Girls LItClubs in Accra, Ghana Explore the Seven Strengths

The entry below is shared by our Girls LitClub facilitator in Accra, Ghana, Emefa. Our Girls LitClubs there is done in partnership with Ceinode Ghana. Thank you for your work, Emefa!

The day began with the “Hello Song” that got the facilitator greeting all girls in a very exciting and sisterly environment. Girls could not hide their excitement and anxiety as they sang along with the facilitator to open the day. Next was the check in question that got the girls sharing their most exciting moment of the week. 

These warm up interactions set the stage to continue from where the Day 1 lesson ended previously. Girls were led to write the answer to day one’s discussion question into their journals and later shared with friends. Individual answers are captured in the photo below:

The next activity took the girls through the seven strengths of Litworld workshops. Girls were guided to appreciate what each strength stands for, and why our weekly workshops will be structured around the strengths.


The discussion subsequently led girls to indicate what each strength means to them as they came forward to indicate it in words, phrases, sentences and sketches, linking what they had to write to the particular strength being discussed at the time. The chart with the seven strengths boldly hangs in front of the club.
Generally, the day was a very interactive and fulfilling for the girls, a very successful and impactful day!


The day ended with a quick review of activities for the day and the goodbye song.

Girls LitClubs in Kibera Visit the Arboretum!

 

On Sunday, October 9th, the girls had a day out, and went to the arboretum. The girls got to meet and mingle with the girls in the new girls club, and played the name game, making it easier for everybody to remember each others’ names.

The new members were then introduced to the LitWorld girls’ club activities, and as a team we established some guidelines for our club. This was followed by a brief session of index surveying, since it was a day to mingle and have fun. This was given the lion share of our day out. A sumptuous meal iced our cake and it was time to go back home.

-Shared by Prisca, Girls Club Facilitator in Kibera

Girls LitClubs in Kibera Speak of Hope

This post was shared by Kibera Girls Club facilitator, Prisca:

The LitWorld girls club has finished their first topic of hope. They read a poem by Sir Chinmroy -talking about us coming together to help erase the madness and sadness of the world. This was followed by a discussion, and the girls shared as a group what the poem meant to them. Joyna wrote; “The actions of the people in the world cannot be controlled until people come together in a group and solve the problems that they have.”

We also explored music as a form of expression. The girls listened to the song “I Believe” by Princess. This girl is very special in Kenya, as she embodies the fight against cancer at 14 years old. She is a cancer patient and the most vocal advocate for treatment to all cancer patients in our country. After, the girls got to write a poem or song of their own about their hopes for the world.


By Spencer Awour:

I only hope for one thing,
If only the world would let the girl child have her rights,
My world you should consider the girl child as a human,
Please! Please! Fill her with respect, always talk good to her.

Do not think that only the boy child should have a right to education,
Most of the girls are street girls, they are not educated
They should be educated so that they may fill the world
If only my hopes does not come in to reality, then I hope The girls too would have to say no to abuse and say yes to girl child education

And so there they should have to change the world
Start a new world full of educated girls.

Girls Clubs in Baltimore, Maryland Make Heart Maps

 

I've long been a fan of simplicity and directness where possible, especially in the use of language. So when a very wise 4th grader said this yesterday, I was struck by her efficiency but more importantly her ability express such an important concept at a relatively young age. "We might look different on the outside, but we're all the same on the inside." And her club-mates agreed with her. We read and discussed Mem Fox's Whoever You Are which beautifully illustrates this very simple and profound truth. We considered ways we belong to each other (as friends and classmates), to our families (as daughters and sisters, cousins and moms), and to the whole world (as human beings). Then we made heart maps to represent all these important connections in our lives. My friend and artist Dorothy Valakos kindly shared her talent and materials so each girl was able to create a beautiful piece of art to help her remember the important roles she plays in the world. I hope the girls will continue to explore all the ways we are very similar, because although we might look different on the outside, we're all the same on the inside.
Shared by Virginia, Girls LitClub Facilitator in Baltimore, MD
 

 

Kisumu LitClubs Receive Laptop Donations!

Through our partnership with the Millennium City Initiative, we are able to support Girls LitClubs at Kodiaga and Magadi primary schools in Kisumu, Kenya. Recently, they received their laptop donations, which they will use to conduct more trainings for teachers, and to use to enhance programming for the LitClubs! We are thrilled that they now have another resource to create a positive learning environment for their youth! We thank Lois and Beldina in Kisumu, Kenya, for all of their work!

