Tear Down the Walls

My brother and I agree that our trip to central Europe last May made the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall more meaningful than I remember it being even when it happened. One Prague memory I keep going back to as I listen to reports of the celebration is the sculpture Quo Vadis, by the edgy Czech artist, David Cerny.

We visited about a dozen of the famous Cerny sculptures, but the most difficult to find was in the back garden of the German Embassy. As we made our way along a deserted, wooded dirt road, a German woman had followed us and stopped to stare into the lush gardens. As she overheard our conversation and realized how little we knew about the sculpture’s significance, she asked if we knew what it was about. At our vague, “sort of,” she told us the story; the emotion in her voice riveted our eyes to the empty garden beyond the iron fence.

Her words painted a picture of a different time when a huge crowd, 4,000 people who had climbed this wall between Soviet-ruled Czechoslovakia and the free land of the West German Embassy.

In September 1989, many East Germans were able to travel legally behind the Iron Curtain when East Germany closed the border again. They did not want to return to East Germany where they had been isolated since the end of World War II. Beginning with just one person, 4,000 East Germans climbed the wall and camped out in the garden of the Embassy. East Germany wanted them deported, but West Germany knew such action would soil the country’s reputation. It was a time of high tension and fear, and contributed to what Gorbachev called the “German Problem.”

Quo Vadis, German Embassy, Prague
Quo Vadis, German Embassy, Prague

How much courage such an act would require I can only guess. My brother says the woman’s story is one of his fondest memories of traveling. She felt left out of history as she was studying in England while the face of Europe was changed profoundly.

We gazed at Cerny’s sculpture of an East German Trabant; many such cars were abandoned on Prague streets late in 1989. Instead of resting on wheels, the car has four human legs, representing the 4,000 East Germans who scaled the Embassy wall and helped bring about the Velvet Revolution and toppled the Berlin Wall.

Remembering Prague is humbling on this 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. I’m grateful to have heard history from Czech, Greek, Zambian and Turkish viewpoints. I am awed by the  courage and power of people passionate about their causes.

I’ve often quoted Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” The story we heard leaning against the back wall of the German Embassy’s garden is a perfect illustration of Mead’s meaning.

Children Play in Wroclaw, Poland

Children Play in Wroclaw, Poland

The global problems we faces are daunting; but if each of us can find a fraction of the courage of those 4,000 East Germans, I’m sure we can tear down the walls and–

On this November 9, 2009, I plan to find the courage to do my small part in changing the world, one step at a time. Will you help me tear down the walls and change the world?

Sleep Out for Reggie

As the weather gets colder, I feel more and more sympathy for the homeless people I see on the street. A few years ago, a young homeless man named Reggie died in Des Moines, bringing much needed attention to the problem of youth homelessness. Searching for more information about the problem, I found these three shocking statistics–

  • More than 1.3 million children are homeless at some time each year in the United States.
  • 1 of every 8 kids under 18 in the U.S. will become homeless.
  • 12-17 year olds are at more risk of becoming homeless than adults are.

The Iowa Homeless Youth Centers have sponsored Reggie’s Sleepout to raise awareness and funds for homeless youth for about four years. The 2009 event will be held October 24-25 at Drake Stadium. They need volunteers of all kinds to make the event a success and raise money to help kids who don’t have a place to live. Your group can volunteer to help organize or can get pledges and sleep out. Download more information about how Chrysalis After-School groups can help–Volunteer Opps Reggies Sleepout.

Participants at the sleepout make boxes into temporary shelters, listen to live music, play games and eat. If you’re interested in finding out more and volunteering, go to ReggiesSleepout.org.

Shuffle Power

Sexual harassment has touched many women and men; I have dealt with it personally only a year ago. We can only hope that instances of such insensitive, bullying behavior will decrease as our society evolves and becomes more respectful to women, girls, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender folks. But, it’s up to each of us to confront it and to support others when they face it.

This lesson in From Adversaries to Allies: A Curriculum for Change–Sexual Harassment Power Shuffle–is designed to help girls:

  • Identify when they have felt vulnerable, frightened, embarrassed or hurt
  • Know that they are not alone and can turn to other girls for support

About three years ago, the Chrysalis Foundation purchased this curriculum for all the girls’ groups. If your group was around then, one of the facilitators should have it.

Love Your Body

There’s been a lot of controversy during the last week about a photo of a “normal woman” in the September issue of Glamour Magazine. Body image is certainly an area that trips a lot of women up, and I am one of them. The blog post about the reaction to the photo talks about how important it is for us to see women who look like us to be able to develop healthy self concepts. Being happy in our own skins is something that most women have to continually work on our whole lives.

The Supergirl Dilemma outlines two areas where girls’ attitudes went backward instead of forward between 2000 and 2006–

  • 84% of girls say they are under a lot of pressure to dress the right way
  • 60% of girls say the most popular girls in school are very thin

Dove’s Self-Esteem has a Toolkit and Resources you may find helpful. Here are some other sites you can take a look at–

  • Memoir to My Former Self–This video, written by 17-year-old Katrina Garcia, explores body image, eating disorders, women’s rights and cliques. It presents several viewpoints and delivers a message of developing a strong sense of self. Some processing questions might be–
    • What are the issues facing the girl in the video?
    • Have you had any similar experiences?
    • How did the video make you feel?
    • How do you feel about being female?
    • What would you do if you were the girl in the movie?
    • What would you do if you were her friend?
  • A Girl Like Me–This movie was directed by Kiri Davis, when she was a teen living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York. The film is about an experiment Kiri conducted based on one from the 1950’s. Her film was featured on Media That Matters and is an inspiration to any young woman or filmmaker, present or future.
  • Shea B. invented the #Freshface Friday campaign to combat the pressure she and her high school friends felt to wear makeup. The Miss Representation Facebook page highlights actions like hers that promote healthy body image. Their Web site has a link to a movie and a lot of other stuff you can do about this important issue.

