Kate's comments as a post, Alice replies

Kate commented:

Thank you for posting your proposal. Together We FLY is a great idea. I have a couple of questions before I can start my accumulation of resources and preparation for this project.

Questions for the Community-Playground Activity:
What computer design program do use on those 9 computers?
Other than hammers, what tools are available? What materials? (ex. wood, sheet metal)
Would you like ideas/pictures of multi-play playgrounds from us? Or does the community already have an idea in mind?

Girl’s Literacy Questions:
What potential jobs are available, if any, to these women if they do enter/complete high school? What computer skills should be taught (ex. typing skills, research, data input)?
Do you have any resources in the library to meet the needs of this girl’s self-advocacy program? (ex. resources to address the question – what does it mean to be a girl)

A Little Bit About Myself:
I am extremely excited to meet you and get this project underway. I am in the process of self-evaluation to see what I bring to the mix and what resources I can attain/create in order to be beneficial to this pilot project. I have lots of experiences in teaching leadership programs and team-building exercises. I am in my last year at Queen’s, I study Music (I play the piano and the drums), I have a minor in History and have taken a couple of Development Study courses. In the past, I’ve been a sailing coach, camp counsellor, and I’m a lifeguard/swim instructor – just some background info on myself. This sounds like an amazing project and I am glad to be a part of it.

Take care,
Kate

February 19, 2007 8:55 AM

Alice's replies:

Community Playground Tools

Mike has developed some proficiency on Google Sketch-Up, and he may have been thinking about that when he referred to using computers in the design process. I'm not sure, and he won't be back from a river trip until April 2, so I can't answer that one exactly. We are certainly open to suggestions there. As far as woodworking tools, we have a wide range of hand and power tools (and a generator), but we don't have a lot of duplicates of any one thing: we have a couple of hammers, a couple of drills, like that. Wood will have to be harvested locally as needed (a possible river/camping trip) and sheet metal, bolts etc are available 2 hours away but in a very limited range of sizes/quality/quantity.

As far as bringing ideas for the playground. The sticky part with that is that folks here tend to be too deferential/polite to the ideas of outsiders, so one wants to supply processes more than ideas if at all possible. Meaning, if you and/or Maia would like to do some research into participatory design playground projects, the methodology that has been used to engage people effectively would be more valuable than the ideas that were produced out of those processes. Mike has expressed the goal of discovering and incorporating traditional Macushi forms of play, such as a game similar to marbles that uses tree seeds; I would like to incorporate traditional structures, such as a kind of shooting platform they used to use for hunting that is similar to a basic treehouse. Some community members do already have ideas in mind: they are carbon copies of playgrounds they have already seen, either in books or in towns.

Girl's Literacy:

The typical jobs available to girls who complete high school are schoolteacher, community health worker, there are some dietitian positions opening up in the school lunch program, possibly an office position with a business or agency, and they do have access to the University of Guyana for a certificate or BA in any number of subjects (see www.uog.edu.gy).

As far as library materials on "what it means to be a girl" we certainly don't have much, even of the "Our Bodies, Our Selves" variety, and more could be helpful, but remember that this social/cultural context is completely different. The goal is to get participants to reflect on their lives and choices, not to absorb our attitudes, which are based on a different set of opportunities. That said, the very idea that they have choices is arguably an import. It's very hard for girls here to choose a path different from mothers or peers, just as it can be in any culture (eg try being a teenage HS-dropout mom when your own mother is a high-powered attorney).

These are great, challenging questions/comments, Kate. I hope everyone else will jump into the fray, and especially, disagree with me or at least take things further than I have here.