2/25/15 Federal Way Branch Library Workshop Ivette

Describe Context –The youth and adults were all in the same room today.  We had 4 adults and and a total of 8 pre-teens and a one year old.  Library staff were Edna, Jennifer, Teresa and David (translator).  Sonia was there to provide bilingual storytime the last 30 mins (this time instead of the storytime starting at 6:00 - Sonia waited til 6:30 to do the storytime).  Brad, Klarissa and I were there on behalf of the class.

           

Date:2/25/15

Name: Ivette Bayo Urban

List things that happened today:

Sarah and Willa were not going to be joining us today as both had other personal items to tend to.  

The library was planning the full two hours.  First hour as demonstrate e-readers and the final hour as exploring time and 1:1.

In the news:

Today was our last day at the Federal Way Regional Branch.
For March we will be at Casa Latina.

List Action Items from workshop:

• Sarah updating the March Flyers
• Once she does Ivette to print and bring to Casa
• Brad to upload them to latinatech website

  Things to look up, check out and explore:

•  Prepare for Latina Tech to be at Women Who Rock  
• Coordinate Month of April activities at Douglass-Truth
  

Describe an important an evocative social interaction that happened today:

One of the youth, who attends middle school, reached out to me to ask about some math homework.  I felt this was an amazing thing because even though I had only interacted with her briefly in the previous two weeks, she recalled me saying I had taught math.  I felt this was one of those unanticipated wonders that can happen when you get people from different backgrounds together conviviendo.

Describe successes.

At the end of our time Edna did an oral assessment.  Her question was on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 being least comfortable/knowledgeable and 5 being the most) - how would you rate what you knew about the library before these workshops.  On average  (including the students, youth and adults in the room) the pre workshops rating was like 2.  She then asked the question again now that we have gone through the LatinaTech workshops at Federal Way branch and all the people rated they had increased in knowledge of information resources the library offers.  I would say on average they went up 2 points in feeling they had a better idea of what libraries and libraries could assist with. 

A few things to note.  The UW students that present today were not in the MLIS program.  Two of the women attended all 4 workshops at the federal way library.  One woman attended 3 of the 4 workshops at federal way and serves as our Casa Latina mentor/leader.  The other woman was new but had participated in the women's advisory at the start of this project.  

I feel additionally that I feel the program was successful because outreach was more than bi-directional.  Students engaging with community and libraries, libraries engaging with community partner and UW, UW engaging with youth/pre-teens.  The space was full of talking, laughing, questions, trouble shooting, movement, food and in a word comfort.  I feel that very quickly we all felt welcomed and at home at the federal way library with the resources, space and people. 

Describe a failure.  What fell through the cracks?

Failure to follow up with the women from Casa Latina in a consistent manner.  I had not emailed or phoned the women from Casa Latina - the forms of outreach I have been using (because of time constraints) has been promoting it on the Latina Tech facebook and the CL fb site.  While Casa Latina members have been promoting it with members.  Library also did promoting to their outreach sources. 

What surprised me the most?

How having a dying phone (that needs to be recharged) really impacts our abilities to explore in an environment that is comfortable to us. 

Reflections

“Because there is more information on any given topic that anyone can store in their head, there is added incentive for us to talk among ourselves about the media we consume…consumption has become a collective process…. None of us can know everything; each of us knows something; and we can put the pieces together if we pool our resources and combine our skills (2006a: 3-4)  
(Jenkins, H. as cited in Balsamo, 2011)".    ------> I added emphasis.

Despite the logistical challenges (and granted opportunity - thanks Pipeline for offering the vehicle) of driving to Federal Way and coordinating people - I am going to miss going there.  Edna (and all the staff, translators, and volunteers that attended the Fed Way sessions form KCLS were enthusiastic, welcoming and greeted all of us with love and humility while sharing an understanding of additional resources.  

