Crisis Nursery
The Crisis Nursery is a wonderful organization to volunteer for. I found out about it through my friend who already volunteers there. She always tells me about the kids she works with and they sound so cute and fun. When we got assigned this project I decided this would be the perfect place to volunteer for.
The Crisis Nursery’s mission is “to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect; it is a mission founded on learning about and responding to the needs of the children and families we help” (http://www.crisisnurseryphx.com/mission.html). Their goals are “to deliver critical services to children and families most in need, to develop and adapt programs that promote child well-being and family involvement, to expand capacity and services through collaboration and innovative practices, to build a diversified and expanded funding base that meets current and projected needs, and to continually improve Crisis Nursery through shared leadership and staff, board and volunteer development” (http://www.crisisnurseryphx.com/mission.html). Also, at the Crisis Nursery they have a foster home system for children. “The goal of our foster/resource care program is to place children, as quickly as possible, into a positive and nurturing temporary home, until they can return to their birth families or can be adopted into a loving family” (http://www.crisisnurseryphx.com/family_fostercare.php). I chose this organization to volunteer for because children are extremely important to me and it fills me with joy to be around them. It is an amazing thought to know I will be making a difference in these kid's lives. Children need the right kind of attention, care, and love, so they will grow up being happy and so they can live a good life.
There are numerous steps and requirements I have to follow now that I have decided to volunteer for the Crisis Nursery. The requirements are that I must be at least sixteen years old, and be willing to work under the supervision of the staff at the nursery. Then, first off I had to fill out an application, which I did on Thursday the 17, that asked questions like my name, address, availability, previous experiences I have had with children, and any talents I have to help entertain the children with or teach them about. I also have to decide which age group of children I would like to work with. I got a call from the organization on Tuesday the 22 asking me when I could go interview with them. Between their available times for interviews and my school and work schedule, I can not go to the interview until Friday the 25. After that, I have to attend a volunteer orientation class, but the soonest one is not until May 21. If they decide to hire me on as a volunteer, I have to go get fingerprinted and they will do a background check on me. Furthermore, I will have to attend a four hour training class on all the specific rules about volunteering at the nursery.
The best way I can describe this volunteer opportunity as going along with what I have learned in this class is by explaining how women do things that are gender orientated; like taking care of children. “The parent-child unit is allegedly self-sufficient and, given the gender division of labor, the responsibility for child care falls heavily on individual women” (Anderson, 189-190). She explains that mothers have all the responsibility of child care; “the arrangements for childcare are usually made by the mother, and it is other women who do the work” (Anderson 190). In addition, the Crisis Nursery is a free service for parents to use because the families that use it are extremely poor. This is particularly important because “The affordably of child care is a serious problem for many families-both for low and middle income-and can consume a large portion of a family budget” (Anderson 191). A majority of the money the nursery uses is from donations and from fundraisers. I find it amazing that an organization runs such an awesome daycare program that is free to families. This makes me even more excited to help out these children, and families, in need.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Extra Credit
Rebecca Walker
Rebecca Walker is a third wave feminist as well as a graduate of Yale University. She has written several books; one being Black, White, and Jewish, and Baby Love which is her most resent. Walker was standing behind a pulpit, and as she began her speech, she talked about a lady she knew at Yale who called the pulpit “the patriarchal pulpit.” This is because she claimed that it is the relationship between the people and the speaker; it is a shield, and we have to come through it to get to the person behind it. Walker also gave it a name; the guinic pulpit (which I did not understand). She told us that she would like to come out from behind it to become more interactive with her audience, but then she would not have her papers to read from.
The title of Walker’s speech was Today is the Tomorrow that was Promised to you Yesterday. She says that there is a need for societies to be more egalitarian. According to her, people today are too focused on finances and they forget to look at where we are going into the future. Because of this, we will have trouble understanding the world, and how to change it. We need to keep in mind two questions; what future are we shaping and what seeds are we planting. Walker says that the current American media leads people to believe that if they follow what the media says, America will be a safer, cleaner, and more prosperous place to live. However, the truth is that none of us are safe, take for example September 11. “People are too focused on the illusion of progress,” said Walker.
