The workshop with Felix and Flor was awesome! They started out with some fun icebreakers, like limbo, games with balloons, etc.
Everyone got to pick a colored sash to wear to enter "the party", then had to limbo in order to gain entrance. Some kids were embarrassed at first, but eventually everyone did it!
Then they broke off into groups - Flor with the girls and Felix with the boys.
The girls wrote down phrases they have heard when being harassed in the street, as well as messages they would want to tell their harassers. This was really effective because it gave everyone a way to express their frustration - most of the time, girls don't react to verbal harassment on the street out of fear and/or embarrassment (or because it's easier and less time consuming to just keep walking than to confront someone), so this was an opportunity to raise their voice and express their sentiments!
The boys talked about things they have heard on the street as well, but also things that they or their friends have said. They also discussed the importance of respecting women and wrote promises or commitments to not verbally harass women, to not participate when their friends do it, etc.
Later, everyone listened to songs while blindfolded, in order to pay attention to the lyrics, which contained a lot of the same vulgarities and phrases that we hear on the street.
They taped all the phrases and promises that they wrote onto silhouettes of a boy and girl.
For lunch, Doña Lucia cooked Nicaraguan chop suey (chayote, carrots, and cabbage cooked with chicken in a tomato sauce) for all 30 people.
We also had time to dance a little! The girls put on some bachata music, and what happened next was really cute.
A group of boys called me over and asked if I could ask the group of girls to dance with them. It was such a cute/awkward preteen moment! One of the boys mustered the courage to ask one of the girls to dance, but the girl was too shy and didn't want to dance. After that, the poor kid seemed really embarrassed so I offered to dance with him instead. However, he turned me down because he was also too shy!
We also did an activity where we learned how to say "No" when someone was invading our personal space. The kids took turns walking up to each other aggressively and staring at the other person, while the other person had to firmly tell them "No!" to make them go away. This activity resulted in a lot of giggles!
The workshop lasted from 8am-3pm, and all of us were really tired by the end of it. But what a fun, neat experience, for both the kids and for me! I learned a lot about how to facilitate a day-long workshop with youth, and I also benefited from the talks about street harassment and how to deal with it. The kids got to have fun together while opening up about their experiences with street harassment, received tips on how to deal with it, and did fun activities together.
Overall, the workshop was a success, and I am thankful for the help of Felix and Flor, Ingrid, Gabriela, the mothers, and for the participation of the youth.
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