Anne Balsamo in her book designing culture writes:

“knowledge creation happens across diverse settings including formal institutions,  and through informal social and technological practices.” (p. 154)

“A successful project of transformative research (....I would add of community/convivencia...)  involves creating the conditions whereby participants explicitly understand and commit to the goal of creating shared rules, beliefs, and norms.”

I feel that for our time at Federal Way regional branch, we were successful in creating shared rules, beliefs and norms and ensuring that everyone brought something to the table.  We made learning a collective process.  Additionally, each of the partners pooled our resources together to combine our skills to make this experience worthy of the investment.  

 

01/22/2015 Casa Latina Workshop Ivette

Location:     Casa Latina                 

Describe Context – Working in the Adult Digital Literacy workshop today.  4 women attended and the topic was creating business cards. 

           

Date:1/21/2015

Name: Ivette Bayo Urban

List things that happened today:

Left UW campus late which meant the mobile group arrived at Casa Latina at 5:10.
Sarah had computer lab set up and only 3 women in attendance at that point.
Checked in with mujeres and they wanted to explore making business cards.
Brad finished setting up the adult tablets.
Klarissa and Willa were able to unfold the ipad minis and new apps with the youth as well as do origami.
We had another Mujer show up, she had already created her business card but unable to print because she lacked the right paper.  
3 of the 4 women completed their business cards during the time in the class.

In the news:

Our Feb schedule and flyers were delivered to Casa Latina.

List Action Items from workshop:

• Print and deliver business cards to women next class.
• Email Gilda calendar for Feb workshop and topics.  
• Go to MSF to share information about the Latina Tech workshops and Feb.
• Make a tech inventory list inside of the bins, laminate and tape.
• Update website.

  Things to look up, check out and explore:

•  Set up meeting and site visit for Douglass-Truth Branch
  

Describe an important an evocative social interaction that happened today:

 

On campus today as I was preparing for the UW class a colleague stopped and asked how things were going.  I said great, shared some information about the diverse students I am working with and the tentacles of the project, including capstone teams, little free library and so forth. The colleagues says something along the lines of, "sounds like all you are doing is volunteer management."
At the moment she said it, I knodded and went on my way.  But as time passed I realized the perception that this work is not seen as neither teaching nor scholarship first (though definitely elements of that cannot be questioned) but as community work first.  And I started to think about that and the realities embedded in this vision of community work, community partnership and the heavy lifting needed to level the playing field, if you will and restructure the power and privilege to its rightful location.  Now I totally get that on the surface, it may appear like that is ALL I am doing, but just a little focus and dialogue and there is so much there that can go unseen, unnoticed and undervalued.  Similar to the work that marginalized populations do on a regular and constant basis with trying to making ends meet, learning multiple forms of navigating the world, inside, outside, within and around the power structures and learning to not only manage but to thrive, despite the patholigization of the "how" they manage it. 

Describe a success.

We managed another day in dialogue, being mindful and present (even if it was a bit messy and not as organized as I would have liked). 

Describe a failure.  What fell through the cracks?

Given the things on my plate, I realize I am currently better suited to support the project by a secondary facilitator role than as the lead.

Despite having done the workshop on business cards in the past, I felt as though my personal stresses of the past few weeks took a toll and I did not engage the women in the critical dialogue as I would have liked, have imagined and have done in the past.  While we were still able to accomplish our task, I had not anticipated the added stress with the technology - nothing that I tried to accomplish with technology was working and I was totally frustrated.  I wanted to work with my mac, the platform that was familiar and that I knew how to navigate well and this was not the case. 

What surprised me the most?

Despite my technological cluster mess in front of the Mujeres - I think there was some unintended learning that took place.  I think that I performed the role of frustrated mujer using technology better than I ever have and granted it was not just a performance, but a genuine 'nothing is working for me' kind of day.  Several students had to intervene and help with troubleshooting, including issues that I know how to troubleshoot myself. 