The problem with today’s society is individualism; I, me, and mine, it is the “sacred cow of America,” said Walker. This leads Americans to divisiveness, selfishness, greed, envy, and aggression. She goes on to explain that politics can solve all the problems in the world, while at the same time create all the problems. “We are surrounded by divisiveness,” says Walker, “like a fish surrounded by water.”
Walker’s next topic was on openness. She said that we are chipping away at our most valued resource by not being open with each other; we need to be open to other ways of thinking. According to her, openness is almost non existent in today’s world. People are constantly judging others which makes it difficult to actually be open. Even Walker herself explained how she thought she was open when she was in college, but soon after realized how closed she really was. She always thought that she was right, which led her to be divisive. We can redesign ourselves by being open; divisiveness destroys each other. Walker wrapped up her speech saying that we should be on the path of life, liberty, and happiness.
Rebecca Walker’s speech was kind of deep and it was hard for me to catch on to exactly what she was saying. I did like what she said about openness because it would be a different world if everyone was more open. The unfortunate thing is, I doubt that will ever happen. People are too self-centered, as she mentioned earlier in her speech. I also expected the speech to be more about feminism, but she did not say much on that topic. It was obvious to see though that she is a very knowledgeable woman.
Rebecca Walker is a third wave feminist as well as a graduate of Yale University. She has written several books; one being Black, White, and Jewish, and Baby Love which is her most resent. Walker was standing behind a pulpit, and as she began her speech, she talked about a lady she knew at Yale who called the pulpit “the patriarchal pulpit.” This is because she claimed that it is the relationship between the people and the speaker; it is a shield, and we have to come through it to get to the person behind it. Walker also gave it a name; the guinic pulpit (which I did not understand). She told us that she would like to come out from behind it to become more interactive with her audience, but then she would not have her papers to read from.
The title of Walker’s speech was Today is the Tomorrow that was Promised to you Yesterday. She says that there is a need for societies to be more egalitarian. According to her, people today are too focused on finances and they forget to look at where we are going into the future. Because of this, we will have trouble understanding the world, and how to change it. We need to keep in mind two questions; what future are we shaping and what seeds are we planting. Walker says that the current American media leads people to believe that if they follow what the media says, America will be a safer, cleaner, and more prosperous place to live. However, the truth is that none of us are safe, take for example September 11. “People are too focused on the illusion of progress,” said Walker.
The problem with today’s society is individualism; I, me, and mine, it is the “sacred cow of America,” said Walker. This leads Americans to divisiveness, selfishness, greed, envy, and aggression. She goes on to explain that politics can solve all the problems in the world, while at the same time create all the problems. “We are surrounded by divisiveness,” says Walker, “like a fish surrounded by water.”
Walker’s next topic was on openness. She said that we are chipping away at our most valued resource by not being open with each other; we need to be open to other ways of thinking. According to her, openness is almost non existent in today’s world. People are constantly judging others which makes it difficult to actually be open. Even Walker herself explained how she thought she was open when she was in college, but soon after realized how closed she really was. She always thought that she was right, which led her to be divisive. We can redesign ourselves by being open; divisiveness destroys each other. Walker wrapped up her speech saying that we should be on the path of life, liberty, and happiness.
Rebecca Walker’s speech was kind of deep and it was hard for me to catch on to exactly what she was saying. I did like what she said about openness because it would be a different world if everyone was more open. The unfortunate thing is, I doubt that will ever happen. People are too self-centered, as she mentioned earlier in her speech. I also expected the speech to be more about feminism, but she did not say much on that topic. It was obvious to see though that she is a very knowledgeable woman.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Blog Assignment #3
Biased News Media
Can you believe everything you hear on the news? Yes, you probably can. But, is the news giving all 100 percent of the information from stories? This is where things get questionable.
