kids getting older

A common goal among programs is to target kids of all ages with all kinds of wants and needs. There should be a program for everyone that can truly benefit the participant. Variety plays an important role in successful centers.

Plans to start my own program

I plan on starting a summer program at the center for p90x. This will give kids the chance to experience this expensive work out program and be more healthy over the summer for free.

Carnival Today

Today there was a carnival at De Anza Park it was pretty cool. There were lots of festivities and performances.

Blog 25: Mentorship

L:

Hours
Mentor: Jerrica Bonilla (909)969-1852

I:

What I've gained from my senior project experience is friendships within my community. Not only with staff of the De Anza Teen Center, but with the youth of Ontario. I've met and helped some really cool kids. I got a particular kid to be competitive with others about his grades which is really cool. I'm sure these friendships will last too because even though my project is finished I'll still go back to the center.

A:

My mentorship has significantly helped me solve my essential question. This is because I was able to see all my answers first hand. I got to see that having a big variety of programs can keep coming back to get support. I saw that encouraging healthy eating and living supported kids greatly when I saw all the smiles on their faces when they started seeing results. I also saw why my best answer of providing staff willing to build relationships with kids inaction. It was amazing to see all the regulars that were so engaging with staff and the new kids that soon became the same way.

Pretty cool stuff

Research that I came across a long time ago by Afterschool Alliance still amazes me. Kids in afterschool programs can influence the work force. If parents at work know their kids are safe in an afterschool program then thry'll be more productive while working because they have nothing to worry about.

Blog 24: Exit Interview Questions

(1) What is your essential question?  What is the best answer to your question and why?

My Essential question is How can a parks and rec afterschool program best support community adolescence? My best answer is by providing staff willing to build relationships with the kids in programs. This is my best answer because if the staff don't do a good job and make the kids not want to come back, then my other answers which are providing a variety of quality extracurricular programs, and encouraging healthy eating and living, wouldn't matter because the kids would never come back.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

First, I had to generate my essential question. Starting in my topic of parks and recreation, I wanted to specifically be working with adolescence. I then started thinking what makes the kids come back and why it matters. Then I arrived at my essential question, how can a parks and rec afterschool program best support community adolescence? Then I started looking at what program's I saw kids coming back for which was the programs, to get healthy for summer, and to interact with the staff. So my answers were very easy to generate. By providing a variety of extracurricular programs, by encouraging healthy eating and living, and by providing staff willing to build relationships with kids. Then i started thinking which is more important. I saw that the kids that hung out with staff came back the most. I saw that staff could become a mentor to the kids and a great influence on them so I came to my best answer. By providing staff willing to build relationships with kids, parks and rec afterschool program best support community adolescence.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

During my research I faced the problem of research. In the initial research checks I'd have information that was useless. This went on for a while until i saw some posts from Afterschool Alliance. I wanted to see what it was about so I looked at their site and their information. I was happy to find that they had all the information I had been searching for. I was then able to use keywords from their site to find more helpful research in other sites. Another big problem I faced was while I was leaving my mentorship I saw a woman screaming profanities at kids accross the street from the center. I then decided to step in to tell her that she can't do that. Her and her husband then decided to yell profanities at me asking who i thought I was. So after I told her that if she had problems with the kids to go in the center and talk to the staff otherwise she could get in a lot of trouble. So I saw her walk in the center and thought everything was fine. The next day I was disappointed to find that she went in and told the staff that I was rude and cursed at her. For a while I had to be going in the office to say what happened and find the kids that she was yelling at as witnesses until I was able to really get back into my mentorship. After that was solved everything went smooth. 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

The most significant sources I used to answer my essential were the site Afterschool Alliance, and my mentor, Jerrica Bonilla. The site Afterschool Alliance was very significant because all of my helpful research came from this site or this site was used to form key words to find other helpful sites. My mentor, Jerrica Bonilla was also very helpful because of her prior work history. She has worked for a church youth program, a popular afterschool program called Think Together, and at the city of Ontario at the De Anza Teen Center. So with all her work history she was able to answer any questions I had or give helpful information to assist me on my way.

(5) What is your product and why?

My product from my senior project would have to be that now I am able to look at things and figure out where I fit in to help. At the center when a kid needed homework help I'd do all I could to help them with whatever they needed. If a kid needed to use the computer lab but didn't have their library card (needed to access the internet) I'd let them borrow mine. If a kid needed to get a ball off the roof I'd go help. After a while I'd apply this elsewhere. When I saw the neighborhood kids playing basketball with a flat ball I'd go find my pump and pump the ball for them. 

Cinco De Mayo

The park was packed and there were all kinds of festivities going on.

Blog 23: 2014 Interview

1.  Who did you interview and what house are they in?

Gabriel Mendoza, West

2.  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

I want to do my senior project on basketball statistics because it has always been an interest of mine.

3.  What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?

I am not sure yet, possibly gather stats at a basketball camp.

4.  What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?

I hope to see seniors that i know and topics that interest me.

5.  What questions do you have that I can answer about senior year or senior project (or what additional information did you tell them about senior year or senior project)?

I would like to know deadlines.

Tasty treats

These kids just cane in from playing basketball or dodge ball to eat a healthy snack. Todays snack was granola bars, an apple and orange juice.

Blog 22: 3 Column Chart Final

My 3 column chart