Reflections

I recall a Mujeres Sin Fronteras meeting months ago in which the person leading the workshop, a woman of the community,  was performing this same patholigization of Othering, the imaginary women they were describing, as we were discussing ways to learn and grow related to comfort zones and moving beyond them.  It is hard not to perpetuate this sort othering, unintentionally, as a way to talk about personal development.  But until you have walked in someone elses' shoes and carried the weight of all their identities, values, and responsibilities we need to take a step back and see that we always only have part of the story - there is always more, a lifetime, a generation, intergenerational things of more.  

I recently read an article on historical trauma and I could not help but take into account the  unseen and unrecognized violences that women face. 

According to Schuler*, there are four main categories of gendered violence and they occur in 3 main contexts:

Four Major Categories of Gender Violence:

1. overt physical abuse
2. psychological abuse
3. deprivation of resources for physical and psychological well being
4. commodification of women

Three Contexts:

1. Family (through socialization in hierarchical relations) 
2. Community (i.e. social, economic, religious, cultural institutions) 
3. State (policies and laws, military and police)

In the past few weeks, I have been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting about the coping mechanisms that we as women in particular have and make to handle stress and life challenges and prioritize information as it relates to our current situations.  This is something that I can theorize through my lived experiences as a young, unmarried, single mother who wanted nothing more than to provide a better life for her son.  Here we are, 19 years later and I'm still finding ways to cope and provide balance even in the absence of it.  We all have personal coping mechanism though we don't employ them in the same way, at the same time or necessarily for the same reasons since we are in fact individuals.    

I often hear people say in passing, 'I don't know how he/she does it, I couldn't do xyz'.  I too have been guilty of using this phrase, but when push comes to shove, we find ways to move mountains and make things happen that need to happen in order to survive and even thrive for ourselves and for those around us.  

The women at Casa are luchadoras.  They are inspirations of hope, love, courage and sincere desire. Each day I am amazed at the willingness to step outside of their comfort zones and work towards a society that is a little more just than the one we inhabit.  They are caring, insightful and provide a space in where I can be my whole self.  Where the priorities and challenges I have as a mom, are applauded and celebrated, and not seen as a crutch.  

They are similar and different to the women in my own family, to the women whose children I have taught in middle schools, and similar to the newly arrive Cuban immigrants from my days working at IRC Miami.  They have a 'CAN DO, MUST DO' attitude and no matter the challenge, are willing to sacrifice and fight to accomplish what they feel is in the best interest of their children.  

Being part of this invisible community, of this unspoken network of madres luchadoras, is humbling and eye opening.  Being part of this community means that reflections of our own work and sacrifice seem insignificant compared to the love, opportunity and responsibility we have on our shoulders.  

*Schuler, Margaret (1992).  Violence against women: An international perspective.  Ch. 1 in Margaret Schuler (Ed.), Freedom from violence:  Women’s strategies from around the world  (pp. 1-45).  NY:  OEF International, Unifem. [NOTE: pp. 1-18]

11/20/14 Daily Log Post Workshop Ivette

Empezando Donde Estamos Casa Latina 11/20/14 

List things that happened today:

Ivette, Sarah and Freddy participated in the first tech workshop from 5-7 on 11/19/14.  We had 7 participants in the workshop.

Shared the FemTechNet fem(manifesto) with the women, read aloud then broke out into 3 small groups and discussed and shared experiences and which sections of the manifesto we identified with and why.  This then led to a conversation about if we agree with the manifesto and we want to be inclusive, open and accessible, how do we balance that with providing a format (structure) that is responsible and transformative while accessible.  

There was positive response from the women about identifying with the manifesto and having that be the starting place for framing our workshops and reframing the conversation about technology as tools.  

Additionally, shared some information about the larger project, what what was taking place with the story time and activities with the kiddos and about the library partnership.    

Martha identified that she would be our leader for the Dec 10th workshop and help with topic and guidance.

Jen, Xochitl delivered storytime and craft time, Tess helped out.  

In the news -  11/21 Casa Latina is hosting a vigil to hear what the executive action is going to be from President Obama.  

