Outcomes and Reflections
Student Presentation Reflections:
Below is a slide displaying the answers we received from students after they participated in our Girls Build LA Mindfulness Presentation. It was encouraging for our team to see that students were actively processing what they learned from our presentation and were thinking about how they can integrate these new mindfulness tips into their daily routine.
Below is a slide displaying the answers we received from students after they participated in our Girls Build LA Mindfulness Presentation. It was encouraging for our team to see that students were actively processing what they learned from our presentation and were thinking about how they can integrate these new mindfulness tips into their daily routine.
Parent Presentation Reflections:
Girls Build LA Team Reflection 2020-21:
As our team reflects on the incredible year we had we are very proud of the way we were able to do really meaningful work in a virtual space. From recruiting, hosting a retreat, planning and executing our projects we had to really stretch ourselves to think how to do our presentation in a way that would still have impact. We feel like we really were able to still have an impact and keep the momentum going that we started 5 years ago.
One thing that surprised us was how open the freshman classes were to our presentations and how ready they were to embrace what we shared. In the middle of the pandemic, with people being so isolated we think this was very necessary and helpful in letting students know that we are here for them and providing tools for them to manage stress and anxiety.
One of the things we really enjoyed was the zoom with other GBLA teams sharing about their projects. We were surprised to see so many other teams with super impactful projects in LA. Seeing the other girls trying to have an impact on their communities was very inspiring and motivated us to do our best as well.
A new piece that was added this year was the anti-racist book club. We appreciated the extra funding to provide us with “So you want to talk about race” and we enjoy talking about a chapter each week at the end of our planning meetings. Even when some of us don’t read the chapter because we are overwhelmed, we benefit from listening to those who read it as they tell us about their experiences and we all talk about the concepts together. The impact of this has been to give us tools to self reflect, and to have the courage and information to have more conversations with friends and family about race, privilege and systemic racism in general.
Team members individual reflections:
Melanie - "I enjoyed learning about mindfulness and many new things. I learned to be more present and more social. It was great meeting new people. Being part of Girls Build had been a good experience; very uplifting and empowering. Being part of the anti-racist book club was eye opening and pushed me to be better."
Zooey - "Being part of Girls Build gave me an opportunity to be social when we were all in quarantine. I felt very proud to be able to be a presenter and share our presentation with other students. I really appreciated the book club and the conversations we had around race and sharing our thoughts and experiences."
Karen - "I enjoyed this year. I liked interacting with others and reading the book made me a better advocate."
Polyanna - "Where do I start? This was my 3rd year with Girls Build. There were so many lessons learned- new people skills, technology skills, giving back to the community, gaining confidence, being a better friend, becoming a more confident presenter. I am graduating this year and training the new members on how to manage our website. It has been a wonderful experience to work with this group."
Julieta- "This was my first year in Girls Build and I'm so glad I joined. It's been a huge learning experience and I'm so thankful to be able to communicate and create with such a cool team throughout this pandemic. I've learned many things like website editing and classroom presenting which I'm sure is going to benefit me in the future; as well as many mindfulness tips that have been helpful during quarantine."
Melanie - "I enjoyed learning about mindfulness and many new things. I learned to be more present and more social. It was great meeting new people. Being part of Girls Build had been a good experience; very uplifting and empowering. Being part of the anti-racist book club was eye opening and pushed me to be better."
Zooey - "Being part of Girls Build gave me an opportunity to be social when we were all in quarantine. I felt very proud to be able to be a presenter and share our presentation with other students. I really appreciated the book club and the conversations we had around race and sharing our thoughts and experiences."
Karen - "I enjoyed this year. I liked interacting with others and reading the book made me a better advocate."
Polyanna - "Where do I start? This was my 3rd year with Girls Build. There were so many lessons learned- new people skills, technology skills, giving back to the community, gaining confidence, being a better friend, becoming a more confident presenter. I am graduating this year and training the new members on how to manage our website. It has been a wonderful experience to work with this group."
Julieta- "This was my first year in Girls Build and I'm so glad I joined. It's been a huge learning experience and I'm so thankful to be able to communicate and create with such a cool team throughout this pandemic. I've learned many things like website editing and classroom presenting which I'm sure is going to benefit me in the future; as well as many mindfulness tips that have been helpful during quarantine."