Breakaway Announces Opportunity to Serve in Gender Role
On October 21st, Breakaway announced volunteer openings for students interested in gaining experience in their respective gender roles. The posted volunteer descriptions contained an outline of responsibilities, expectations, and, if applicable, the acceptable gender of the applicant for each team.
Within Breakaway’s volunteer program, teams are separated into the “Support” and “Hospitality” groups for women and the “Roadies” and “Media” teams for men. Group tasks are designated based on what each gender has traditionally performed the role best. Within the women’s groups, female students shine through their work in running errands, providing finger foods, and smiling a lot. With their inherent strength and tech-savviness, male students excel in the specialized work of talking to no one, finding all of their value in their technical skills, and moving heavy equipment around.
“People who don’t understand this program have it all wrong,” Olivia Lowe said. “It’s not because we think certain genders aren’t capable of certain tasks. We have gender-specific groups not because of things you can’t do, but because of the things you can do. People are so focused on being ‘equal’ that they forget the natural, God-given strengths specific to men and women.”
Local feminist activist groups have praised Breakaway for allowing collegiate women to gain experience in subordinate roles while still in college. Once female students graduate and enter the workforce, the experience gained in Breakaway will help stagnate their careers for the three years between their hiring date and eventual maternity leave.
Likewise, men have been enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve in traditional roles. Media team members gain experience with technology that will one day help them provide for their families as well as learn to suppress emotions in favor of maintaining a stern facade. The Roadies team members learn hands-on skills and strength training to prepare them for future weekend home maintenance and car repair.
After great success with the gender-specific groups, Breakaway Ministries is considering homogenizing the other groups in a similar fashion. Unfortunately, the eight coed teams are currently in a precarious position, with students navigating job responsibilities in a hormone-induced stupor. “I just don’t believe anyone can be around the opposite sex without thinking impure thoughts,” said April Mendez, a member of a mixed-gender team. “It’s not just me. Everyone totally does that all the time without exception.”
Some students, like aspiring bed and breakfast owner Benji Barnes, aren’t sure where they fit in as a volunteer. “I wanted to sign up for the Hospitality team, and my girlfriend, Martha — she’s recently built a computer — wanted to gain experience through the Media team, but I guess that wasn’t God’s plan,” Barnes said.
One Breakaway staff member told The Mugdown, “We’re excited to get to work helping students show off their skills, with women doing motherly, caring jobs and men doing AV, just as God intended.”
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