Service Learning Journal

Ann Cooper

WST 4022

November 8, 2012

Meredith Tweed

Service Learning Journal

            With the Body Appreciation Workshop coming up we have had many discussions about what is “healthy” as a group to get ourselves prepared to discuss it with the girls.  I think that this has actually been a bonding and eye-opening experience for the members.  As someone who is interested in the differences in women and what makes them “feel good” it was really moving.

Working as a team we need to grow stronger and it is important for us to break down some barriers and get a little more personal.  Most importantly a stronger team can only do better for the girls of the YWLP.

            I have previously mentioned in my rationale and other Service Learning entries I think that it is important for us, as young women, to be role models for the girls of the YWLP.  In the Body Project’s first chapter, which was not actually assigned, Brumberg discusses how important the system of young women mentoring younger girls is as a social interaction which both sides profit from.  Being young women we are different than their mothers but more mature than them (p.19).  While we are still trying to “figure” ourselves out we can also be beneficial role models for the girls; we can show them that it is okay to be confused and have questions.  We are also living proof that you CAN survive your adolescent years.

            This project and class, as a whole, have been eye-opening to me.  In the future I would very much like to work with females between the ages of 18-28 and I know their pathologies and problems do not just start at 18.  By spending time working on activities for the girls and with the girls I am learning about the different experiences that can lead to issues such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and cutting in their later years.  One can only hope that our information and experiences can reach the girls on some level and possibly quell future issues.

 

 

Work Cited

Brumberg, Joan J.  The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 1997. Print