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“We're all under the same sky and walk the same earth; we're alive together during the same moment”
— Sandra Cisneros
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Hello and thank you for reading our April Newsletter. We cannot believe how fast time has flown by and how hard everyone has been working as we have just entered Spring Quarter here at UCSC. The projects are really taking off, we are in the beginning process of interviewing and on-boarding new Fellows, and the longer sunnier days are helping us get through it all. In this newsletter, we will be looking at technology in marginalized spaces and how it can be used as a tool to empower communities and bring people together, as well as the responsibilities we have as we enter communities across the globe that we are not a part of. We will feature a project in Nigeria, explain our on-boarding process for new Fellows, and interview one of our awesome alumni Ryan Shook.
Happy Reading!
—Savanna and Sierra, Everett Engagement Team
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Everett Student Project Shoutout!
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Empowering Women in Nigeria With Leadership & Tech
The Issue:
Cultural norms, gender and a lack of education are major factors that contribute to the digital gender gap in Nigeria. Women in Nigeria experience gender inequality where males are more encouraged and supported to pursue educational opportunities. Nigerian women have low computer literacy rates in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector and over 60% of women in the North do not have access to ICT tools. Cultural norms in Nigeria encourage women to become housewives rather than self-made entrepreneurs.
Project:
The team partnered with CITAD, an NGO that aims to empower its citizens towards a knowledgable and just society. The team conducted 2-week long tech trainings through mobile app tools for Nigerian women. Through their technology trainings Ayde and Ruby integrated women in ICT to empower the women to utilize the skills they learned to build their own social and economic enterprises. They also implemented a peer to peer learning environment where they strived to empower the women through education, training, and mentorship to expand their opportunities so the they are equipped to work, advance, and excel in all sectors, including entrepreneurs.
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The Incoming Cohort:
This month is all about interviewing and accepting new fellows! Students in the class series were invited to submit applications for the fellowship through the end of the quarter, and at the beginning of Spring Quarter, fellows will be interviewing candidates. After our interview process is completed, the current cohort will vote on which students to extend an invitation to, to form the cohort for the 2019-2020 school year! After we have the solidified cohort, incoming fellows are going to experience a shadow period in the fellowship where they will experience a wide range of duties that fellows perform along with receiving a manual and attending the Spring Retreat all to hopefully prepare them for success as they take on the program in the coming year. We can’t wait to find our cohort, and introduce them to you!
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Alumni Spotlight
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Meet Ryan Shook:
Ryan was a re-entry and first-gen student who attended community college and transferred to UC Santa Cruz for Sociology and the Everett Program. He is now back working at the community college where he started and is the Student Life Coordinator and oversees a student mentorship program. His passions are helping other people succeed and showing students their full potential and the endless opportunities available. He is now earning his Masters degree in Social Work at CSU Monterey Bay and continues to support and implement peer-to-peer learning and teaching with the youth he works with. We are proud to have Ryan as part of our alumni family!
Click the button below to read more.
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Tips and Tools for: Technology in Marginalized Spaces
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Often times we go into marginalized communities and are faced with the "white savior complex" or when Western people go in to "fix" the problems of struggling nations or people of color without understanding their history, needs, or the region's current state of affairs. A good intention can quickly create a larger issue, especially when introducing new technologies that aren't sustainable but instead create dependence. Sustainability is key. You must listen and work with the community and come up with long term solutions that continue once you leave. That is why here at Everett we often implement trainings using free or very cheap applications. This is to ensure as best as possible that once the students leave, the communities have gained confidence and skills that they can continue to build off of and have an outlet to tackle difficult issues.
Content to Consume: This podcast, and accompanying article from Non-Profit Quarterly in October from 2018 touches on the White Savior Complex and micro-aggressions in the workplace. Amy Costello explores the concept of the White Savior Complex through the case study of a video that went viral of an American missionary in Uganda using violence and racial slurs at a hotel. This is a jumping off point to explore white saviorism, the problems that can occur when someone in a position of privilege uses it to negative means, specifically when they are acting with or alongside a charitable cause, and can become a sort of tutorial as what we work to avoid at all costs in all ways with the work that Everett does or funds. click here to access the podcast and article.
Practices to Implement: The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) has an article about how to successfully be an ally to marginalized groups, that holds true especially when entering these communities to work with them. By understanding and implementing these practices it helps make us better allies, changemakers, friends, coworkers, and citizens by continuing our education and taking the first steps to create understanding and build bridges. The 5 points provided by YALI are:
- start paying attention to what you say
- be willing to accept correction
- be intolerant of intolerance
- seek out marginalized voices and perspectives
- educate your own community
click here to read more
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1. Post-Grad Webinar- April 24, 6:30pm
Graduation is around the corner. Are you freakin' out? Join us for a webinar to help you get a head start on your job search! We'll present a toolbox of resources and tips on how to get the job you want from alumni and recent grads.
RSVP Here to get reminders, or join directly here at 6:30pm PST on April 24.
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