Making a Mission

The Gathering Place's Mission Statement:

The Gathering Place exists to support women and their children experiencing homelessness and poverty by providing a safe daytime refuge and resources for self-sufficiency.

The Overly Giving Tree

I have often heard claims against children's materials such as Disney or The Berenstain Bears for controversial content.  I have always taken those claims and placed them in the "conspiracy theory" file of my brain.  However, taking a critical look at my favorite children's book has suddenly altered my opinion.  The Giving Tree has lived in my memory as a book about sharing and caring.  The gendered roles played by the boy and the tree are unsettling. The tree gives and gives to a boy who is unconcerned with her needs.  The tree shows several feminine elements.  She is sensitive and caring thought the story by giving and caring unconditionally for the boy.  She is treated negatively by the boy, he takes advantage of her for his own gains.  She is often alone and often sad.  This book has managed to discreetly teach girls to give until they are a stump. 

It is funny however, I would most likely still recommend this book.  Perhaps this is solely based on my sentimental feelings of reading this book as a child.  I also think this is because I realize that as I child I didn't care if the tree was feminine or masculine.  In fact before reading  looking for gender roles I had no idea the tree was feminine.  The book to me has always brought good feelings of undying love and care.  In this case the battle between cost and benefit of reading The Giving Tree was won by Shel Silverstein.

Volunteer Expectations

Call me selfish but one of the things I enjoy from volunteer work is how good I feel about my self afterwards.  I have volunteered on a number of projects, shredding paper for cat beds at an animal shelter, organizing events, making phone calls.  However, I hadn't noticed I have never volunteered in a way that put me in direct contact with those whom I am helping.  My first meeting with The Gathering Place quickly brought the realization that not all volunteer work leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy.  In fact I felt more self conscious than usual.  I am not frequently associated or comfortable with the homeless population.  Now I must mention the ladies at TGP are not the same homeless men who sometimes make me uncomfortable.  These women are clean, well dressed and I would not probably pick them out of a crowd for being homeless.  In fact it is not even the homelessness creating a feeling of discomfort, it is the lack of experience and knowledge on my part.  I find myself acting cautiously around new cultures and peoples so why did this experience seem to be more unnerving?  A little over a week has passed and it has dawned on me that attempting to be politically correct can at times be my least correct move.  I am sure my lunch period with the ladies at TGP would have gone more smoothly had I simply been myself.  I will have to remember this and take a big relaxing breath during future encounters.

Another expectation I am surprised to see fall a little short is the communities response to non profits and volunteer work.  I had felt that simply picking up the phone and asking a company for a donation to benefit TGP would be an easy sell.  I have quickly learned that many emails and requests go unanswered, many companies still want to know what is in it for them.  I don't mean to downplay the sentiment of the volunteer spirit, I have also come across many of those.  However, I am still surprised at the number of jaded companies and individuals as well.

Gender Movements (part 2)

Identifying myself with gendered movement has unfortunately become a disheartening endeavor.  I don't believe it is the movements themselves disappointing me, it is more so my lack of conviction to any particular gendered ideal.  This is not to say that I am opposed to things such as equal pay for equal work.  Basic elements like the desire to end discrimination are things I can confidently put myself behind. However, there is no particular movement that I can agree with all of the core tenants. I feel I am at a feminist buffet creating my own "movement salad".  I would love to see a movement in which equal opportunity, voice, power, and access to resources was the goal regardless of gender.  I would quickly join a movement in which men and women came together for a common goal.  I enjoyed from power feminism as Wolf identifies herself with Reverend Jesse Jackson having said "You're not responsible for being down, you are responsible for standing up".  However, I also feel I agree with criticisms showing power feminism as dangerous in implying power that may not really be feasible. As another example I can be swayed to agree with some aspects of  both liberal and difference feminism.  I feel individual women and men can vary greatly and therefore have different needs and struggles however, collectively I know great change could occur.  Creating my "movement salad" feels like a confusing endeavor, then again perhaps not, perhaps I am simply a perfect example of a third wave feminist.

Gender Movements

Over the next few days I will be delving into the many different gender movements.  I have already ecountered far more gender movements than I had anticipated.  Finding the right fit feels similar to deciding which political party to follow.  There are so many groups with similar goals but from slightly different angles. Tonight I will be cozying up with Gendered Lives and my computer ready to google search : )  (More to follow)

My first day!

Friday was my first day with The Gathering Place, or TGP for short.  Justine, my main contact, gave the full grand tour.  My group mates and I spent several hours to really get to know TGP.  The experience was completely enriching. I felt I was on an emotional roller coaster. Initially the sheer number of women taking advantage of services is shocking.  Then the stories Justine shared with us were inspiring and powerful.  She has such passion for TGP's mission.  At one point I couldn't help but to ask her how she can do this work everyday,  I would be so drained.  She said she pulls strength from knowing she is a part of the solution.  Three days later and I am still in awe.  What a great start to what I believe will be a life changing set of experiences.

Equality?

I am a strong believer in all types of equality.  Despite this fact I often find myself wondering: when have we gone too far?  Sometimes seeking equality for a particular group looks to me like a persecution of another. As an example, I have a friend that is a devoted single parent.  He works as hard as he can while still caring for his child however, it is often not enough.  On several occasions he has sought help from local organizations but often to no avail sometimes he is given help after several accusatory looks.  He has told me that he has been denied openly for being a man and when he does receive help he still feels a shame.  He says it feels as though these organizations say to him "your supposed to be the provider, this service is for women who really need it".  How is this equality? I know that these organizations are doing good in the community and in no way do I hope to diminish this fact.  In fact, recently I have seen that some organizations also share my view. A story in the Denver Post by Monte Whaley published January 26, 2011 brought these sentiments to life for me. I hope that story can help to open everyone's eyes that all people can sometimes need help regardless of gender. The story can be retrieved at http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17198846.