Joshua Breitbart and Ana Nogueira did a writing called An Independent Media Center of One’s Own: A Feminist Alternative to Corporate Media. The main idea of their writing is that the media, mainly the news, does not tell stories from all perspectives of people and events that occur in the world; mainly that of women and lower class people. It also talks about a website called indymedia.org. At indymedia.org anyone can go on the site and post a news story, but from the way they experienced it. The writing goes on to explain that advertising is done in certain ways to actually catch people’s attention in a particular way. “Dependent on advertising and focused on the bottom line, the media monopolies are concerned primarily with what women (and men) want insofar as they are consumers, not citizens or advocates” (p. 24). Furthermore, it talks about men having more news jobs than women. The writing also mentions the beginning and the tremendous growth Independent Media Center, which is similar to indymedia.org. The down side is that they are not yet able to reach everyone around the world. In addition, the writing explains that women and various classes are segregated in the media; including magazines, TV, and internet, and what is being done to try and help the horizons become expanded.
An Independent Media Center of One’s Own was a very insightful reading because it uncovered a lot of evidence for me. When I actually think about the topic of women in news media I realize how true everything the authors are saying is. For example, I had no idea about the protesters at George W. Bush’s inauguration. It is sad to discover how candy coated the news makes of events. In advertisements, “Women are seen as caring for stereotypical women’s issues-education and health-and are valued for the purchasing decisions they make in those areas” (p. 25). After reading this line, I started to think about it and noticed how accurate that is. For example, most, or all, the commercials for Pine Sol cleaner, the Swiffer mops and dusters, and even baby diaper commercials are all shown with women doing this work; cleaning and child care. The story about the Black Bloc was surprising because it seemed like something that would have happened years ago, but not in today’s society. It is obvious to me now why the news media is biased against women. This is because “Women account for 41 percent of all journalists, but the percentages vary greatly when categorized by issue” (p. 27), while at the same time, “women only make up 9 percent of the boards of directors of media” (p. 26). The Independent Media Center is a creative way to get other voices heard. I like that people can post absolutely anything up on the site without it being edited. If it was edited by someone that would practically defeat the purpose. It is neat to give people the opportunity to read and write uncensored information. One disadvantage of the site is that you never really know if the information is reliable. In that case, people just have to use their own judgment.
Media within the news is biased against women and certain classes. They also leave out the details of stories. Fortunately there are systems being created where people can be independent journalists and share stories about the events that were left out.
Can you believe everything you hear on the news? Yes, you probably can. But, is the news giving all 100 percent of the information from stories? This is where things get questionable.
Joshua Breitbart and Ana Nogueira did a writing called An Independent Media Center of One’s Own: A Feminist Alternative to Corporate Media. The main idea of their writing is that the media, mainly the news, does not tell stories from all perspectives of people and events that occur in the world; mainly that of women and lower class people. It also talks about a website called indymedia.org. At indymedia.org anyone can go on the site and post a news story, but from the way they experienced it. The writing goes on to explain that advertising is done in certain ways to actually catch people’s attention in a particular way. “Dependent on advertising and focused on the bottom line, the media monopolies are concerned primarily with what women (and men) want insofar as they are consumers, not citizens or advocates” (p. 24). Furthermore, it talks about men having more news jobs than women. The writing also mentions the beginning and the tremendous growth Independent Media Center, which is similar to indymedia.org. The down side is that they are not yet able to reach everyone around the world. In addition, the writing explains that women and various classes are segregated in the media; including magazines, TV, and internet, and what is being done to try and help the horizons become expanded.
