service learning/activism log #1

Activism: Now that our proposal is done, our group is getting into the nitty-gritty of planning the community garden event. I worked with Emily on our part of revising the proposal last week, and later helped donate to and publicize a yard sale benefit that Andy and Sara arranged on Sunday. I attended a potluck meeting on Wednesday with the class where we talked about how communication has been very difficult for us as a class, as has coordinating all our different schedules. We successfully decided on our project and revised our proposal, but communication and coordination have been pitfalls. I think we have started to improve on this, but working with a large group of many different kinds of people is definitely an example of something challenging experienced in global feminism on a larger scale. Our goal right now is to finish the service learning showcase application and compile all our money and tool donations. I have plans to do tabling with YAYA tomorrow (Thursday) at school.

Reflection: Our activism and challenges faced recently with regard to making group decisions, communicating effectively and having adequate participation relates to what we are learning in class, especially the readings on coming together effectively and creating working activism groups. I learned about these challenges on an international scale in Sarah Swider's piece, ""Working Women of the World Unite?" in "Global Feminism: Transnational Women's Activism, Organizing and Human Rights". She writes about how domestic workers are sometimes difficult to organize due to stigma and dynamics of the job, division among sexes, classes and races, and state regulations that remove power from immigrant women. However, the domestic workers in Hong Kong successfully come together to form a "women's alternative economic organization" (Swider 117). By using some of the tactics we've learned in class (looking at alternate ways of organizing, joining instead of leading, cultivating sustainable relationships with our community partner) our activism may also be successful.

Reciprocity: YAYA has served as a driving force to motivate many of us, as they continue to be knowledgeable, helpful, and motivated to create change for migrant farm workers. In return for my help on this project, I am inspired by people who continually make a difference in this area. I've also gotten the opportunity to learn more about working in activism with large groups, communicating and organizing with like-minded people. I look forward to continued participation and learning opportunities within this project, especially at our community garden event on Saturday!

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