Vision:
The mission of
our program is to educate and aid in the persistence in young women of color to
graduation at all levels of education.
Mission:
Through this
program it is our mission to develop young women of color pursuing education, psychologically,
academically, and socially. Transforming them to be change agents in their own
academic retention and equipping young women of color striving for education in
the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Arts and
Education with support necessary to persistent to graduation. Our mission is to
ensure that all participates leave our program with self-love, self-discipline,
self-empowerment, leadership development, community engagement and the resources
necessary to persist to graduation within high school and college.
L.O.V.E (Living & Overcoming w/Virtue & Excellence) is a
retention-focused program designed for women of color enrolled in high school,
2year institutions or 4year institutions. This program seeks to develop women
of color pursuing education psychologically, academically, and socially.
Ultimately, becoming change agents in their community, ownership in their academic
retention and successful persistence to graduation. Studies have shown that
students of color, who are able to develop culturally and in their identities, tend
to be successful in retaining in their institution and persist to graduation
(Gohn & Albin, 2006; Helms, 1993; Jones, 2001). L.O.V.E program will equip young women of color striving for
higher education with the skills and resources necessary to persist to
graduation. The young ladies in our program, which are referred to as LOVE
Diamonds because Diamonds sustains under high pressures of heat and diamonds, are
unbreakable. After overcoming and sustaining the heat they are transformed into
a unique shape. The young ladies in this program will be transformed into
Diamonds, unbreakable change agents for themselves and their community. The
program objective is to develop one student at a time and one year at a time, by
way of three learning pillars: LOVE Self, LOVE Leadership, and LOVE Community. Without
a strong ability for critical thinking, the ability to synthesis their own
ideas and a strong sense of self, graduation cannot become reality for this
population of students. Astin (1994) states that in order to develop ownership
of ones education, it is vital to have a connection to the learning institution
academically, socially and our program believes that this concept can be
applied to all levels of education.
The students of
L.O.V.E will be engaged inside and outside the classroom by L.O.V.E staff, the
institution educators, and community partnerships. Through our partnership with
Landmark Education we will finance the participation of our students to attend
a 3-day seminar, that will assistant our diamonds to develop a sense of self
and ability to become aware of those events in their life that have placed a
stomp in their way to persistence. L.O.V.E Diamonds will participate in
bi-weekly self-development workshops in the areas of self-development,
leadership development and community development. Workshops will primarily focus on self-empowerment, academic
achievement, career building and career planning within STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Arts and Education, leadership
development and community service project. In addition to these workshops, students will engage in
“Circles of Conversations” where they will engage in conversation around Self
Love, Self Esteem, Dating & Violence, Emotion Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual
Abuse, Healthy Lifestyle, Career Development, “My Dreams, & My Goals” and
the importance of giving back. In
the space of seventeen weeks, students will be able to apply the student
learning outcomes outlined below to their internal and external
environment. Students will then
utilize these workshops as a source of aid in pursuit of completing a final
project entitled “ProjectLOVE.” In week fourteen of the program,
students will be introduced to “ProjectLOVE”
and expected to construct a service-learning program within their community
that highlight the seven principles of development: Self Love, Self Discipline, Self Empowerment, Leadership Development
& Career Planning, Integrity, Ambition and Community Involvement. At the end of the program, students
will then complete a final evaluation of L.O.V.E Diamond’s participation at the
L.O.V.E GALA that will be
coordinated by LOVE staff. The
gala will highlight achievements attained within the program as well as provide
scholarships to graduating seniors pursuing a career in STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Higher Education, Business or Art
related fields. This program is designed to guide students as they explore
their significance and how they interconnect with others (Erikson, 1959). The
difficulty to find a balance in their personal life, their studies and other
external factors to the institution can hinder ones ability to successfully
persist through school. L.O.V.E recognizes that first generation students,
especially minority women, need consistent advice and guidance as it relates to
self-awareness and leadership development.
L.O.V.E program desire is to provide an atmosphere where students
can develop the leadership skills needed to be successful in whatever they
strive to obtain. By incorporating the three learning pillars: LOVE Self, LOVE
Leadership, and LOVE Community. The program will provide the tools necessary to
navigate the educational pipeline. Based on the data gathered from the
intervention lesson plan, I will analyze the information to improve the program
and ensure that we are meeting the on going and ever changing needs of women of
color and students persistence through high school and college. Assessment will
occur throughout each seventeen-week cycle.
For students of color, the lack of institutional capital is
quite detrimental to their academic, emotional, and psychological well-being.
Because most traditional aged students arrive to campus with a dualistic way of
thinking (Perry, 1968a) the collegiate process is very hard for them. Many women
of color are also faced with extensive academic challenges stemming from
inadequate preparation during their K-12 education (Swail, Reed & Perna,
2003). Coupled with their inability to navigate institutional systems such as
financial aid, course selection, and available academic resources, the odds of
retention decrease (Astin, 1984).
After in depth analysis and understanding of the challenges
students of color, particularly, women of color pursuing education encounter,
it is clear that there is a need for retention programs to provide support that
directly offset external barriers to their education environment. A sign that
development has occurred is a student’s ability to make meaning of their
experiences with increased complexity (Sanford, 1967). L.O.V.E’s interventions
are intended to be a source of disjuncture for women of color causing them to evaluate
and re-establish their personal frame of reference (Mezirow, 1997). This
retention program will implement interventions that will directly address each
identified area of challenge development theory as the foundation.
Support will be provided through self-awareness and self-love activities,
leadership skill building through a leadership retreat, community services
project through participation in “ProjectLOVE” a service-learning project.
Students will also be provided with ongoing workshops with the primary focus of
LOVE Self, LOVE Leadership and LOVE Community. Additionally mentoring (faculty
to student, and peer to peer) will be a consistent part of the program
structure. Staff will utilize the cultural capital of each student as a means
of mattering (Schlossberg, 1989), and empower them with institutional capital
where needed. This information is a necessity and an asset to all students.
With a passion and purpose to develop a program which meets the needs of women
color in their education environment, as well as consideration of retention
literature and research L.O.V.E (Living and Overcoming w/ Virtue &
Excellence) was developed.
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