Date: December 17, 2007
Time: 6:00 – 8:00pm
Venue: Bow Bazaar Highschool

Session Four: The Homes of Bow Bazaar

Activity One: Share the Landmark Stories from Previous Session

In a circle, read aloud the stories/articles each journalist wrote for their chosen landmarks. Share and discuss.

Activity Two: Talk about Journalism and Blogging

Pass out newspapers to each journalist and tell them that from now on it’s important for them to read the newspaper to see how journalists are reading and writing about the world. Also, how they too are journalists.

What do journalists publish their work in? Ask the group
What will we publish our work in?

-Shobuj Pata: A community newsletter circulated by Sanlaap
-Blogs

We will write about things, share things, tell stories that will be circulate in public spheres. It is our responsibilities as story tellers and story writers to write responsibly for ourselves and our community.

Activity Three: The Homes of Bow Bazaar

1. Talk about Homes. Bow Bazaar has many homes. Each community and neighbourhood begins with a home. And each home has a separate story. The stories of each home contribute to the stories of the community, of the neighborhood
2. Read Sandra Cisneros’ My Home piece
3. Ask the participants what they feel about this piece. What feelings does the writer evoke in her piece? What do you like about the piece as a reader?
4. Ask each participant to think about their home. And on a following on a little chit of paper, write: 1) What part of your home to you do you connect with on a personal level? 2) What part of your home would you like to change? (Don’t write your name on the chit of paper and don’t share your content with anybody)
5. Place the chits in a small bowl. Pass the bowl around and have everyone pick on of the chits and read it aloud. Ask them to guess whose chit they’ve selected.
6. After they have read and selected the chit – tell them that as journalists – they are now assigned to investigate that person’s home and their feelings around their home.

Home Journalist Assignment: Write about your Peer's Home

As a journalist, go to the house of the person whose chit you selected. Find out more information on their home. (Who lives their, what does it look like, what happens there, what’s interesting about their home?)

As a journalist, Find out more about the information on the chit (what is important to the person and what they would like to change.)

Take photographs and write an article on the person’s home and home life.

Prompts given to Journalists for Home-Writing
Something I like
Things I don’t like about my home
Daily lives of people who live there
Dream picture of “home”
Is this a dream home? Yes, why? No, why not?

Check Out
How was this session like? Good/bad/okay okay?
How do you feel about participating in the coming sessions? 1 word