While I have only actually been to the Gathering Place once thus far my group and I are well on our way on our duties we have been assigned and it has been nothing like the way I thought it would be at the beginning.
My Expectations:
1. When the organizations that our class is partnering with presented themselves to our class the Gathering Place did make it aware what we were going to be doing. It was explained to us that we would be planning an event where we as a group would attend with an underprivileged family.
2. From the get go I also believed that the Gathering Place had their mind set on a visit to the Denver Zoo as that was the place and the general idea that the organization expressed when they presented themselves.The event that was first mentioned was indeed a trip to the zoo and it was our duty to highlight what extra events and activities could be done at the zoo and thus we would make all the arrangements. I was personally looking forward to taking a family or two to the zoo for a day.
Reality:
While I thought I had it figured out sure enough, I didn't. I misunderstood what exactly The Gathering Place had in mind for our group. Rather than actually going with a group to the zoo, the organization made it a lot more simple. The zoo was a great place to start discussion as it is a place that offers entertainment for families and is an opportunity that some women and children can't take advantage of here in Denver. When our group got together with The Gathering Place it was made aware that there was no exact location that was set in stone, thus as a group we had a sit down with the Gathering Place and brainstormed ideas of local Denver attractions that would fit the bill just as the zoo would. Below I will post a list of potential ideas our group had in mind for this project, some have been eliminated however due to the fact that The Gathering Place is already partnered with the attraction. The other expectation I had before was that our group would be attending, but after meeting with the organization that expectation was turned down as well. Yes, our duty still is to make arrangements for families to attend an event, but not with the group instead our duty is to provide The Gathering Place with connections so they can send any given family a trip or more so a day out. We are more so of what goes on in the background rather than being right in the middle of the action like I thought it would be.
List of Potential Places a Family Can Visit:
1. Denver Zoo
2. Museums (Nature & Science, Art, or Children's)
3. Sporting Event (The Gathering Place already has these connections)
....This is just a list our group has started with and is subject to change
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
At the Gathering Place
The Gathering Place seemed like it was the right place to volunteer out of all the other organizations that were presented to me. I first met the people that work at the Gathering Place on Friday February 11th. The group that also chose to volunteer at the Gathering Place and I got the opportunity to tour the facility and then finally we were introduced to the project we would soon embark on.
I really didn't know what to expect when I got to there. The facility is hidden within a neighborhood and does a nice job blending in with the rest of the community around it. First walking into the facility the entire group was surprised how large the facility it was. The facility consists of four floors with one being the roof that has a garden and a playground as well.
Knowing before hand that the facility doesn't provide housing for the homeless population of Denver, I was curious to see just exactly what the organization provided. The organization provides the basic luxuries that I enjoy on an everyday basis such as using a computer. Withing the four floors of the Gathering Place one of luxuries that are provided include a computer lab, a daycare center, an art studio, and a cafeteria just to name a few.
The Gathering Place is a great place where those who are in need or refuge can seek it for free and sure the organization provides needy families with clothes and food it more so gives needy families the since that they are living a normal life and are given the luxuries that I don;t always appreciate.
What caught my eye the most was the fact that in a world that I feel is corrupt and as homelessness is abundant there are people that care and want to make an impact in other lives. A refreshing fact indeed I am thankful for what I have in my life and I feel lucky that I can make an impact to others.
Everyone deserves to be happy and the Gathering Place can make that happen and that is the duty that has been assigned to me and my classmates and I am proud to take on the challenge and am looking forward to the future, a bright future.
I really didn't know what to expect when I got to there. The facility is hidden within a neighborhood and does a nice job blending in with the rest of the community around it. First walking into the facility the entire group was surprised how large the facility it was. The facility consists of four floors with one being the roof that has a garden and a playground as well.