Kibera Boys LitClub Trip to Nairobi Arboretum

Sunday, the 9th of October 2011, the LitWorld Boys Club made an amazing trip to the renowned Nairobi Arboretum for an exciting outdoor learning session. The Nairobi Arboretum is a public recreational park situated in the outskirts of the city centre and is frequented by the city dwellers for hedonistic fulfillment. The site also provides room for games at the central lawn in the park.

Having made a 30 minutes journey from Kibera to the park, the group settled down fast and begun with a read aloud session. The read aloud method enabled the boys to read in turns about a story that highlighted the seven principles which form the basis for the Boys Club curriculum. It was meant to improve their comprehension, listening and memory skills during and after reading. They also had an opportunity to revisit some of the elements they had previously discussed during the in-door sessions. The engaging nature of the session also provided a platform for modeling curiosity and posing of questions that enriched the boys with proper understanding of the seven pillars.

After the read aloud session, they also engaged in brainstorming activities, forming questions in groups and asking them to the other members. Later on, the boys sat down for their lunch which was followed by the stretching of limbs. Some jogged around the park, others roamed around enjoying the parks steady breeze and amazing scenery, yet others played soccer. At around 4.00 pm we re-converged and boarded our bus back to Kibera.

It was a fantastic trip and all the boys enjoyed every bit of it.

-Jeff



The Knights Kenya Launch Girls Clubs at the Spurgeon School

We are happy to share these touching photos of the girls the Spurgeon School in Kenya having one of the first Girls Clubs meetings. Our partner there, The Knights Kenya, has made these gatherings possible. Special thanks to our friend Olivia for making this work happen.

Find out more about The Knights Kenya here.

The Girls learning the Seven Strengths

We look forward to hearing more of what's to come from The Knights Kenya. Looks like a great start!

Welcome to the Boys LitClub Blog!

It's been an amazing year.

2011 saw the launch of the LitWorld Boys LitClubs, beginning in February at the Polo Grounds Community Center in Harlem, New York City. Currently running in multiple New York City locations, Port Chester, NY, Kibera, Kenya, and Erbil, Iraq, LitClubs continue to spread across the globe. Centered on LitWorld’s Seven Strengths—Belonging, Curiosity, Friendship, Kindness, Confidence, Courage, and Hope—LitClub members read, write and share stories with each other, inviting special guests to their club and going on trips together.


The LitClub in Kibera, Kenya are all smiles on their first day together.

The Broadway Housing LitClub gobbles up some delicious New York pizza for dinner.

The Polo Grounds Teen LitClub visit the Paley Center for Digital Media to premiere their movie.

The younger boys from the Polo Grounds watch a short documentary, “Carry On,” about two high school wrestlers who become best friends through a common bond.

As leaders, innovators, and thinkers, we are all a part of a global social network that keeps on growing. We are the young men of the LitWorld Boys LitClubs, and here is where we share our stories.

-David

The Launch of the First Girls Club in Baltimore, Maryland!

 Virginia, our fantastic new Girls Club facilitator in Baltimore, offers her reflections on starting a Girls Club for the first time!

This week I led my first GirlsClub meeting at City Neighbors Charter School in Baltimore City. It was a wonderful experience, and I'm thankful to have the chance to do it. I may bring new books to share with the girls, but I can already see they will be teaching me things, too.
Together we talked about ways to share or grow peace. Their ideas were touching and encouraging, for example: Be there for your friends, Help a family member when something difficult is happening - make sure they don't need anything, Listen to your friends and show them understanding. We read Todd Parr's The Peace Book, and some girls were surprised by a few of the ways he suggested spreading peace: Everyone having a home, Enough pizza for everyone in the world. The girls had not connected those basic needs with peace but did want everyone to have them.
Then we discussed The Seven Strengths which we will explore more fully in the weeks to come: Belonging, Curiosity, Sisterhood, Kindness, Confidence, Courage and Hope. I was delighted by the connections they already have with these concepts and can't wait to see how they will develop through our time together.
Finally we made our own journals to hold our responses and ideas. The girls were very enthusiastic and wanted to write in their beautiful creations right away. But we were out of time. So much to look forward to next week!

Girls Clubs in Erbil, Iraq Stand Up for Girls on 9/22!

With the gracious help of strong female leaders Hanaa and Saadia, the young women in Erbil, Iraq were able to join us in standing up for girls! We are inspired by all the positive work these young women are doing, and are very grateful for the opportunity to collaborate and join together on this important movement. Check out their photos below:

This partnership is made possible with the Together to Protect Human & the Environment Association (Together) There website: http://www.togetherecho.org/

Support Day of the Girl!

