Category: News

Discovery Group Gets Philosophical

Posted on by kdwyer6

Throughout Winter term, Inside Out alumni have facilitated lessons at Serbu Youth Detention Center two to three times a week. The youth there choose the topics and together we have learned about Surreal Art, Groundhog Day, optical illusions, the life cycle of butterflies, the issue of endangered turtles and interesting architecture around the world.

We also held an engaged discussion on the broad topic of Philosophy. Discovery Group talked about the history of philosophers and the importance of asking questions about the world around you. We emphasized that philosophy isn’t necessarily a highly academic or intellectual subject, but instead it allows us to think more critically about society and gives us an opportunity to see the world from other people’s perspectives. Thinking philosophically helps to improve our communication and problem solving skills.

In relation to our lesson on Philosophy, Discovery Group facilitated a conversation about the story of The Ship of Theseus. In the metaphysics of identity, the ship of Theseus is a thought experiment that raises the question of whether a ship—standing for an object in general—that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. The students at Serbu all had wonderful contributions to the conversation. Some students were questioning how much of an item needs to change before it is no longer the same item. Is it all of it? Or the first piece? Another student pointed out that he believed he is still the same person, even as his body continues to grow and change.

First PEP Program at Oregon’s Only Women’s Prison

Posted on by kdwyer6

The Prison Education Program recently facilitated our first series of workshops with the women at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. We held a two-part academic writing workshop, focused on developing arguments and supporting them with data. As we said in the advertisement, if it has ever felt like there’s a secret formula to good grades on essays…there is, and we’ll teach it.

After the academic writing workshops we brought a larger group of outside student volunteers for a Communications and Public Speaking Workshop. We held quick “elevator pitch” speech practices, activities to share skills and experiences, and closing speeches that involved some anxiety but also deep insights and mutual support. These events always involve a sense of growth and inspiration for the outside folks – we hope this was true for our inside participants as well.

We look forward to our next chance to engage with the women there!

Practicing Public Speaking at CRCI

Posted on by kdwyer6

As part of the Prison Education Program’s ongoing monthly programming at Columbia River Correctional Institution in NE Portland, students and alumni of the PEP came together with students inside CRCI last Thursday to strengthen their public speaking skills through a fun and practical communication workshop.

The PEP hosts workshops, common readings and other educational enrichment events on the first Thursday of every month at. Past events have included a discussion of Viktor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning and a workshop on academic writing and essay structure.

At last week’s visit, inside and outside students were interspersed across small groups who first sought to teach each other a skill in five minutes. Some kept it simple with tying shoes, making pasta and drawing circles, while others chose to teach more complicated tasks like making wheatpaste and the steps to eating Peking duck. This activity provided a chance for students to get warmed up in small groups, describing something which they are very comfortable doing.

The next activity urged participants beyond the familiar and potentially past their comfort zones, when facilitator and PEP instructor Katie Dwyer handed out “made up” words to each student. Each participant took a turn defining their word to the audience, while also being urged to be aware of body language, posture, and voice projection. The activity offered a chance for formal public speaking practice, with the humor of defining words like “nedril” and “sassee.”

More serious public speaking wrapped up the evening as participants were asked to provide a minute long argument about an issue of their choice. The only condition of the activity? That the issue must be trivial and of little importance. Participants had an opportunity to put into place the body language and voice projection skills they picked up in the last activity while building convincing rhetorical strategies to argue against the word “bro,” bottled water, and finely chopped olives, among other topics.

In all the event was attended by ten inside students from CRCI, as well as six alumni currently enrolled at UO and two graduated PEP alumni who live in the area Portland. All had the chance to grow in their public speaking confidence and add to their communication toolkits.

The PEP will return to CRCI on September 6 for a common reading of Emily St. John Mandel’s novel Station Eleven, which served as the UO common reading book for the 2015-16 school year.