Girls in Motion ExCo
Girls in Motion
Taught by College second-year Biba Duffy-Boscagli and College third-year Dewi Beer.
What does a class look like? How is it different from past years of Girls in Motion?
Biba Duffy-Boscagli: Usually, a class used to include mentorship and dance. I was a mentor at Langston Middle School. Me and a group of mentors would arrive once a week after school and reserve the school library as a meeting place. All that has to change now, but Dewi and I think it’s critical to keep the fundamentals. The mentorship, the movement, the consistent checking in, and a final, tangible project that will make the girls feel accomplished all remain. To compile all these things we’re creating modes of communication such as a website or online zine where the girls will be able to communicate with each other as well as us. This will include lesson plans encouraging movement around town, shared playlists, dance instructions, and lots of creativity. We’re hoping to be able to compile videos and art the girls create into a final site that they can look back on to remember this unprecedented time. Our focus is to keep the spirit of Girls in Motion alive and always encourage free movement in some way or another.
How do you do outreach with the middle school with COVID-19 standards?
BDB: Outreach looks completely different due to COVID. Girls in Motion has always been a recognizable name in the town of Oberlin. Students, parents, and teachers know and love it. Now that we’ve moved the program online, the classes, as well as advertisements for the program, look completely different. We’ve been contacting Langston Middle School and reaching out to parents to encourage involvement.
How have meetings gone so far? What have been your challenges and successes?
BDB: Our meetings have included a huge amount of brainstorming so far. In preparing to launch a site and reach out to kids that are already on computers all day because of online school, we want to make sure what we offer is engaging and exciting to the girls.