While we all celebrated International Day of the Girl on September 22nd, there is still much work to get done to make this day an official day of recognition. We are pleased to join our friends at Day of the Girl in pushing the Obama Administration in recognizing this day.

Please sign the petition here to join the movement, and if you are on Twitter, they've left behind some sample tweets to help get the word out! Feel free to copy, paste, and share! 

Tell @WhiteHouse that the #DayOfTheGirl matters to you! http://bit.ly/dayofthegirlpetition

Petition for #DayOfTheGirl is soo close to goal of 1,000 signatures. Is yours one of them?? http://bit.ly/dayofthegirlpetition

Conference on Girls Education in Segou, Mali!

During the International Day of the Girl, our friends in Mali had a debate event on the topic of girls education with over 40 participants! It was overseen by the Deputy Mayor in charge of education and five communication counselors. Many organizations came to celebrate and participate in this open conference, and we are thrilled to see that this created an incredibe space for dialogue for girls throughout Mali, and across the globe!

Check out their photos below:

This event was made possible by our partners at Millennium Cities Initiative!

Girls from Mali Stand Up for Girls!

Our beautiful friends in Mali stood up for girls on September 22nd, the International Day of the Girl! These photos are just so inspiring. We had to share!

Brava, girls of the world!!! (Felicitations, filles du monde entier!)


Again, we thank our partners at Millennium Cities Initiative for connecting our movement with the beautiful people of Segou, Mali on this special day!

New Canaan Country School Stands Up for Girls!

We love these pictures from New Canaan County School in Conneticut as they celebrate International Day of the Girl with LitWorld, Millennium Cities Initiative, and Connect to Learn!

Even the field hockey team stood up with girls all across the world!

We love how happy she looks to be joining in on the day's mission!

LitWorld Girls Clubs in Kisumu, Kenya Stand Up for Girls!

On this day they thank our parents, guardians, siblings and well wishers who are taking care of them to ensure that they come to school, feed and have a shelter. They girls were asked to be grateful where they are right now and aim higher.


Each teacher then gave a personal account of how it was back then when she was a girl their age.  It was quiet interesting to note that although we grew up in different environment, we more or less had the same dreams and aspirations. What was noted – your teacher, your greatest inspiration.  We, the teachers, pledged to STAND UP FOR GIRLS! We will support the girls around us positively in every way we possibly can.  


Ms. Sawala from Amilo primary school graced the occasion and then spent some time inspiring the students to work hard in their studies, aspire for greater things in life. She spoke about her life in school and how to be a girl is beautiful. The facilitators and l also got inspired.

The girls demonstrating how they use their solar lanters. The solar lanterns are part of the Lit! Project, a project of youth ambassador Ben Hirschfeld.

We want to send a special thank you to our colleague, Lois, for making this happen on the ground in Kisumu, and to our partners at Millenium Cities Initiative for helping us make the Girls Clubs in Kisumu, Kenya, happen!

VIDEO: "Give Girls A Chance" by Ashta No Kai in Pune, India

Through the connection from our friends at Asia Initiatives, we were able to connect with Ashta No Kai in Pune, India, an NGO that aims to make a difference in rural women's lives by providing them with the education, vocational skills, and resources they need to become economically dependent and self-reliant. They put together this incredible video in celebration for today!

Children of Kibera Foundation March for International Day of the Girl!

It was an exciting day at the LitWorld girls club, Kibera Nairobi as we joined others around the globe to commemorate the stand up international day of the girl, this 22nd September 2011.


The occasion begun with a procession from the local authorities, office accompanied with a band which led the enthusiastic crowd of 150 through the streets of Kibera. Girls from different groups, schools and organizations came together to celebrate this special event.



Through this remarkable function, girls increase their awareness on the scope and power of opportunities and choices and the effects of empowerment. Together we stood up for the girl and her right to quality education.


We are grateful for the support towards a successful realization of this modest endeavor and the girls are happy to share their views with friends around the world.



Written by our wonderful friend at Children of Kibera Foundation, Jeff Okoth.

Girls Clubs in Kisumu, Kenya Receive New Laptops!

We are thrilled to hear from our dear friend Lois in Kisumu, Kenya, as she reported that their Girls Clubs at the Nanga and Migosi primary schools. Now the students can Skype and connect with students all across the world! We are thrilled to make this happen for Kisumu in partnership with the Millennium Cities Initiative.

"The girls were overjoyed to receive your kind donation and stated that now they can have the skype sessions with other schools, something they have been wanting for so long." - Lois

 

 

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