Hey friends!
It seems like the past few weeks at the Girls Inc Youth Farm has been filled with everything besides farming. We were lucky to have a bit of publicity with a couple of newspapers and news stations, and it was amazing and rewarding to hear the participants exercise their voices and share their experiences. In addition, one of our farmers gave a speech at a charity luncheon this past week. I can honestly say I have never been more proud in my life, because this girl is usually very quiet and reserved (not to mention she got her braces the day before her speech).
We also began giving both the girls and ourselves on the staff constructive feedback at the end of each week. During the week, we make note of different behaviors of individuals--both positive and negative. When the staff meets, we discuss different themes we noticed, present to the girls what we noticed, and then offer them a "delta," a place for growth, for each individual to focus on. To give an example, I was told that my excitement for bugs has helped the participants become more interested in nature and more willing to look at things at a new way. My delta was that because I am more of a quiet, "behind-the-scenes" leader, I should strive to be a strong example of a quiet leader to some of our participants. While we were delivering this feedback to our farmers, we were worried that they wouldn't take it well, and become defensive. To our relief, they all welcomed our suggestions and I saw evidence of them attempting to better themselves throughout the following week.
Our greatest test was this past Friday. In an effort to avoid the bad weather, we moved everyone to a nearby community center, with intentions on watching a documentary and finalizing our plans for a local farm stand. One of my coworker's mother is going through medical problems, so she had to leave, cutting our staff down to 3 people. Throughout the morning, problem after problem arose, ranging from technology issues to missing lunches to exploding binders. To give ourselves a fresh start, we returned to the farm to harvest tomatoes. On the way, a few of the girls began discussing the shooting in Charleston and the various forms of police brutality they experience every day at school. The conversation continued on the farm until we received an unexpected visitor--a local police officer who wanted to experience the farm firsthand after seeing them on the news. Initially the girls were uncomfortable and scared, but they eventually opened up to the officer and began asking questions about what to do in cases of unjust encounters with the police. Immediately after the officer left, it began pouring rain again, forcing us to resort to another activity to keep the girls engaged for the final hour of the day. While Friday was a flexibility test for the staff to be able to switch plans at the drop of a hat, we were able to experience a new side of these girls. I learned that they aren't just a group of high schoolers, they are a group of young women who are passionate about a variety of issues, but have never been able to share their opinions. Unfortunately, this was one of the first opportunities these participants were given to discuss these issues with their peers, let alone adults. They were surprised to find others with the same opinion on various topics and we able to bond with everyone on a deeper level.
To summarize: I've learned that there is literally nothing stopping both the girls or the staff on this farm. I've never worked with such a determined and passionate crew. I'm excited to see the girls to continue to grow and develop throughout the summer.
I found this summary of a work week in Summer Service particularly compelling because of the range of challenges that were presented to you in such a short time span. Particularly with your description of the way that current events and the Charleston tragedy was weaved right into your work, I find it really commendable that you were able to deal with such a heavy, delicate, and hard to understand topic with these girls, and even more poignant the timing of the police officer visiting the farm. I know that I would have felt very overwhelmed with all of these convoluted problems being thrown at me, and I'm just impressed that you and your team were able to work through them, and I'm also glad that they opened up a new perspective for you as far as insight into who these girls are and the things that affect their daily lives.
ReplyDeleteBecky I'm so glad to hear how your relationship with your girls is growing. This post was very moving to me because it portrayed the transition of the atmosphere between the staff. I love that you all are incorporating constructive feedback every week. I think that's very important for the girls and you to hear and learn where you all need to grow and what your strengths are. That really ties into what Girls Inc. is all about. I also love that one of the girls introduced the topic of the shooting in Charleston. One, it's good to be up to date with current events and two, talking about topics like that helps people process tragic events such as that shooting. I'm so excited to hear about the rest of your farm adventures!
ReplyDeleteIt is so cool to hear about how your work is helping several girls speak up and intentionally improve themselves. I love the idea of a delta and especially that, just like our fellowship program at large, your site is making an effort to be reflective both during and after activities. I can tell that doing so has caused you and the girls to get way more out of farming than just farming, even if you did everything but farming this week! I especially appreciate that the girls were able to transfer their new skills, such as confidence and the ability to step out of their comfort zones, to an interaction with someone outside the program. Keep up the good work and hope the weather stays nice for a while!
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