As a teen girl, can you imagine dealing with issues like:
- My father thinks that college is only for my brother.
- My family’s aspirations for my career is to learn how to keep house, get married and raise a family.
- My family doesn’t want me to move away from home.
Barrio Logan College Institute (www.blci.org)developed Circulo de Mujeres, a gender specific support group for girls that meets weekly to discuss the challenges they are facing at home or in their community while expanding their future outlook with regards to education options and careers.
The mission of BLCI is to prepare students in Barrio Logan for academic success by offering academic support, building skills in weekly Steps to Success workshops, and by providing adequate resources that will build college knowledge. One of their programs is the College Success Pipeline, an afterschool college prep program from 3rd grade through college completion that ensures the girls get the general resources they need to get to college and succeed there.
Women Give San Diego has granted $15,000 for two years to support both the Circulo de Mujeres and the portion of the College Success Pipeline that serves girls only.
The Circulo de Mujeres provides a necessary space for female students to explore personal and academic issues critical to their healthy development. This component specifically tackles issues that detract from girls’ educational and career goals, such as coping with the negative influences in the underserved communities where the girls reside.
This group allows these young women to express themselves and have someone to confide in.
The group discusses ideas like: What does it mean to have an education? What does it mean to move away from home?
One of the students, now a sophomore at High Tech High, was having problems at home pursuing her academic goals. Her mom approached the staff at Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI) explaining that her husband was impeding her daughter’s academic goals by only allowing her brother to use the computer for homework. The father would also turn off the light in her bedroom while she was studying. Consequently, the young woman had to hide in the kitchen to do her homework.
The staff at BLCI intervened and let her borrow a laptop so she can complete her homework. Today, she has a 3.5 GPA while her brother is struggling with his grades. Although she is excelling in school, she is still not allowed to participate in BLCI field trips because her father will not grant her permission to leave the local area. Her father desires his daughter to have a traditional place in the home and learn from her grandma how to cook and keep house instead of going off to college. Ironically, grandma endorses the support of BLCI’s help in her granddaughter’s pursuit of a higher education understanding that staying at home will limit her ability to achieve her goals.
Through the Circulo de Mujeres, BLCI leverages their relationship with parents to break down stereotypes and expectations that limit opportunities for their girls, such as the expectation that women don’t need college, or if they go to college, they should live at home until they get married, thereby limiting their college options. They also address other gender stereotypes common in the Latino community that may limit girls’ career options. They expect this strategy to increase retention of girls in their pipeline while encouraging them to pursue higher paying, and sometimes non-traditional careers, particularly in math and science.
In March, the Mujeres talked about Women’s History Month and the limitations that women have had over time and how many more freedoms women have today. Each girl created her own timeline of when she will go to college, start a career, get married and have a family. Through this planning process, the girls recognized that in today’s world she has the ability to plan for these milestones in their life. Not so long ago, women did not create a timeline for them. Barrio Logan College Institute has provided resources and a path for these young women to achieve all they want in their lifetime despite the boundaries they are experiencing through their family, culture or community.
BLCI finds it very important to provide their students with positive role models. As part of the Circulo de Mujeres, they invite female guest speakers to share their stories with their young women. They envision members of WGSD participating as guest speakers at the Circulo de Mujeres providing a great opportunity for the students to learn from local San Diego women and their higher education and professional experiences. There will also be opportunities for Women Give members to become mentors to these young women. If you are interested in being a guest speaker or mentor, please contact Tanya via email: Tanyam@blci.org or call: ext. 107
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