Stefany Alicea

Project Proposal
Essential Question:How will working with The Welcome Center help bring
awareness to women in detention centers?
What is the problem that needs to be addressed in the industry/ community?
There are multiple problems that affect women in detention centers, which are
detention facilities especially for undocumented immigrants and youth, from the
moment they enter the country, from the complicated immigration policies to the
jail-like detention centers to the lack of healthcare access in the detention centers.
However, the main problem I would like to address is: Helping women in detention
centers receive quality health care and improving the available support to them in
detention centers. At the present time, the gender-specific health care in detention
centers, such as pre and post natal care and gynecology visits, are rarely given to
women,even when they continuously ask, and most of the time women dont know
that this specific healthcare is available to them. There are many problems that
women face in detention centers mostly because of the mandated quota, which
makes sure there are 3,400 women in detention on any given day, and the fact that
98% of detention centers are owned by private prison companies; It is difficult to
alleviate this problem with detention centers having a mandated quota and a
majority of them being owned by private prison companies.
Who - specifically, and preferably locally- is being affected by this problem?
This problem affects families from all around the US, mostly southern states, such
as Arizona and Texas. However, ICE transports people from the New England area
to two detention centers in Massachusetts or other states if needed. Much of
Pawtucket and Central Falls is made up of immigrant families, who may or may not
have dealt with a family member being sent to a detention facility. However, its
hard to tell where many detainees come from as ICE doesnt keep track of where
detainees came from.
What is something you would like to do to help solve this issue?
Ideally, I would want to change the immigration policy to make it more forgiving
and inclusive of undocumented immigrants, remove the mandatory quota proposed
by Congress, and have detention centers meet all federal guidelines (at least), but
unfortunately I cant do that. Being realistic I would like to bring awareness to the
problems women in detention centers face. There has been activism work around it,
and if more people were aware, then the support for the movement would grow.
With more support for the movement, then more could be institutional change to
help the women.
How will this positively impact the community?
(What do you hope to accomplish?)

It would be the community supporting itself; a large part of Central Falls,

Pawtucket, and Providence is made up of immigrants. Bringing attention to this very
real problem, would make it easier for legislature to be passed to alleviate it, or for
people to be aware that this does happen to people in their community.
What organizations could you work with
? I wanted to work with Progresso Latino,
or English for Action, but I feel that working with the Blackstone community would
be more beneficial. Id like to work with people who have talked about this problem,
such as law firms, but Im not too sure how I could help.
Do you know anyone who could help you gain contact with that group
? Julio could
help with English for Action; My mom could help with Progresso Latino; Elena will let
me teach a class for US History; Tasche will let me present my project for WRT 104
; Stacy can help me get contacted with students from California, who may be
working on a similar project.

My project will be completed in three different steps.

I
.
Teaching/Bringing Awareness
Firstly, I will do a presentation explaining my senior topic: Women in detention
centers. This will be done in my WRT 104 class, where I will teach my peers about
the lack of healthcare in detention centers for women. Similarly, in March I will be
leading a US History class, talking to student about the activism work behind this
movement. Through this I hope to bring awareness to this issue, while bringing the
womens narratives into the bigger picture. Students in US History will be able to
choose this problem as their activism project.
II. Working with The Welcome Center
I will work with Manuela Raposa, specifically. After meeting with her I will have a
better idea of what The Welcome Center would need. I know that I will be
volunteering with The Welcome Center, and will most possibly end up working with
Progresso Latino and English For Action. However, I will focus on TWC. I will
shadow Ms. Raposa and interview her about the work she does, since she work with
immigrant, she will be a great resource to see what is needed.
Since Ms. Raposa works with health care workers, they would be a great resource
for information. Also, since she work with communities that need health care, I
would be able to help there too.

I would help with their website using google sites and work with someone to manage
the website.

Habits of Mind

Explain how you project connects with at least 6 of the new habits of mind.
Upstanderness- realizing and caring about problems that may not affect you
Although I, or any known family member, have never been in a
detention center I want to show my support.
Collaboration- members have to communicate
I will collaborate with my club
Work with Elena on the US History presentation
Work with EFA on what they need, and present the information I got
from my club
Community Involvement- students will engage in the Blackstone community
I will be involved with the Blackstone, Providence (EFA), and possibly
Central Falls (Progresso Latino) community.
Optimism- It will make them more optimistic to talk about feminist topics
Have members of my club be optimistic that with their work and help
they can help create a better future for everyone.
Self-Advocacy- being able to talk about problems that concern oneself
People to acknowledge that this is a problem in their community, as a
many of the student at Blackstone come from immigrant families.
I need to advocate from myself and ask people what I need from them
and ask them what they need from me.
Integrity- being honest with oneself and other
I have to be honest with myself on what will work, what I need from
people from the club, what the community needs from me.

Timeline:

An approximate weekly/ monthly calendar for the steps in your project, this will be
modified once a week to demonstrate process and change:
Timeline:
1. March
a.
2. Start/mid April
a. Meet Tuesdays 4-5
b. Do what EFA needed from me
c. work on what I will present to EFA
d. Work with US History on anything they need
3. End April
a. Meet Tuesdays 4-5
b. Have Tasche/Stacy/Emily/Elena be a speaker, talking about one aspect

of Feminism
c. Have group decide on a speaker and contact them
d. Talk to EFA about what Im doing
4. May
a. Meet Tuesdays 4-5
b. Get speaker
5. End of May
a. Meet Tuesdays 4-5
b. maybe have a field trip
c. Meet with EFA, present my material
d. Complete survey
e. take information from survey
List of materials and funds to complete project:
none

Research Sources and experts you plan to consult

Stacy
Tasche,
Elena
Manuela Raposa
EFA
Progresso Latino
Research sources: Library, websites

Advisor:

Signatures:

Senior Seminar teacher:

Administrator (Kyleen or Carolyn):
Blackstone Coach: Julio Angel Alicea

CS

Student: