These times are a changin
Change Lab Project!!!!! Woot woot
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1J36i7qIIVmG6bsCbhvA8TW4F9v91oeE9DQH8bbV-xQo/edit#slide=id.p
^^^ link to an awesome project (click if you dare)^^^
Reflection Essay
My group project was based on Environment issues. The members of the group were Olivia, Casey, and Kenny. Honestly, the group dynamic worked out well because we all had complimentary strengths. Olivia had a background knowledge of the topic, Casey was a great researcher, Kenny was great at design, and I am good at organizing. To complete this project, we assigned roles based one another’s strengths. Olivia was in charge of giving us a general basis of Environment issues (and making sure we complete each part of the project). Casey was in charge of finding information on the Environment. Kenny was in charge of creating a pretty presentation. I was in charge of organizing who did what and how the presentation would be presented. It was easy for us to pick stakeholders because environment issues do not affect just one group of people specifically. The stakeholders were everyone. We decided to pick high school students specifically because that was a common thread in all of our original ideas. The hardest issue was narrowing down to one topic because we all had different ideas. We decided to pick environment issues because it was an issue that everyone can relate to. The project taught me how to make a compromise. I learned how to apply the win win solution that I learned communication skills class. A win win solution involves picking a compromise that keeps everyone’s interest in mind.
After working on this project, I learned the importance of the environment. To be frank, I learned that there is a way to help an issue but not always the intuition to take action with the plan. I wish we picked a topic that I was more passionate about (even though that’s a little selfish). I would not take the time to go to a high school and teach about the importance of the environment on my own free time. This taught me the importance of passion. It’s a lot easier to make a plan than to take action. It emphasized the saying “talk is cheap”. We all made these projects discussing how we want to raise awareness of an issue- but who is actually going to do what they said? Who will actually fulfill their plan? Chances are- no one. And that’s awful. We took the time to make these projects, to research the topic- and for what? To learn how easy it is dismiss a great plan or ignore a powerful cause? This project showed me that we need more ways to take action. I would have rather have done something than just write about an issue. There should have been a part 2 of implementation to keep in mind while we create part 1. It made me feel useless that we did the project. Everyone knows environment issues are a problem. But who is going to do something about it? Why am I not passionate enough about the issue to do something about it? If the project was about a topic I was more passionate about, would I want to make a difference? Would I do something to help? I don’t know the answers to these questions and I am not sure how I can find the answer to them.
The topic reminded me of the Block quote, “each of us, myself included, is participating in creating this world” (Block xi). We are all creating the world into something, the question is- what do we want to create? If we keep up our bad ways, we will destroy a once beautiful world. This quote emphasizes the importance of taking action. There are too many people in the world to save the world with only a few people. But that’s how it all starts. One small drop isn’t enough to create a storm, but it’s enough to get something wet. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. A small little action that spreads into something great. I think that’s why I am not passionate about environment issues. I know I will never be able to see a difference in my lifetime. I would feel useless if I focused myself on the environment issues. I would rather pick a more interactive issue where I can see the change I am making right away. I would want to see right then and there I am making an impact in someone’s life. One day (hundreds and hundreds of years in the future) people are going to wake up and see the ugly world created. They are going to realize that they took our beautiful world for granted. As Atticus Finch stated in To Kill a Mockingbird, “until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing”. People will not realize how much they love the Earth until it’s too late. I agree the environment issues are something to seriously care about, but I cannot get myself to want to make a huge impact in the saving of the environment. I will only support and help someone who tries. I don’t know why. I feel like I am a bad person sometimes, Catherine. I know it’s an issue. I know someone needs to do something about it- but that person cannot be me. I support whoever tries to make an impact, but I will never be that girl who ties herself to a tree in the middle of a construction zone. Maybe it’s okay not to be passionate about everything, this project made me realize also how confusing life can be.
People who care in the world in such a passionate way (social activists) are like The Little Red Hen. The little red hen keeps asking “who’s going to help me…?” and no one does. No one helps despite knowing it’s too much for the little hen and the little hen just keeps working because she knows that if she doesn’t do it- then no one will. Just like the lazy dog, sleepy cat, and noisy duck, people want the outcome. People want the world to be beautiful- but they don’t want to do the work. They want someone like the little red hen just to do everything and then everyone gets the results. But it’s too much. One little hen, one little social activist, cannot hold the weight of the world on her shoulders. People need to help save the world. People need to come together to make a difference. But is this world too far gone? Have we entered a point of no return? I hope not because I love this world. I love going hiking at the Reservation by my house on a crisp fall day and gazing at the orange, red abyss of tree tops from the overlook, I love watching clean white snow fall from my living room window on Christmas morning, I love going on long walks with my dog and smelling fresh flowers from the trees on my neighbors’ yards, and I love tasting the salty air of the Jersey shore while the sun beats down on me on a hot summer day. I want to keep the seasons the way there are- but I am acting like the lazy dog, sleepy cat, and noisy duck. I am too lazy to make the change. I am too tired to make the effort. I am talking a bunch of crap and not doing anything about it.