An Independent Media Center of One’s Own was a very insightful reading because it uncovered a lot of evidence for me. When I actually think about the topic of women in news media I realize how true everything the authors are saying is. For example, I had no idea about the protesters at George W. Bush’s inauguration. It is sad to discover how candy coated the news makes of events. In advertisements, “Women are seen as caring for stereotypical women’s issues-education and health-and are valued for the purchasing decisions they make in those areas” (p. 25). After reading this line, I started to think about it and noticed how accurate that is. For example, most, or all, the commercials for Pine Sol cleaner, the Swiffer mops and dusters, and even baby diaper commercials are all shown with women doing this work; cleaning and child care. The story about the Black Bloc was surprising because it seemed like something that would have happened years ago, but not in today’s society. It is obvious to me now why the news media is biased against women. This is because “Women account for 41 percent of all journalists, but the percentages vary greatly when categorized by issue” (p. 27), while at the same time, “women only make up 9 percent of the boards of directors of media” (p. 26). The Independent Media Center is a creative way to get other voices heard. I like that people can post absolutely anything up on the site without it being edited. If it was edited by someone that would practically defeat the purpose. It is neat to give people the opportunity to read and write uncensored information. One disadvantage of the site is that you never really know if the information is reliable. In that case, people just have to use their own judgment.
Media within the news is biased against women and certain classes. They also leave out the details of stories. Fortunately there are systems being created where people can be independent journalists and share stories about the events that were left out.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Blog Assignment #2
Interview Questions:
1. What kind of toys did you play with when you were little?
2. Who did you look up to more when you were a child; your mom or dad?
3. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up; what job or career did you want to do?
4. What was your favorite TV character when you were a child?
5. What does the phrase "doing gender" mean to you?
Who Was Interviewed:
The people I interviewed ranged from age 76 to 18, all friends and family. They were people of different race including American, Pakistani, Columbian, and Bolivian. A majority of the people who were interviewed were middle class, but two were upper class and one was a retired man.
Results:
According to Simone de Beauvoir, “One is not born a woman, but becomes one.” And the same thing goes for men. What exactly does that mean? She is saying that people are taught by other people (society) on what gender they are ‘supposed’ to be. The questions I formed were done to prove, or disprove, this quote.
For the answers to my first question, all of the women I interviewed said they played with dolls, Barbies, Polly Pockets, and pretend kitchen sets when they were children. The men on the other hand played with Power Rangers, Tinker Toys, GI Jo’s, and sports related things. For the second question, all of the women looked up to their mom when they were young, and all except for one man looked up to his dad. The women, for the third question, wanted to be teachers, nurses, and lawyers, whereas the men wanted to be builders, fire fighters, and electricians. For the fourth question the women’s favorite television characters, when they were children, were Rogue (from X-Men), Ariel (from the Little Mermaid), and Big Bird (from Sesame Street). On the other hand, the men’s favorite characters were Bugs Bunny, Dean Autry (a cowboy movie star from many years ago), and Big Bird. For the fifth question, I asked people what the phrase ‘doing gender’ meant to them. One person thought it meant being a hermaphrodite, someone else thought it meant separating the boys from the girls, and the rest had the same general idea of doing the things that your gender normally does.
The interviews shaped my understanding of Beauvoir’s comment by helping me discover that what she said it basically true. Women and men start from childhood doing the things that their gender should, based on society, be doing. People are formed into being the gender of their sex by the toys they play with, the influences in their lives, and the people they look up to.
From my interviews, I learned that race and class do have a part in gender identity. Although, what I realized is that people of different races were raised the same way with the same types of toys and television shows. Depending on the class, some people had more toys, or higher quality toys, growing up than others did. Also, when I interviewed my granddad, I had asked him question four, but he then reminded me that he did not even have television as a child. His toys were also made out of wood compared to the plastic toys we have today.
The most surprising discovery I made during this exercise was that my friend who grew up in Columbia watched the same television shows as a child as we do in America, like Sesame Street. Her favorite TV character was Big Bird, which was also my boyfriend’s favorite character who grew up in America. It was also surprising that a woman and man both chose their favorite television character as the same one.
