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HERSTORY WRITERS WORKSHOP An introduction to our work in school settings Bilingual/ENL Coordinators’ Meeting Long Island RBERN Western Suffolk BOCES Conference Center Wheatley Heights October 23, 2018 Presenters: Erika Duncan, Artistic and Executive Director, Herstory Writers Workshop Helen Dorado Alessi, Program Consultant, Herstory Writers Workshop About Herstory  Founded on Long Island in 1996 by novelist and essayist Erika Duncan with the aim of giving voice to women whose stories have been silenced, empowering them through passing along the “dare to care”– the cornerstone of Herstory’s philosophy, the organization has helped thousands of women and girls – and more recently men and boys to use the memoir form to change hearts, minds and policy About Herstory  Herstory conducts workshops in a variety of formats in school, community, and jailbased settings, including day long retreats in partnership with school districts, universities and justice organizations, while our webinar program and publications reach beyond Long Island’s shores School Districts Universities • Credit-bearing Facilitator Training on Herstory Pedagogy  Hofstra  Stony Brook • Supervised Field Placements • PD for Teachers, Administrators, and Guidance Staff • In-district/In-class/ After-School Facilitation with Students  Central Islip  Patchogue-Medford Communities • Incarcerated Women & Girls • Immigrants & Dreamers • Parenting Groups • Human Rights Groups Introducing the Herstory Method a portable and flexible model The notion of building writing skills is deceptively simple, yet the ramifications are far reaching and profound  Where other approaches to writing may not have succeeded in igniting a spark or supporting mastery  Herstory extends into gains in problem solving in the other academic disciplines and social and emotional literacy  Promoting a sense of community within each classroom or community engagement setting  Herstory builds bridges of understanding across the barriers that keep us from hearing one another  Connecting one’s own story with the larger social forces, as an instrument of change  Herstory supports development of leadership skills Reaching Out to High School Students Through teacher training and mentoring programs Offering daylong retreats on college campuses and in high school settings High school students from all over the country attend an honors retreat at LIU Post Fostering College Preparedness for newcomer students who will be the first in their families to pursue higher education Westbury students tour the campus of LIU Post where they have been coming weekly to write Bringing high school students to write on college campuses Working side by side with Public Humanities, English, Modern Languages, Education, Criminology, Social Work, Civic Engagement sociology, English, and Psychology students, finding commonalities in their tales 10 Research supports the Herstory approach  Over the years, authors have spoken of the power of writing in the language of their memories and dreams When students remain connected with their home language rhythms, there is a richness that they bring into language learning that is irreplaceable  When the connection to the native language is cut off, especially at the moment when so much of what sustained them has been left behind, a part of our students may lose motivation and receptivity  We have had evidence of this phenomenon, dating back 40 years, to Jim Cummins’ (1978; 1979) compelling work that demonstrated the interdependence of first and second languages 12 Pedagogy and Practice 13 The Ramifications of Writing for an Imaginary “Stranger/Reader” For young people who have never felt heard… • Safety in imagining someone who might actually hear you and care • Investment in organizing one’s story so that another can walk in your shoes • Level playing field in the nature of the task 14 Oral Imaging Before Anyone Writes  Not to worry if you don’t have the technical writing skills, the trick is to paint a scene vivid enough to shock a sleepy or angry listener/reader into coming on your journey Learning to engage your listeners in painting a scene a game everyone can play  How to startle people into attention, while deciding what facts you want to reveal and what you want to keep secret for a while, or maybe forever  Puzzle solving for what should come first and why 15 Letting your own story brew as you listen Taking courage from the other images and scenes being shaped 16 Finding a Dramatic “Page One Moment”  Learning the elements that keep your audience reading and make them care about what has happened particularly to you  Teasing them into coming for the next workshop to find out what will happen next  Looking at those moments that changed it all with new eyes, while inviting the others to come on your journey of discovery 17 Once the writing begins…  The pleasure of sharing a secret with someone who has begun to truly know you through your words  Knowing that your words helped others to embrace your honesty and pain 18 Sustaining your story: Developing a new set of writing skills Leading to… Connecting the dots as you set out how you got from here to there…  Understanding past choices in a way that will free you to make new future choices  Beginning to see yourself as an actor in the story of your life, instead of just a passive victim  Surprising yourself with lost moments of power and beauty  Learning new compassion for the other players in your drama  Finding places for your sorrow and rage that others can truly share, as together you work toward change and healing 19 offers a variety of programs:  For training secondary teachers to use the Herstory method in their classrooms  For writing intensive and ENL courses with students in public and alternative schools, as well as in universities and colleges  For college/school collaborations where college interns and high school students from challenged communities write side by side  For summer institutes and orientation programs for a variety of participants 20 Professional Development Opportunities  In-School Training Workshops for administrators, teachers, and school counselors  Half-day, full-day, and two-to-four day Training Retreats for administrators, teachers and school counselors  Facilitator Training Institute at Hofstra and Stony Brook Universities, offering 13-week practicum followed by 12-week supervised field placements 21 Passing Along the Dare to Care: This collection of readings and exercises—based on what causes a “Stranger/Reader” to care— fosters dialogues across differences, diversity studies and a sense of community, as well as enhanced listening, reading and narrative skills “The entire process causes the young people to be less self-absorbed and more globally aware They don’t wallow in the pain of their past, but they move forward with other writers to bring awareness of the pitfalls that serve to stifle progression They graduate as public advocates.” Felicia Cooper-Prince Hempstead High School Originally designed for Stony Brook University’s Education Opportunity Program and successfully piloted with 350 students from 80 different countries over a three-year period, this has become the central text book for all of our school programs, used by hundreds of students a year 22 Brave Journeys/Pasos valientes A High School Initiative in two L.I School Districts A breathtaking collection of 15 stories by young people, ages 1417, who risked their lives crossing borders A testimony to the resilience of the human spirit, which is being incorporated into the curriculum by an increasing number of school districts “We are thrilled, and also humbled, to anonymously share the stories of high school newcomer students who agreed to write about their journeys into this land, the land of liberty,” Dafny Irizarry, founder and president of the Long Island Latino Teachers Association 23 College and School Partners  Colleges & Universities  Schools       Hofstra University Stony Brook University Adelphi University SUNY Old Westbury Touro Law Center Nassau Community College          Baldwin and Uniondale Twilight Program Central Islip High School Hempstead High School Long Beach High School Patchogue Medford High School Queens High School for Teaching & Learning West Hempstead Middle School Westbury High School Westhampton Beach Middle School 24 Recently Received Grants             The Horace and Amy Hagedorn Fund in New York Community Trust Long Island Community Foundation New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) National Endowments on the Arts Suffolk County Department of Economic Development, Office of Cultural Affairs Suffolk County Omnibus RTS Family Foundation Pritchard Trust Foundation NOVO Foundation Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation American Jewish World Service Foundation MALKA Fund With Additional Program Support From  Eastern Suffolk BOCES  Nassau BOCES 25 If you are interested in learning more about our trainings, retreats, and ongoing workshops for young people, or our publications and public readings, please… Complete the “PD Interest Form” in your packets or Visit our Website at www.herstorywriters.org or E-mail us at contactus@herstorywriters.org or Call us at (631) 676-7395 26