List Action Items from workshop:

• Create a schedule of themes to share with the community look at list previously identified in the women's advisory meeting as well as the topics that came up today (organizing information, antivirus, working with powerpoint, backing up computer, navigating excel, formulating an agenda, adding apps to tablets). Ivette and Sarah will work on setting the schedule and sharing it w Mujeres Sin Fronteras and the format for the workshops.
• Add to flyer:  Language around bring your own technology or "ten confianza de taer tu propria tecnologia".  
• Have a conversation with Emily and Ricardo and see about contracting someone from MSIM to check out computer lab computers and get them up to speed as they have some issues and need to be looked at. 
• Talk with Araceli and figure our logistics for entering and exiting Casa Latina, keys, alarms, etc..
• Figure out where we will store our resources.
• Have mujeres lideres sign up for topics of interest to partner with us as we move forward.  Mujeres lideres will be compensated for their time when they step up as well as for those that participate in the women's advisory meetings.  
• Post information in multiple locations, flyers, social media (fb) and email (for the women to practice using this as a means of communication - some said this is a more professional way to communicate but there is a disconnect between that and actually using email).
• Tracking participants for the workshops for reporting purposes.
• Discuss with Tiffany and Emily about purchasing equipment once contract is signed.
• Revisit structure for the storytimes and see about inviting guests to lead the craft as this requires a different level of expertise.  
• Think about Profirio, Christine, Sandra, others inside and outside the UW community.
• Make a handout with 4 agreements on 1 side and the FemTechNet (fem)manifesto on the other to side to provide at every workshop to participants.  DONE.

  Things to look up, check out and explore:

• Seconduse is a website for items look to see if there is an artifact we can find here that would serve for our little free library.  The person from Seattle Times called and gave me this as a place to check out.  Also we may be able to request for it to be donated - there is a form.  
• Collecting Data for the grant and tracking - how do we want to do this?  Last go around with the grant, Casa used a dropbox document that volunteer leaders were inputting?  We should discuss a process.  Same thing with finances.  
• Partnering with other organizations doing great work, no need to reinvent the wheel, but at the same time, being cautious of keeping our work centered with and around the women's needs.  

Describe an important an evocative social interaction that happened today:

As I was planning and thinking and reflecting to prepare for the day, I was torn between having a polished lesson plan together and really diving into FemTechNet (fem)manifesto as a starting place of transparency and reframing about the whole idea of the workshops.  During our time together there were a few instances of examples of the women placing an emphasis of how technology can do agenda's better or how because I am in this profession, I prefer to not use technology to keep my calendar (alluding the relevance factor).  It felt right to be able to, in that moment and in plain language, refer to stories and provide examples of imagining other possibilities and that just because something is "more efficient" doesn't mean that it is a) better, b) appropriate, c) universal and that we need to constantly push back and provide a space that recenters women and their lived experiences and allows for us to reframe technology as a tool with limitations.  

Describe a success.

I had envisioned that by the time that our first workshop was done that we would already have a singed contract and that all things would be nice and neatly organized and ready to move forward WITH technology.  While it is in part a failure of the process, I also see this an opportunity to ensure that dialogue comes front and center and being able to share the FemTechNet (fem)manifesto was an incredibly important part.  

Describe a failure.  What fell through the cracks?

There are logistics of space that need to be clarified, who will have access to keys, locking up, access code.  Make sure that before our next class on Dec. 10th that we have the conversation with Araceli and Emily.   

What surprised me the most?

Conversations about needing and wanting someone to talk about backup, antivirus and personal information management - while none of these is my areas of expertise I couldn't be at a better place to make connections.  How can we get students to be able to bring their technical expertise to the community?  

Reflection:  I am really concerned with making sure that while increasing educational opportunities, connecting with community and technology workshops that are decolonizing and utilizing feminist and indigenous pedagogies that are inclusive while also leaving space for being critical and push back.  It is a fine line but definitely worth the journey.  Today I am thankful and grateful that we were able to move forward despite the challenges and make space for dialogue in the process.  I am thankful that Tiffany's readings, conversations with scholars such as reminded me what we know about popular education, which is there must be space for dialogue.   This path is not without tensions, but as Antonio Machado reminds us "caminante, no hay camino/Se hace camino al andar." 

