Success Stories - Los Dichos Moms

Asset Champions for Positive Cultural Identity 2005
Los Dichos Moms, Easterbrook Discovery and A. Darling Elementary Schools
[Flor Munoz, Elizabeth Oyarzabal, Sandra Munoz, Isidra Garcia, Irma Macias, Felicitas Balderrama, Julia Cipriano, Rosa Ochoa, Guadalupe Alvarez, Laura Santana, Socorro Jiminez, Patricia Bautista, Elena Cardenas, Lucia Gomez, Sandra Govea, Marta Carrillo]

The mothers of Los Dichos come to each classroom at EDS and A. Darling once a month to share the traditions of their culture through literature and activities. These moms, who are fluent only in Spanish (although many speak some English), read a story to the children in Spanish and then the teacher reads the same story in English. This builds dual language skills among all the children, fosters a sense of cultural identity and appreciation, and allows the children to see their mothers in the front of the classroom. After the story has been read, the mothers lead the children in a corresponding activity. For example, after reading Que Monton de Tamales! (Too Many Tamales!), the children learned how to make tamales.

The following are some responses from the 2005-2006 year end surveys. They illustrate the impact these amazing "primeras" are having:

Question #4:  Do you feel Los Dichos gave you an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children other than your own in meaningful, authentic ways?  If so, please share an example of two:

1. Yes because more children got to know me and each time that they saw me they would ask me when I was going to read again because they liked the stories that we read.
2. The children would get excited to hear the reading material.
3. Yes for example, in my house the children would become happy when the saw that I arrived to read and one of the books that they most liked was the one about papel picado (“Making Magic Windows”).  Each time I read it they asked to make the papel picado.
4. Yes because now I see that the children ask me about the books I have read and are impatient each month to know which new book I am going to read.
5. Yes, very significantly because the children become very happy when they see me arrive and where ever I am they call my name and I feel very good that something changed in their school life this year with the Los Dichos de la Casa lessons.
6. It gave me the good fortune and made a difference, now my son knows me better and we feel closer and there is better communication.
7. Yes because by reading in Spanish we give them the chance to get to know something about our language, culture and customs.
8. Yes because of the joy, enthusiasm that each child had and displayed.
9. Yes, the children were very interested in the themes that we read about.
10. Since I began Los Dichos, the children see me in a different way, they respect me more and we learn more together.

Question #5:  Has reading in the classroom to other peoples children led you to read more at home with your own children and/or share family stories with them?

• Yes, because once I read the books in the classroom they began to ask more questions about the customs of our native country.
• Yes, I have become more interested in reading.
• Yes because my son now asks me to read to him more.
• Yes in the evenings I read to my 8 year-old daughter and we share the book together, I read to her in Spanish and she reads to me in English. 
• Oh yes, I read more and I also try to act and I make them laugh and they are more interested.
• Yes I have tried to read more but I have noticed that my son who likes it more is the one in 5th grade but with my other son I have to work much more.
• Yes, they have the interest and desire to read books, newspapers and stories.
• Yes, now I share more reading materials with my children.
• Yes, much more.  Now I sit with them and they are very happy to read.

Jennifer Moyen-Logan

2006 PROJECT CORNERSTONE ASSET CHAMPION POSITIVE ADULT ROLE MODEL
Jennifer Moyen-Logan
Jennifer has been a Girl Scout leader with Service Unit 42 for eight years and her troop is made up of 16 high school girls.  This is remarkable considering older girls’ troops tend to be much smaller. Even more remarkable is that nearly all the girls in Jennifer’s troop have received their Silver Award and are working toward their Gold Award, Girl Scouts’ highest honor.

Retaining high school girls is something Girl Scouts is addressing globally as an organization and Jennifer has become a role model for how to accomplish that.  In fact, the Girl Scout Council has given Service Unit 42 several awards for their unique solutions to this issue.  Jennifer established a leadership mentoring program within her Service Unit and developed activities that would engage and inspire older girls.  She also uses her bi-weekly meetings as opportunities for her girls to develop leadership skills and to express themselves, all while encouraging them to stay active and work on their service awards. 

Jennifer’s impact has extended well beyond her own troop.  During the two years she was the Service Unit’s leader support manager, the number of troops increased from 40 to 60.  She also boosted volunteer numbers from 170 to 200 and the number of girls registered in troops has gone from 425 to 550.  And, where there were only two high school-aged troops four years ago, there are now twelve, with monthly activities attracting as many as 60 girls.  Jennifer is truly “leading many young women to become leaders in their communities” and has made Girl Scouts in Almaden a vibrant organization.

Study Group Participants Take Action
Project Cornerstone provided training/presentations to parent groups at our partner schools and provides 6-session “Taking Asset Building Personally” Parent Study Groups. The study groups have been very successful at engaging parents in building assets with their own children as well as other young people and in strengthening parent involvement in their children’s schools. Using Search Institute’s “Taking Asset Building Personally” workbook as a discussion guide, parents learn about the developmental assets approach by reflecting on and sharing their own growing up experiences and exploring ways to strengthen their relationships with their children and their involvement in their schooling and other areas of their lives, including making positive connections with their friends and other young people.

As a result of their participation,

• 94% said that they have made new efforts to connect with the teachers and school so that they can work together to support and guide my child.
• 100% reported taking action to ensure that their children have support and guidance from other positive adults.
• 91% took action to support and guide other young people at their children’s school, in their neighborhood and in the community.

Parent participants were able to identify specific behavior changes in the past month as a result of their participation in the study group.

• Have made a conscious effort to direct attention and conversation equally when in a group of children and adults. Focus on my daughter only when she is talking to me rather than half listening and doing other things.
• Made a point to connect with kids when I may have otherwise brushed off.
• I’ve been making a real effort to connect with a child I’ve found to be difficult in the past. In looking for good things about this child, I’ve found interests that allow me to make a connection. I’ve gone from disliking the child to taking an active interest in his welfare.

Share a story about how you have built assets.