our relationships with modern media. We will be questioning modern standards of beauty, talking about our bodies and the way we treat them, and practice positive self-talk.
My next steps are:
More to come soon!
After getting the information and teacher support that I need, I'm starting to dive into program planning! This is where it gets really exciting; I'm brainstorming with teachers and some of my peers to think about what would make these presentations fun and effective. Using information that Dr. Kakaiya provided, I'm weaving in lessons on mental and emotional health that are based on scientific research.
Here are some of my thoughts on the process so far:
I'm finally putting the pieces together at this stage. This is exciting because my project idea is finally coming together to something physical. In terms of getting to this point, it's been pretty smooth. I was lucky that all the mentors I contacted were excited to help me in some way. Ms. Crump, the teacher for High Tech Middle Chula Vista's GAL x-block is going to have me present to her class, and Mrs. Soler, High Tech High Chula Vista's Women's Health teacher is also inviting me. The next steps are up to me: I have to organize the information I've been given and coordinate meeting dates and times.
I've already learned a lot from my presentation planning. One of them is to over-plan, but to be ready to cut it short. It's better to have more planned than to be scrambling to think of something on the spot or to unnecessarily elongate an activity. From Full of Ourselves, I learned that it's important to have an opening circle, a closing circle or discussion, and a "call to action" to keep the audience thinking about the workshop's content after it's over. A call to action is almost like a homework activity that girls will do over the week and share out about in during the next meeting. I also learned that as a leader, I have to be careful to be sensitive to my own body issues and insecurities, and refrain from discussing them in a disempowering way during the workshops.
Over the four workshops, we will be learning about and discussing self-awareness, the teen brains, and our relationships with modern media. We will be questioning modern standards of beauty, talking about our bodies and the way we treat them, and practice positive self-talk.
My next steps are:
- Solidify my presentation plan and get feedback from teachers, Dr. Kakaiya and her interns.
- Confirm dates and times for each of my presentations.
- Get a location and chaperone support for the "detox sleepover".
More to come soon!