By Leibe North
Every Tuesday after Mini-School meeting, you see the females in the program separate from the guys and go to Women’s Studies. Women’s Studies is held at one of the student’s homes or another designated spot. When we arrive we settle ourselves and prepare ourselves for Women’s Studies.
We start with one person saying how we would rate our week 1 to 10, ten being best. And in some cases 10+ or a zero. But, after you say how your week went you can bring up topics or problems that are bothering you. For example, if one week you had problems with your parents and you discussed it, the next week someone will probably ask you how that was going. We often cover subjects of parents, school, boyfriends, friends, jobs, drugs, self-esteem, suicide, deaths, feelings, caring, trust and problem-solving. After everyone has said everything that’s needed to be said, we all pack up and go back to school–often with smiles and better feelings about ourselves and others.
I think without Women’s Studies I would be completely insane, stressed out and would never have gained the closeness I’ve gained with the other Mini-School girls, as well as teachers Dawn Norton and Lester Hughes-Seamans.