Take Action Project
Project Reflection
A Take Action project can take many forms, such as innovation, artistic response, or community outreach. My Take Action project took the form of a community outreach effort. This project was inspired by a book I read in my Honors Humanities class called Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, written by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This book highlights the many ways women are oppressed across the world and how people are helping repair this issue. One of the major problems I noticed was that, since this a constant problem, it’s not on the news very often so these problems are not commonly known issues. This idea led me to my Take Action project idea: educate my community on the forms of women’s oppression as well as remediation efforts that are being made to battle this issue. My plan was to hold a screening of the movie Half the Sky (based off of the book I read) and measure the growth of awareness of the viewers, then write an article about my findings. Through this I hoped to accomplish one thing: awareness of the issue of oppression in women.
Oppression in women is a very large topic with no easy solutions. As also highlighted in the book, the first step to change is education. The goal here, as mentioned in my vision statement in my project proposal (below) is that once community members are aware of this issue, eventually they might feel the need to take action later in life with one of the affiliated organizations. This screening, to some extent, will aid in equality and education of women. This is not an immediate impact, but will plant a seed in the mind that will eventually grow to help make a big difference. Women’s oppression is such an injustice. The women depicted in the book do so much for their family and community and are never rewarded. These women live in a backwards society, and they deserve a change.
This project helped me realize how easy it is to make a difference. Yes, it does take motivation and time and effort to complete a project like this, but for the difference it creates, it is most definitely worth it. It was Gandhi that once said, “Be the change you want to see.” I had always admired that quote, but never took it to heart until this project. If you see an injustice in this world you DO have the power to change it. It doesn’t matter the magnitude in which you make a difference, a difference is better than no difference. Be the change you want to see.
Oppression in women is a very large topic with no easy solutions. As also highlighted in the book, the first step to change is education. The goal here, as mentioned in my vision statement in my project proposal (below) is that once community members are aware of this issue, eventually they might feel the need to take action later in life with one of the affiliated organizations. This screening, to some extent, will aid in equality and education of women. This is not an immediate impact, but will plant a seed in the mind that will eventually grow to help make a big difference. Women’s oppression is such an injustice. The women depicted in the book do so much for their family and community and are never rewarded. These women live in a backwards society, and they deserve a change.
This project helped me realize how easy it is to make a difference. Yes, it does take motivation and time and effort to complete a project like this, but for the difference it creates, it is most definitely worth it. It was Gandhi that once said, “Be the change you want to see.” I had always admired that quote, but never took it to heart until this project. If you see an injustice in this world you DO have the power to change it. It doesn’t matter the magnitude in which you make a difference, a difference is better than no difference. Be the change you want to see.
Project Proposal
Project Description
Screen the documentary Half the Sky at Animas High School for the AHS audience and community members. Wednesday, May 20, would be ideal dates for the screening. The intent of this activity is to raise awareness to the issue of female oppression throughout the world. There will be a suggested donation of $6 to view the documentary, but will not be enforced. The money will be dedicated to the Half the Sky Foundation. A small survey at the beginning and end of the viewing will gauge the impact this event creates and will eventually be assembled into a report on this topic. Snacks and drinks will be available during the film. A brief PowerPoint will be presented at the beginning of the documentary to give context for the film, as well as present some facts about female oppression. I plan on collaborating with the Peers Owning Wellness (P.O.W.) group at Animas High School to get the word out for this event as well as have assistance in organizing it.
Mission Statement
This event will raise awareness of the problem of female oppression in the hopes of increasing equality and human dignity throughout the world noticeably within the next decade. First comes awareness, then comes taking action.
Vision Statement
The hope with this activity is that, now that these community members are aware of this issue, eventually they might feel the need to take action through spreading the word about the issue or donating to one of the mentioned organizations. Eventually, this screening will, to some extent, aid in equality and education of women. This is a slow process without immediate results, but a small difference in thought is better than no difference at all. It’s a domino effect, and it starts with awareness.
Action Plan
In order to complete this mission, several steps need to take place. Contacting P.O.W. will be the first step to getting a plan set up for publicity and logistics and getting a faculty sponsor finalized. From there we can finalize the plan and work out all the details. Next, I will contact the Women’s Resource Center, as well as SASO, to see if they would be interested in assisting with publicity and funding. Once all details are finalized, I will contact The Telegraph for additional publicity and will begin assembling a PowerPoint and setting up a small survey for the night of the screening. Lastly, I will conduct the screening and then compile a report on the statistics discovered regarding awareness. The report information may be used to assist the Women’s Resource Center or SASO.
