Rites of passage is a socialization program to empower girls by giving them a set of experiences, a presenter said Wednesday.
“Once a week these girls met and did activities about conflict resolution and learned about female heroes,” a faculty member told an audience of approximately twenty-five faculty members at the Faculty Forum on Wednesday afternoon.
“They were taught how to appreciate sisterhood and learn how to deal with experiences [in] all relationships, and it makes them realize their worth in these relationships with not only boys but with other girls.”
One of the professors who had presented at the Faculty Forum was Dr. Angela Campbell. Campbell is an assistant professor in the educational policy and leadership department on campus. As the first out of three to present, Campbell made a presentation about the Influences of Rites of Passage on Female College Students Identities and Peer Relationships.
This information presented at the forum was from the research Campbell looked into from a Summer Grant.
“I applied for the summer grant and used the funds to finance the follow up interviews with the girls and the work involved in putting together the follow up,” Campbell said.
“The purpose of rites of passage is to disrupt cycles and as a buffer to support Black youth from the consequences of racism, sexism and economic oppression,” Campbell said.
African American and Latin women were put into Rites of Passage programs, which are gender and cultural socialization youth developmental groups.
Campbell presented the research questions about her study, which made the audience understand where her research evolved from and gave them insight on what she was thinking while conducting this research project.
The well thought out presentation went into the study of how rites of passage influenced the four girls.
“The study of getting to know the girls in detail ran for about 15 months,” Campbell said. During the 11th grade and half of their 12th grade. Her study of these three women ran May through December, talking about how the rites of passage helped them in high school and into college.
“I chose to do 11th grade because they already had two years of rites of passage under their belts and they weren’t distracted of the thought graduating yet,” Campbell said.
At Sankofa Freedom Charter School, these rites of passage classes were required for girls throughout their high school years. “It was to empower them as women and it was also designed to help have healthy communication within each other,” Campbell said.
During this time she interviewed the girls separately. The second half of interviews was the part of the presentation that gave it all a real spin about how girls of different races. Out of the girls two were African American and one was Latina. All of the girls were from the same Charter academy.
Campbell spent her time with these girls for an hour long about three times, each recorded throughout the sessions. The presentation was well laid out and easy to understand, the crowd of faculty nodded their heads in interest from the presentation.
“Her enlightening presentation emphasized the critical role empowerment programs in education such as rites of passage have in improving outcomes for African American and Latina adolescent girls,” David Madway, mathematics professor said.
Campbell explained the backgrounds of the girls and where they come from, each being from different home situations and ethnicities. After the introductions of the girls, Campbell then goes into what each girl says throughout the interview process. “The point was to share the influence of rites of passage and Freedom School on their self concept, sisterhood and womanhood,” Campbell said.
The girls who were involved in the study were explained in detail. Such as where they now go to college and what they want to do with their lives. They simply state how rites of passage changed them throughout high school to where they are today.
“All the four girls come from a single parent, mother headed home,” Campbell said.
Through the end of the presentation, the crowd of faculty now know the meaning on rites of passage and how it influences women to become better and eventually become role models to their communities.
“This is important research which can also address adolescent identity, and race and gender issues in the school environment,” Madway said.
