Service Learning Proposal For Women To Women Conference
By: Taimar Branch, Julie Sautner
Feburary 16th, 20012
Professor- Meredith Tweed
WST 3015-0001
Community Partner Profile:
Community Partner: The Farm Worker Association of Florida
Contact: Dr. Maria Santana
Community Partner Mission Statement: “to build power among farm worker
and rural low-income communities to respond to and gain control over the
social, political, workplace, economic, health, and environmental justice
issues that impact their lives” (Farm Worker Association of Florida). http://floridafarmworkers.org/index.php/about-us/vision-a-mission
Political and/or Social Basis for Organization: The association
was founded and organized by farm workers in 1983, who wanted to acknowledge and
act on the needs of other farm workers in Central Florida. “The founding
purpose of the association was to organize farm workers more effectively in
their struggle for better housing, wages, and housing conditions”( Farm
Worker Association of Florida). http://floridafarmworkers.org/index.php/about-us/our-history
Community Partner Needs: In correspondence with UCF Women’s
Studies Program; the Farmworker Association of Florida is hosting an annual
“Women to Women” conference. This conference is an educational event for
migrant female farm workers. To help make this a successful event, volunteers
are needed to provide their time and skills to these women in need. The
identified needs are as followed:
·
There is a need for volunteers to help gather donations of
hygienic supplies for the women’s gift bags like: shampoo, conditioner, body
lotion, sunblock, toothpaste and brushes, hair combs, brushes, clips and head
bands.
·
On-site childcare is also being provided for the women who have
children under the age of ten. Volunteers will provide this service of
childcare, which would allow the parents to fully focus on the day’s
informative event.
·
There is also a fundraiser being held, which will raffle off two
year passes to Bush Gardens, Aquatica or Sea World priced at five dollars a
ticket. The volunteers can be responsible for the sale of the tickets which
would increase the intake funds amount that would benefit the association and
future events.
The Proposal: The
following proposal will identify the needs, rationale and method of
accomplishment used for a service learning project to impact the minds of students
advocating for the Farmworker Association of Florida. The proposal includes the
need and benefit for student volunteers to be involved in the community
outreach program, the rationale for the women’s studies course connection, an outlined
approach of my involvement in the project, and a timeline of all action plans
used to make the women’s conference successful. The proposal might need to be
revised at any time during the length of the project to maintain the needs of
both the UCF women’s studies service learning project and the community
outreach program are being met.
Need for volunteers for the Community Outreach
Program: The
Farmworker Association of Florida was funded and organized due to the lack of support
and injustices facing migrant farm workers in Central Florida. These injustices
impacted their daily lives, families and communities. The Women to Women
conference intend to resolve one pressing issue for the female workers; which
is poor health and hygiene practices. The goal of the conference is to educate
every woman who attends on the importance of maintaining a good health and hygiene
regimen.
UCF student volunteers are an important
element in the persecution and successful accomplishment of this project.
Students will be providing free childcare services to the women on the day of
the main event, increase the number of hygienic supply donations for the women
to take home with them after attending the conference by reaching out to people
in the community to help support the cause and also, the sale of raffle tickets
to the community will increase the monetary gain for the association which in turn
will benefit their future efforts in supporting their cause. Participation of
volunteers is critical in the heightened success of this event.
Plan Proposal: During the course of the project student volunteers
will contribute their time and skills for the greater cause of the project.
Hygienic supplies like : shampoo, conditioner,
body lotion, sunblock, toothpaste and brushes, hair combs, brushes, clips and head
bands will be collected and donated to the women in recycled shopping bags. My
plan for collecting supplies is to receive any donated cash from my team member’s
church and use it towards the purchase of supplies from another community
agency called Community Food and Outreach Center (http://communityfoodoutreach.org/), which sell discounted donated items and food back to the
community at a fraction of the retailers price. I intend to help two causes at
the same time.
I will also provide my
skill as an experienced childcare worker and certified child protective agent
for the state of Florida to ensure the children of the attending women are well
cared for in an environment that is safe and free of hazards.
Rationale for Women’s
Studies: The purpose behind this cause is to educate and inform migrant
women on their health and hygiene. The Women to Women conference in collaboration
with UCF’s community outreach project is important to the change of these women’s
lives for the better. Gained knowledge will empower them to help themselves and
increase their chances of living a longer, healthier life with their families.
Just like the “Standpoint Theory” identified by Sandra Harding, four elements
contribute to the starting place of generating your knowledge. The Physical location,
interests, access to discourses and social organization of knowledge production
has shown to be true and present in the circumstances of the farm workers lives.
As a product of their environment they are limited to the knowledge they gain
and how they live.
Action: I have been in contact with Dr. Maria
Santana the UCF Campus Coordinator of the Women
to Women Conference through email. We have discussed the needs and
deadlines of the event. I will be joining her Women’s Studies class on
2/17/2012, to meet and connect with other student volunteers to identify my role an involvement in the project.
Timeline: Pending
the approval of this proposal and possible revision of this timeline
2/20/12-
Begin supply collection drive
4/14/12- Women to Women Conference in
Apopka Fl, at HOPE community center, 10:00-2:00pm
Works
Cited
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