Screen the documentary Half the Sky at Animas High School for the AHS audience and community members. Wednesday, May 20, would be ideal dates for the screening. The intent of this activity is to raise awareness to the issue of female oppression throughout the world. There will be a suggested donation of $6 to view the documentary, but will not be enforced. The money will be dedicated to the Half the Sky Foundation. A small survey at the beginning and end of the viewing will gauge the impact this event creates and will eventually be assembled into a report on this topic. Snacks and drinks will be available during the film. A brief PowerPoint will be presented at the beginning of the documentary to give context for the film, as well as present some facts about female oppression. I plan on collaborating with the Peers Owning Wellness (P.O.W.) group at Animas High School to get the word out for this event as well as have assistance in organizing it.
Mission Statement
This event will raise awareness of the problem of female oppression in the hopes of increasing equality and human dignity throughout the world noticeably within the next decade. First comes awareness, then comes taking action.
Vision Statement
The hope with this activity is that, now that these community members are aware of this issue, eventually they might feel the need to take action through spreading the word about the issue or donating to one of the mentioned organizations. Eventually, this screening will, to some extent, aid in equality and education of women. This is a slow process without immediate results, but a small difference in thought is better than no difference at all. It’s a domino effect, and it starts with awareness.
Action Plan
In order to complete this mission, several steps need to take place. Contacting P.O.W. will be the first step to getting a plan set up for publicity and logistics and getting a faculty sponsor finalized. From there we can finalize the plan and work out all the details. Next, I will contact the Women’s Resource Center, as well as SASO, to see if they would be interested in assisting with publicity and funding. Once all details are finalized, I will contact The Telegraph for additional publicity and will begin assembling a PowerPoint and setting up a small survey for the night of the screening. Lastly, I will conduct the screening and then compile a report on the statistics discovered regarding awareness. The report information may be used to assist the Women’s Resource Center or SASO.
Project Documentation
Due to timing difficulties, this project has yet to be completed. I have corresponded with many people to help work out the details, and the best time to do the screening of the movie Half the Sky is to do it after this project is over.
I began this process by talking to the leader of the Peers Owning Wellness (P.O.W.) group at Animas High School, Arava. Together, Arava and I decided what day, time, and location would yield the most people. Since this project was done near the end of the year, there were many events that had to be taken into account if I were to screen the movie at Animas High School. It ended up being too difficult to find a good time to do the screening where students would have time to come.
I began this process by talking to the leader of the Peers Owning Wellness (P.O.W.) group at Animas High School, Arava. Together, Arava and I decided what day, time, and location would yield the most people. Since this project was done near the end of the year, there were many events that had to be taken into account if I were to screen the movie at Animas High School. It ended up being too difficult to find a good time to do the screening where students would have time to come.
After meeting with Arava, we decided that corresponding with La Plata Youth Services would be an ideal way to conduct this screening during the summer, and might even yield a broader turnout. Since deciding that, Arava has put me in contact with La Plata Youth Services, and together we will work to organize a screening around mid-June.
I am still deciding on a location, but am thinking about screening it at the Animas City Theatre, the Smiley Building, or the library.
To make this event happen, I need to get in touch with La Plata Youth Services to see how we can work together to make this event happen. If I continue to stick to my project proposal plans, once we decide on a date and location, I can contact SASO and/or Women’s Resource Center to see if they would be interested in advertising or aiding this project in any way. Also, as the event date approaches, I plan on contacting The Telegraph to see about getting this event advertised in the newspaper.
Shortly before the screening, I will compile a short survey to be taken before and after the event to gauge how effective this method of education really was. After the event, I will compile a report on how the screening went and how it could be improved.
One really nice benefit about changing the screening to mid-June is that it will now not only be marketed to Animas High School students. This documentary will be open and more accessible to the entire community, which will yield a broader range of educated people. Also, since there will be a larger range of people, it will be interesting to see how informative this film is to an older generation, as well as the overall reactions of the group.
I am increasingly excited about this event and have hopes that it will turn out better than I first imagined. All the hard work is mainly over, just logistics and advertising need to be done to make this event come to life.
To make this event happen, I need to get in touch with La Plata Youth Services to see how we can work together to make this event happen. If I continue to stick to my project proposal plans, once we decide on a date and location, I can contact SASO and/or Women’s Resource Center to see if they would be interested in advertising or aiding this project in any way. Also, as the event date approaches, I plan on contacting The Telegraph to see about getting this event advertised in the newspaper.
Shortly before the screening, I will compile a short survey to be taken before and after the event to gauge how effective this method of education really was. After the event, I will compile a report on how the screening went and how it could be improved.
One really nice benefit about changing the screening to mid-June is that it will now not only be marketed to Animas High School students. This documentary will be open and more accessible to the entire community, which will yield a broader range of educated people. Also, since there will be a larger range of people, it will be interesting to see how informative this film is to an older generation, as well as the overall reactions of the group.
I am increasingly excited about this event and have hopes that it will turn out better than I first imagined. All the hard work is mainly over, just logistics and advertising need to be done to make this event come to life.