Knowing before hand that the facility doesn't provide housing for the homeless population of Denver, I was curious to see just exactly what the organization provided. The organization provides the basic luxuries that I enjoy on an everyday basis such as using a computer. Withing the four floors of the Gathering Place one of luxuries that are provided include a computer lab, a daycare center, an art studio, and a cafeteria just to name a few.
The Gathering Place is a great place where those who are in need or refuge can seek it for free and sure the organization provides needy families with clothes and food it more so gives needy families the since that they are living a normal life and are given the luxuries that I don;t always appreciate.
What caught my eye the most was the fact that in a world that I feel is corrupt and as homelessness is abundant there are people that care and want to make an impact in other lives. A refreshing fact indeed I am thankful for what I have in my life and I feel lucky that I can make an impact to others.
Everyone deserves to be happy and the Gathering Place can make that happen and that is the duty that has been assigned to me and my classmates and I am proud to take on the challenge and am looking forward to the future, a bright future.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Naming Enhances Awarness
In class we engaged in a conversation on how language shapes awareness. One of the areas under this topic that was discussed was how naming in particular creates awareness.
This is a topic that is very rarely talked about, but when looked at in more detail it made me think more about it. Our class text book Gendered Lives gives the example of Sexual Harassment. While there are many different ways a person can be "sexually harassed" it was essential for society to develop new terms to describe everything that can be under the category of Sexual Harassment. The same exact thing can be said about the term "rape" as we discussed in class. Now that there are different types of rape such as date rape and marital rape as a society we can distinguish which type it is and I believe makes it easier for officials of law enforcement and judges to punish these offenders accordingly.
Naming is a great way to enhance ones understanding of a concept especially regarding gender related topics. As for myself and I'm sure for most others as well, I don't know how to address a certain being that is different than I am. The thing I know is one, I am a man and I also know everything that I believe and everything that I stand for individually.
When I'm introduced to someone that is different than I am I and once again probably a lot of others as well don't quite know how to address that particular being and in the end that can cause for problems. Without naming society doesn't have necessarily the needed recognition to a concept that is different. I think a good example of this would be stereotyping a particular person. I mean think about it, how easy is it to make assumptions on people based on their outward appearance? If everything had a name to it therefore I believe it would be more commonly recognized and maybe not accepted, but at least understood by others.
Doesn't everyone wish life had an "easy button," I know I do. Naming indeed creates awareness and in a sense flips on that easy button. By naming things as a society we can more effectively acknowledge it. A great example of how naming creates awareness is the term, "androgynous." The tern refers to those who have both masculine and feminine traits. Before the term there was no other name for these types of people which would lead others to stereotype them and call them names such as queer, gay, fag, and the list could go on and on, but the important thing is that these people now have a term to describe them which would prevent these stereotypes and would in essence make them feel more secure about themselves.
Naming does not only just create awareness to something different, but naming flips on the easy button in life.
This is a topic that is very rarely talked about, but when looked at in more detail it made me think more about it. Our class text book Gendered Lives gives the example of Sexual Harassment. While there are many different ways a person can be "sexually harassed" it was essential for society to develop new terms to describe everything that can be under the category of Sexual Harassment. The same exact thing can be said about the term "rape" as we discussed in class. Now that there are different types of rape such as date rape and marital rape as a society we can distinguish which type it is and I believe makes it easier for officials of law enforcement and judges to punish these offenders accordingly.
Naming is a great way to enhance ones understanding of a concept especially regarding gender related topics. As for myself and I'm sure for most others as well, I don't know how to address a certain being that is different than I am. The thing I know is one, I am a man and I also know everything that I believe and everything that I stand for individually.
When I'm introduced to someone that is different than I am I and once again probably a lot of others as well don't quite know how to address that particular being and in the end that can cause for problems. Without naming society doesn't have necessarily the needed recognition to a concept that is different. I think a good example of this would be stereotyping a particular person. I mean think about it, how easy is it to make assumptions on people based on their outward appearance? If everything had a name to it therefore I believe it would be more commonly recognized and maybe not accepted, but at least understood by others.
