| Awareness is focus of mentoring
Loraine German
Mesa Legend
Mesa Community College and Arizona State University united forces to develop a project that offers students the opportunity to discuss social issues outside the classroom.
The Women of Courage Organization, Peervention and Oralia Gracias-Alinea, along with her partner, Ronna Caldwell, both social studies majors at ASU, host a monthly movie screening and discussion session. These screenings take place at the MCC Library or in the Media Center and are followed by a discussion session.
The films featured are ones that touch on social issues like alcoholism and co-dependency, AIDS awareness, Native American issues, empowerment of women, and media violence.
According to Susan Taffer, lead mentor, Women of Courage is a student-to-student peer mentoring program designed to provide an informal support network for returning students, particularly women, who are survivors of homelessness, domestic violence, and poverty.
“We wanted to discuss social issues outside the classroom, take ideas and apply them to life,” Caldwell said.
The two students started as classmates and then joined WOC together to receive and give support to other women.
Gracias-Alinea was Caldwell’s mentor in the organization, but her life experiences changed and ended up mentoring Gracias-Alinea.
Dolores Lowrance, a WOC member, says she enjoys being part of the organization and plans to be a mentor herself during the 2005-06 school year.
Lowrance also commented that all the activities prepared by the organization, “help me stay focused and obtain new friends and contacts.”
Upcoming screenings will be held on April 20, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., featuring “The Notebook” and discussing Alzheimer’s disease, its implications and how are the families involved are affected by it.
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