Review the Chrysalis Report

As I finish the 2009 Chrysalis After-School Evaluation Report, I am impressed by the hard work and stellar outcomes of this innovative program. The third year of my evaluation work for Chrysalis documents positive outcomes for young women in:

  • Resilience
  • Economic Empowerment
  • Leadership

Girls, facilitators and parents are seeing positive changes in confidence, communication skills, school attendance and work, and in their leadership qualities, skills and behavior. These outcomes are the result of serious work at the front lines–facilitators have attended training, put it into practice and set goals for continuous improvement. They have involved the girls in planning and leading the groups and the girls have stepped up, led discussions, games and committees, and written applications for funding.

The Chrysalis Foundation Board, under the leadership of Terry Hernandez and the Education Committee, have examined the findings from previous years, made adjustments and committed 2/3 of their grant dollars to the program for each of the next three years.

If you would like to read the entire report, please download it here–

Venture into Social Drama

Annie Mielke and I met last year and got excited about the potential for working with girls on drama and then training them to work with younger groups as a service project. Annie’s specialty is working with kids with Asperger Syndrome and Autism, so her audiences learn a lot about these mental disorders, the challenges people with these diagnoses face, and how to relate well to them. Adventures in Social Drama visited several Chrysalis After-School groups last year, including McCombs PRIDE.

The goals of Adventures in Social Drama (ASD) are to:

  • establish safe environments in which drama enables individuals to explore creative moments as learning opportunities
  • utilize appropriate forms of social interaction
  • facilitate meaningful participation in a group dynamic
  • coach individuals to express themselves through creative thinking
  • promote positive interpersonal relationships
  • develop self-worth through episodic memories

Adventures in Social Drama specializes in dramatic exploration: Each program is specially designed to meet the needs of your organization. Free initial consultations are available. ASD works with people from 4 years old to adults. Depending on the size and length of the class, the cost is $150-$500.

For more information, contact Annie Mielke, 515-306-0030.

work515-306-0030

Learn about Relationships

Several years ago we were brainstorming about different approaches to adolescent pregnancy prevention, and came up with the idea of an adventure education program framed around healthy relationships. Part of the rationale is that it might be easier to talk about sex and sexuality while you’re busy climbing a wall or getting your group through a giant spider web. We developed Challenge for Healthy Relationships (CHR) and ISU/Polk County Extension has continued the program.

CHR uses trained and professional staff to work groups through a sequence of ice-breakers, cooperative games and problem solving initiatives. The activities are framed around a variety of aspects of relationships including trust, communication, sexuality, goal setting, decision making and healthy choices.  Facilitators process the activities around relationships and the entire sequence is framed around the Full Value Contract as a guideline for healthy relationships–

  • Have fun
  • Be safe, physically and emotionally
  • Work together
  • Achieve personal and group goals
  • Give and receive honest feedback

Participants in Challenge for Healthy Relationships complete an evaluation tool that measures self-efficacy–a person’s belief in their abilities to deal with specific tasks or situations. The tool measures a group’s growth during the program. Challenge for Healthy Relationships creates a safe and encouraging atmosphere tor all participants and can be brought to a group’s site or be implemented at the Adventure Learning Center challenge courses.

Schedule the program by contacting Melissa O’Neil at 515.957.5767.

Explore the Teen Brain

I became fascinated with brain research more than 20 years ago when science began to really get inside the human brain and explore it. I’ve done my best to keep up over the years as more and more information is added to the body of knowledge. Right now I’m planning a mind mapping workshop; this technique of visual note taking is very helpful for me, as I go through the world as a concrete random thinker.

Instead of driving myself crazy trying to fit into a more sequential world, I’ve learned to build on my strengths and find colleagues who can help me with details and task orientation.  Brain research has helped me grow creatively and professionally. I use research on learning styles and personality types when I do team building and strategic planning. I’ve put together a post with links to a number of inventories besides the one below.

One of my favorite areas is adolescent brain development. Understanding how the young person’s mind is growing and developing helps me understand her mystifying behavior, sometimes. To that purpose, I’ve developed an experiential workshop for teens and adults that explore–

  • Brain development in adolescents
  • Addressing different learning styles in groups
  • Inspiring creativity
  • New approaches to academic gains

Other topics and areas of interest can be included. Schedule one session or more. Please email Martha to schedule the program.

–Martha McCormick

Run Like a Kenyan

How hard would it be to make a living running marathons? Salina Kosgei has done so since she was 16 years old, and won the 2009 Boston Marathon by 1 second. She trains hard, several times a day, and at 33, knows she won’t be able to run forever. She thinks of returning to prison work so she can be near her family, but what she really wants to do is run a camp to help other young Kenyans learn to run for a living.

This story about Salina is part of an American Public Media series called “Working.” The program profiles one worker from outside the US each month with the idea of connecting us to others who are like us, produce something we can relate to, connect us with the shrinking world around us. There are additional segments on a child laborer, a circus performer, a chocolate taster, cabinet minister, CEO, electronic recycler and pop singer.

Here are some questions to ask your group after you’ve listened to the program, about work and careers–

  • What do you think about this career field?
  • How does this type of work make a difference in the world?
  • Can you see yourself working in this type of environment?