UES Women’s Self-Expression Workshop for University Professors

  This was a special experience!  Thanks to the enthusiasm and thoughtfulness of the UES professor who coordinated the workshop we were a focused group of women with a clear intention of learning and sharing together.  These professors teach English, French, and Journal Writing at El Salvador’s only public university.  It was a unique opportunity for them to spend time with each other. 

  A few were unclear at first about why the workshop was only for women.  By the end of the first session, they understood why.  We quickly came to share personal experiences.  We talked about “how to find the love of your life”, whether that love had been found or not.  We explored issues of self-esteem.  One participant proposed a fictional “anxious mother” that helped us understand how Creative Visualization could be used on a daily basis.  We became each other’s cheerleaders.

  

  These women had lots to say and contribute. Some were inspired to write in a journal.  Others were excited about clarifying their goals.  As teachers, they were curious about applying some of the practices in their classroom and sharing with their students.  They are all hard-working women with full work schedules and lives.  I’ll be curious to know how they are able to incorporate these practices into their tight schedules.

Here I am preparing them for the "Fluency Workshop".  

We have on average over 40,000 thoughts per day.  

Why not make some of them intentional positive thoughts?

The participants share their Positive Affirmations in a “Fluency Circle”.  Example:  I am calm and relaxed.  You are calm and relaxed.  It was fun to see their smiles.

We created our own Positive Affirmations and wrote them on a group poster to help bring them into reality.

On the last day we celebrated with certificates and Comida Tipica.  I especially liked the hot chocolate.

Universidad El Salvador, San Salvador

Who Inspires You?

  Think of someone who inspires you in your life.  What are the qualities that person has?  Write them down.  Are they qualities you’d like to have for yourself?  Do you already have some of these qualities?  

  In the session on Positive Affirmations we use this question to help spark our imagination.  Often times, people we like or look up to, have qualities we’d like to have more of in ourselves.  Through reflection, we can work to create affirmations that truly resonate with who we are and what we want.

IENS CCSA Women’s Self-Expression Workshop

  My experience with this particular workshop was quite different from Don Bosco.  I had been leading a Reading Club at IENS CCSA so I was already familiar with the school and the room we would use.  I even knew some of the students by name.  The participants were a small mix of English students and teachers.  I felt more comfortable leading these sessions so I was able to enjoy the participants’ experience more.  I also had a little more perspective and ended up making some minor adjustments that helped improve the flow of each session.

  This group was not very excited about writing in a journal.  They did get excited about Positive Affirmations.  I was delighted when we discussed how their homework went (practice using positive affirmations each day until the next session).  One woman found herself feeling stressed sitting in a car in traffic and made a point of repeating a relaxing affirmation to herself.  To her surprise, it worked, and she felt better.  Another had hidden the sticky note, with some of her affirmations we wrote in class, in her school notebook.  When she saw them, she felt reassured by her very own messages. 

  Because it was a small group, we had more time to talk.  I left the workshop feeling that we all got to know each other better and had shared a happy, fruitful time.

The last day, with smiles on our faces and certificates in hand.

Instituto Especializado de Nivel Superior

 Centro Cultural Salvadoreño

Women’s International Day Workshop at UDB

Here is the facebook announcement for my very first Women’s Workshop at the University of Don Bosco:

En el marco de la conmemoración del mes de la mujer, la Escuela de Idiomas invita a todas las mujeres estudiantes de ingles de las licenciaturas en idiomas, a participar en un taller en el que podrán practicar el idioma a través de:

▪        Diarios personales.

▪        Visualización creativa.

▪        Afirmaciones positivas.

▪        Definición de metas e intenciones.

▪        Tiempo para nosotras.

▪        Sueños hechos realidad.

El taller será impartido en inglés y dirigido por la profesora invitada de los Estados Unidos, Lauren Zaira, de Oakland, California

  It had been over five years since I taught an English class and I felt a little rusty standing at the front of the classroom with a marker in my hand.  The participants at Don Bosco were a mix of foreign language students, administrators, researchers, and professors of English and Graphic Design.  The participants’ level of English proficiency varied greatly, but we managed to understand one another and have a good time doing so.  For me, the highlights were seeing the participants share with each other their thoughts and ideas.  As a teacher, it can feel very powerful when you set students up to engage with one another and they do it! 

  Everyone could relate to the topics.  One of the participants had recently read Shakti Gawain’s book “Creative Visualization” so she was able to share with us her insights from reading the book.  Despite my initial uncertainty in how the workshop would progress, I felt encouraged by the participants.  Some of the students went out and purchased their own notebooks for journal writing and affirmations.  Another found and recommended some online sites for secure journal writing (i.e. no one in their family could find their journal and read it!).  The students were ready to write.  They were willing to express their feelings, their hopes, and their dreams.

  Cultural differences came up regularly in our discussions, related to religion and Latin America’s “fatalistic” perspective.  How can we plan things if we might die tomorrow?  How can I imagine what I want if God has already planned it for me?  Ultimately, we were able to bridge the ideas together so that we could understand them through these differences.  One woman made a nice correlation between prayer and positive affirmation.  How are they similar and how are they different?

  With teaching, you have to be willing to learn.  I found myself making more effort to practice what I was preaching.  In preparing for the workshop, I had to delve into the topics.  For each class, I assigned homework to practice what we had learned.  I challenged myself to follow along with the students and do the homework too.  This meant that I spent one month happily visualizing what I want, writing in my journal, and clarifying my goals.  It also meant that I focused more intently on where and how I could use Positive Affirmations.  I enjoyed the process greatly and made plans to lead another workshop in the summer.

The participants try out different styles of journal writing.

Universidad Don Bosco, Soyapango, El Salvador

Make your dreams come true! How these workshops began

  While living abroad in El Salvador, with a break from my usual life and routine, I had the unique opportunity to reflect upon what excites me.  The result was a Women’s Self Expression Workshop, designed for Salvadoran University women with good English fluency.  The focus was to share life-enhancing practices in a fun, engaging environment.  For the participants, it offered them the chance to practice their English while exploring tools promised to “help make their dreams come true”.  When I began this venture, I was just following my interests and looking for something to do.  I had no idea how rewarding the experience would be.  

  My goal here is to document these workshops, for past and future participants, and to offer inspiration to women looking to enrich their lives.