Doesn't everyone wish life had an "easy button," I know I do. Naming indeed creates awareness and in a sense flips on that easy button. By naming things as a society we can more effectively acknowledge it. A great example of how naming creates awareness is the term, "androgynous." The tern refers to those who have both masculine and feminine traits. Before the term there was no other name for these types of people which would lead others to stereotype them and call them names such as queer, gay, fag, and the list could go on and on, but the important thing is that these people now have a term to describe them which would prevent these stereotypes and would in essence make them feel more secure about themselves.
Naming does not only just create awareness to something different, but naming flips on the easy button in life.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
My Childhood: How Gender is Communicated (Blog Post #1)
The earliest I can remember was when I was four years old just before my baby brother was born in February. I can remember that night when he was born just like it was just recent even though I am now 20. It was the middle of the night and my parents woke me and my other younger brother up and I didn't know exactly what was going on, but it was a big scramble and all I knew was that I ended up at my grandparents house when I woke up the next morning.
Before my youngest brother Chris was born my dad took me to hockey games. Now this was a really long time ago even before the Avalanche landed in Denver, we attended games of the Denver Grizzlies a minor league hockey team that played at the McNichols Arena in downtown Denver. The games were just simply awesome for me I loved the game, I loved the hard hitting, and fights. When I was young the aspects of the game sparked the interest I still have today, I love sports and it had all started when I went to the Grizzle games with my dad.
Looking back now it's not only the game I appreciate, but the greater picture I can only admire now that I am 20 and more mature. The time that I spent with my dad watching hockey quite frankly didn't mean anything, but it was something else that meant everything to me as a little kid and as a twenty year old today.
When I was with my dad watching hockey games as a four year kid and before he became more occupied with my newborn brother I learned a lot about my gender and my overall role as a male in society. When we went to these games we left behind my mother and my other younger brother Derrick and even though we had a blast watching hockey my dad always used to express the importance of family values and what it means to be the "man of the house." The games acted more so as a way to spend quality one on one time father and son.
The lessons I learned from my dad were that your family is the most important part of your life and no matter how many friends you have and no matter how much importance you give your friends, it is your family who is always there through the thick and thin while friends will come and go. By making this point to me at an early age my dad made another point to me as well, the point of the male is truly the head of the house.
Since we were away from the family at these games my dad always used to tell me when he was away like we were I was the man of the house so if he was not able to take these duties it would be turned over to me. I always felt a great deal of pride when he told me this and even at the time in which he told me this it didn't necessarily apply I felt like it was a great calling whenever the situation would arise. Thinking about that meant a great deal because even though my mom was always present in my life and was an elder and a figure that I have always trusted and had an obligation to listen to it was me who would take charge in a sense when he was away.
This really came true when my dad was deployed in Iraq and while he was away he told me every night he was able to call our family to make sure my mom and my brothers were doing alright and to keep them safe. By giving me this great duty my dad gave me the image of what being a man is all about. Being a man through my eyes means leadership, responsibility, and above all dedication. My role as a male as it was communicated to me by my dad is just by being a male you're getting yourself into a commitment, a signed contract in a sense. If I want to have a full filling life it is my duty to take care of my family present and future that's what being a male is all about.
This message that I was taught when I was four years old is still very much alive to me today with what is going on right now in my life. This point in my life where I am right now is definitely one of the hardest I have experienced. My parents with whom I still live with while I am attending college are separated, and for the first time in my life I don't have both of my parents together like it has always been. Through this experience there has been a lot of ups and downs emotionally and to say the least this situation is just flat out terrible. As my parents face their issues it doesn't feel any more like either of them is there anymore to parent my brothers and I like they should or at least as their child that's how it feels. My brothers still in high school one getting ready to graduate and the other just in his sophomore year they have shown their frustration through all of this.