If someone asks for my help, I will. I will talk to high school students; I will raise awareness of the issue. But I do not want to be the person to implement the plan. The power of people taught me that even though I will just support someone trying to save the environment, sometimes that’s just as vital in making a difference. It is just as important for a follower like me to listen to a leader social activist because they need support. A social activist and leaders can only be as strong as the supporters holding them up as I learned through my social activist paper. Without supporters, a social activist is preaching to no one and they cannot make the difference they want to see. In conclusion, the environment issues need social activists and followers. And I am excited to be a follower.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1J36i7qIIVmG6bsCbhvA8TW4F9v91oeE9DQH8bbV-xQo/edit#slide=id.p
^^^ link to an awesome project (click if you dare)^^^
Reflection Essay
My group project was based on Environment issues. The members of the group were Olivia, Casey, and Kenny. Honestly, the group dynamic worked out well because we all had complimentary strengths. Olivia had a background knowledge of the topic, Casey was a great researcher, Kenny was great at design, and I am good at organizing. To complete this project, we assigned roles based one another’s strengths. Olivia was in charge of giving us a general basis of Environment issues (and making sure we complete each part of the project). Casey was in charge of finding information on the Environment. Kenny was in charge of creating a pretty presentation. I was in charge of organizing who did what and how the presentation would be presented. It was easy for us to pick stakeholders because environment issues do not affect just one group of people specifically. The stakeholders were everyone. We decided to pick high school students specifically because that was a common thread in all of our original ideas. The hardest issue was narrowing down to one topic because we all had different ideas. We decided to pick environment issues because it was an issue that everyone can relate to. The project taught me how to make a compromise. I learned how to apply the win win solution that I learned communication skills class. A win win solution involves picking a compromise that keeps everyone’s interest in mind.
After working on this project, I learned the importance of the environment. To be frank, I learned that there is a way to help an issue but not always the intuition to take action with the plan. I wish we picked a topic that I was more passionate about (even though that’s a little selfish). I would not take the time to go to a high school and teach about the importance of the environment on my own free time. This taught me the importance of passion. It’s a lot easier to make a plan than to take action. It emphasized the saying “talk is cheap”. We all made these projects discussing how we want to raise awareness of an issue- but who is actually going to do what they said? Who will actually fulfill their plan? Chances are- no one. And that’s awful. We took the time to make these projects, to research the topic- and for what? To learn how easy it is dismiss a great plan or ignore a powerful cause? This project showed me that we need more ways to take action. I would have rather have done something than just write about an issue. There should have been a part 2 of implementation to keep in mind while we create part 1. It made me feel useless that we did the project. Everyone knows environment issues are a problem. But who is going to do something about it? Why am I not passionate enough about the issue to do something about it? If the project was about a topic I was more passionate about, would I want to make a difference? Would I do something to help? I don’t know the answers to these questions and I am not sure how I can find the answer to them.
The topic reminded me of the Block quote, “each of us, myself included, is participating in creating this world” (Block xi). We are all creating the world into something, the question is- what do we want to create? If we keep up our bad ways, we will destroy a once beautiful world. This quote emphasizes the importance of taking action. There are too many people in the world to save the world with only a few people. But that’s how it all starts. One small drop isn’t enough to create a storm, but it’s enough to get something wet. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. A small little action that spreads into something great. I think that’s why I am not passionate about environment issues. I know I will never be able to see a difference in my lifetime. I would feel useless if I focused myself on the environment issues. I would rather pick a more interactive issue where I can see the change I am making right away. I would want to see right then and there I am making an impact in someone’s life. One day (hundreds and hundreds of years in the future) people are going to wake up and see the ugly world created. They are going to realize that they took our beautiful world for granted. As Atticus Finch stated in To Kill a Mockingbird, “until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing”. People will not realize how much they love the Earth until it’s too late. I agree the environment issues are something to seriously care about, but I cannot get myself to want to make a huge impact in the saving of the environment. I will only support and help someone who tries. I don’t know why. I feel like I am a bad person sometimes, Catherine. I know it’s an issue. I know someone needs to do something about it- but that person cannot be me. I support whoever tries to make an impact, but I will never be that girl who ties herself to a tree in the middle of a construction zone. Maybe it’s okay not to be passionate about everything, this project made me realize also how confusing life can be.
People who care in the world in such a passionate way (social activists) are like The Little Red Hen. The little red hen keeps asking “who’s going to help me…?” and no one does. No one helps despite knowing it’s too much for the little hen and the little hen just keeps working because she knows that if she doesn’t do it- then no one will. Just like the lazy dog, sleepy cat, and noisy duck, people want the outcome. People want the world to be beautiful- but they don’t want to do the work. They want someone like the little red hen just to do everything and then everyone gets the results. But it’s too much. One little hen, one little social activist, cannot hold the weight of the world on her shoulders. People need to help save the world. People need to come together to make a difference. But is this world too far gone? Have we entered a point of no return? I hope not because I love this world. I love going hiking at the Reservation by my house on a crisp fall day and gazing at the orange, red abyss of tree tops from the overlook, I love watching clean white snow fall from my living room window on Christmas morning, I love going on long walks with my dog and smelling fresh flowers from the trees on my neighbors’ yards, and I love tasting the salty air of the Jersey shore while the sun beats down on me on a hot summer day. I want to keep the seasons the way there are- but I am acting like the lazy dog, sleepy cat, and noisy duck. I am too lazy to make the change. I am too tired to make the effort. I am talking a bunch of crap and not doing anything about it.
If someone asks for my help, I will. I will talk to high school students; I will raise awareness of the issue. But I do not want to be the person to implement the plan. The power of people taught me that even though I will just support someone trying to save the environment, sometimes that’s just as vital in making a difference. It is just as important for a follower like me to listen to a leader social activist because they need support. A social activist and leaders can only be as strong as the supporters holding them up as I learned through my social activist paper. Without supporters, a social activist is preaching to no one and they cannot make the difference they want to see. In conclusion, the environment issues need social activists and followers. And I am excited to be a follower.