My thoughts going into this exercise were confirmed by the results of my interviews. I was guessing that the women played with girly toys and looked up to their moms, while the men would play with boyish toys and look up to their dads, and this turned out to be true except for one man who looked up to his mom more because his dad was in the army for a lot of his childhood. I also assumed that the women and men would want to have the types of jobs that they saw represented by their gender when they were young, and this proved to be true.
1. What kind of toys did you play with when you were little?
2. Who did you look up to more when you were a child; your mom or dad?
3. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up; what job or career did you want to do?
4. What was your favorite TV character when you were a child?
5. What does the phrase "doing gender" mean to you?
Who Was Interviewed:
The people I interviewed ranged from age 76 to 18, all friends and family. They were people of different race including American, Pakistani, Columbian, and Bolivian. A majority of the people who were interviewed were middle class, but two were upper class and one was a retired man.
Results:
According to Simone de Beauvoir, “One is not born a woman, but becomes one.” And the same thing goes for men. What exactly does that mean? She is saying that people are taught by other people (society) on what gender they are ‘supposed’ to be. The questions I formed were done to prove, or disprove, this quote.
For the answers to my first question, all of the women I interviewed said they played with dolls, Barbies, Polly Pockets, and pretend kitchen sets when they were children. The men on the other hand played with Power Rangers, Tinker Toys, GI Jo’s, and sports related things. For the second question, all of the women looked up to their mom when they were young, and all except for one man looked up to his dad. The women, for the third question, wanted to be teachers, nurses, and lawyers, whereas the men wanted to be builders, fire fighters, and electricians. For the fourth question the women’s favorite television characters, when they were children, were Rogue (from X-Men), Ariel (from the Little Mermaid), and Big Bird (from Sesame Street). On the other hand, the men’s favorite characters were Bugs Bunny, Dean Autry (a cowboy movie star from many years ago), and Big Bird. For the fifth question, I asked people what the phrase ‘doing gender’ meant to them. One person thought it meant being a hermaphrodite, someone else thought it meant separating the boys from the girls, and the rest had the same general idea of doing the things that your gender normally does.
The interviews shaped my understanding of Beauvoir’s comment by helping me discover that what she said it basically true. Women and men start from childhood doing the things that their gender should, based on society, be doing. People are formed into being the gender of their sex by the toys they play with, the influences in their lives, and the people they look up to.
From my interviews, I learned that race and class do have a part in gender identity. Although, what I realized is that people of different races were raised the same way with the same types of toys and television shows. Depending on the class, some people had more toys, or higher quality toys, growing up than others did. Also, when I interviewed my granddad, I had asked him question four, but he then reminded me that he did not even have television as a child. His toys were also made out of wood compared to the plastic toys we have today.
The most surprising discovery I made during this exercise was that my friend who grew up in Columbia watched the same television shows as a child as we do in America, like Sesame Street. Her favorite TV character was Big Bird, which was also my boyfriend’s favorite character who grew up in America. It was also surprising that a woman and man both chose their favorite television character as the same one.
My thoughts going into this exercise were confirmed by the results of my interviews. I was guessing that the women played with girly toys and looked up to their moms, while the men would play with boyish toys and look up to their dads, and this turned out to be true except for one man who looked up to his mom more because his dad was in the army for a lot of his childhood. I also assumed that the women and men would want to have the types of jobs that they saw represented by their gender when they were young, and this proved to be true.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Blog Assignment #1
Hi my name is Amanda Gow and I am a sophomore this year at Arizona State University. My major is Recreation and Tourism Management. When I started college I thought I wanted to be a pharmacist, but I soon realized that I could not handle the science classes. I changed my major to RTM because I currently work at the Westin Kierland Resort and I enjoy it very much. I also love to travel so I figured RTM would be the perfect major. I registered for this Women and Society class because it fulfilled the cultural diversity credit I needed as well as fitting in with my schedule perfectly. I expect to learn about where women stand in society and how people view them. I think "women's studies" is about the kind of rights women have and do not have, as well as how that has changed over the years. This class sounds very interesting and I am excited to see what it is all about.
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