In the words of Freire I will conclude- "If the structure does not permit dialogue, the structure must be changed."  

11/19/14 Reflection Ivette

The past couple of weeks have been invigorating, personally, emotionally and intellectually.  Attending the ASIST conference, returning to the home of my childhood and revisiting so many places that shaped my formation and then wisking off to the island of Puerto Rico to attend the National Women Studies conference.  Ideas of community, collaboration and connection take very different forms in each of those spaces, but I am at ease knowing that at the center of the work we do is love.

As I was preparing for our roundtable, on Hormigas y Hormigueros: Resisting assimilation, silencing and erasure the questions that we were posed with reflecting on were the following:  How do we envision nation state? What are our processes of dialogue, collective?  How do we weave in new ways of imaging the nation?

With this my colleague, Miriam Valdovinos set the stage for the conversation, one in community, in circle, with ancestral knowledges of healing at the center.

When it came my time, I was at first speaking Freire and the 6 elements he refers to as essential to dialogue across differences: love, humility, hope, faith in human kind, and critical thinking.  The same ones that are at the center of the framework we are using with our work in the Empezando Donde Estamos/ Starting Where We are project.

Sharing stories, creating spaces for our counter stories, on the individual, family, institutional and academic identities is the way we can embody envisioning a different nation-state.  Hooks reminds us that "love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust." 

In this work, as we prepare for our first workshop today, we bring with us this kind of love that creates a space for dialogue.  One that, as Tiffany reminds us in her reflections, and in the readings include and embody a constructivist learning/assessment atmosphere and one that is rooted in the lived experiences and shared community already established and the new one we are creating. 

In the foreword to the 1990 edition of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Richard Shaull writes "our advanced technological society is rapidly making objects of most of us and subtly programming us into conformity to the logic of its system.  To the degree which this happens we are also becoming submerges in a 'new culture of silence'."

His words resonate because as scholars, educators and information professionals, we need to be aware of socio-technical systems and how our work is in dialogue with these systems which can and often are oppressive and exploitative. 

"Being oppressed is the absence of choices" hooks says, so as we move forward with the women's workshops, let's keep that notion, front and center.  Our goals are multiple but all rooted in the idea that we are creating spaces for choices, opportunities, expanding of information networks and people as resources. 

I am working on today's lesson plans for the women, and given Emily's email regarding the technology, the last few weeks, each of your reflections and my own, I am leaning towards a lesson plan that allows us to enter in dialogue with the women, engage in storytelling, lay the foundation for how and whats we are trying to do, share resources about FemTechNet as a way of thinking about technology, and create a space for allies and partners in this journey that we know so well, we cannot do alone.  We will let them know that for each of our lessons, we need a volunteer leader, to sign up and partner with us on the topic.  I believe if we want this to be a space for dialogue, it is essential that we start by making that space, by demonstrating the importance of that dialogue and being willing to share our stories and be vulnerable in the process.  

With love,

~Ivette

10/3/14 Mujeres Sin Fronteras Workshop Ivette

Last Friday, we attended the Mujeres Sin Fronteras group with Sarah, Klarissa, and Xochitl.  The theme was about personal care and how we can find balance in our lives.   In addition to covering the 4 toltec agreements, they added a fifth which was spaces for "listening with power" and the transformation that has.  Later the conversation was about comfort zone and moving beyond the spaces that we become comfortable in.  I found it interesting and needed to speak up after we were talking about an imaginary person and described strengths and attributes and then in the next sentence began being intolerant of this imaginary person who, despite 17 years in the US had not learned English.  For me this demonstrated how we are not separate of the mainstream narratives we hear of others and even when we are doing great work, we need to be cautious of not marginalizing people and making assumptions of their priorities, values, and lived experiences.  It was a vivid reality that our work will never be done but we need to start somewhere and starting where we are, is the best we can each do.