During the beginning of my parents time apart from one another my brothers and mom and I had a sit down meeting with a counselor where my mom issued an plan of action of how she wanted the family to move along. At this meeting there was a change of frustration throughout the table between myself, my brothers, and my mom as it seemed like this meeting was going in the wrong direction I took leadership and spilled my heart out in my best attempt to keep my family together. I felt during this meeting like I was the counselor and I was the one keeping everyone sane just because like my father told me long ago, "be the man of the house."
After the meeting the counselor came up to me and told me personally to be strong through all this and to be a leader for my brothers to follow as the oldest child. The same exact lesson I was taught by my father years ago applies still even today and to me being a man isn't all about being tough. It is about being a leader and committing my self to my family that is what being a male means to me and that's how it has been communicated to me as a child and as a young adult.
Looking back now it's not only the game I appreciate, but the greater picture I can only admire now that I am 20 and more mature. The time that I spent with my dad watching hockey quite frankly didn't mean anything, but it was something else that meant everything to me as a little kid and as a twenty year old today.
When I was with my dad watching hockey games as a four year kid and before he became more occupied with my newborn brother I learned a lot about my gender and my overall role as a male in society. When we went to these games we left behind my mother and my other younger brother Derrick and even though we had a blast watching hockey my dad always used to express the importance of family values and what it means to be the "man of the house." The games acted more so as a way to spend quality one on one time father and son.
The lessons I learned from my dad were that your family is the most important part of your life and no matter how many friends you have and no matter how much importance you give your friends, it is your family who is always there through the thick and thin while friends will come and go. By making this point to me at an early age my dad made another point to me as well, the point of the male is truly the head of the house.
Since we were away from the family at these games my dad always used to tell me when he was away like we were I was the man of the house so if he was not able to take these duties it would be turned over to me. I always felt a great deal of pride when he told me this and even at the time in which he told me this it didn't necessarily apply I felt like it was a great calling whenever the situation would arise. Thinking about that meant a great deal because even though my mom was always present in my life and was an elder and a figure that I have always trusted and had an obligation to listen to it was me who would take charge in a sense when he was away.
This really came true when my dad was deployed in Iraq and while he was away he told me every night he was able to call our family to make sure my mom and my brothers were doing alright and to keep them safe. By giving me this great duty my dad gave me the image of what being a man is all about. Being a man through my eyes means leadership, responsibility, and above all dedication. My role as a male as it was communicated to me by my dad is just by being a male you're getting yourself into a commitment, a signed contract in a sense. If I want to have a full filling life it is my duty to take care of my family present and future that's what being a male is all about.
This message that I was taught when I was four years old is still very much alive to me today with what is going on right now in my life. This point in my life where I am right now is definitely one of the hardest I have experienced. My parents with whom I still live with while I am attending college are separated, and for the first time in my life I don't have both of my parents together like it has always been. Through this experience there has been a lot of ups and downs emotionally and to say the least this situation is just flat out terrible. As my parents face their issues it doesn't feel any more like either of them is there anymore to parent my brothers and I like they should or at least as their child that's how it feels. My brothers still in high school one getting ready to graduate and the other just in his sophomore year they have shown their frustration through all of this.
During the beginning of my parents time apart from one another my brothers and mom and I had a sit down meeting with a counselor where my mom issued an plan of action of how she wanted the family to move along. At this meeting there was a change of frustration throughout the table between myself, my brothers, and my mom as it seemed like this meeting was going in the wrong direction I took leadership and spilled my heart out in my best attempt to keep my family together. I felt during this meeting like I was the counselor and I was the one keeping everyone sane just because like my father told me long ago, "be the man of the house."
After the meeting the counselor came up to me and told me personally to be strong through all this and to be a leader for my brothers to follow as the oldest child. The same exact lesson I was taught by my father years ago applies still even today and to me being a man isn't all about being tough. It is about being a leader and committing my self to my family that is what being a male means to me and that's how it has been communicated to me as a child and as a young adult.
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