Blog 21: Independent Component 2

Literal

(a) I, Isaiah Chavez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) I referred to several Afterschool Alliance articles like Afterschool: A High School Dropout Prevention Tool, Recruiting and Retaining Older Youth in Afterschool, and Afterschool: Providing Multiple Benefits to Middle School Students.
(c) On my mentorship log
(d) Over my 30 hours of my second independent component, I helped out with several programs and events. I got more involved in the Teen Action Committee (even got a shirt from it), I helped kids with what a staff member would (homework, setting up games, ect.), I helped make a few fliers for upcoming events, and I made friends with several kids and staff members (part of my third answer).

Interpretive

In my 30 hours I saw first hand how a parks and rec afterschool program best supports community adolescence. I saw all my answers in action. I saw new programs getting made and what thought process was brought up in creating them. I helped make a few fliers for the talent show and march madness (a tournament for the local basketball teams). I even got to pitch a few ideas for programs coming this summer (there's going be a p90x program because of me :D) and I helped a staff member, Guadalupe Saldivar, figure what could be discussed in a youth club she is planning on making. 
My Independent Component 2 Pictures

Applied

My second independent component was great at supporting each of my answers. I saw how different the community kids that aren't involved at the De Anza Center are versus the ones that are. When I went to the park outside the center to play basketball with my dad I noticed that these kids all looked unfamiliar. All of them were using profanities and discussing drug use and other bad things. It shocked me to think that these kids are from the same area and age as the well behaved friendly kids I worked with almost every day. This proved my first answer that parks and rec afterschool programs can support community adolescence by providing a variety of extracurricular programs. These programs can keep the kids away from ones like those at the park.
 I also saw kids getting more and more involved in the health programs headed by staff member and my friend, Richard Romero, he got all the kids excited about health. Kids were looking forward to "summer bodies" and getting so excited from seeing the smallest of results. It was so funny when a small boy Chris came running to me flexing his arm to show his tiny muscle and saying "hey look at this Isaiah!" I was happy to see so many kids with a new interest in health because all the programs offered at the center encourage it.
I even saw how big of a difference the staff building relationships with the kids could be. I noticed that the kids that are friends with the staff came more often. Even with myself, I looked forward to going to the center to hang out with my mentor and other staff. One of the specific examples of this was when I saw a girl (can't recall her name) who always seemed so shy get befriended by my mentor, Jerrica Bonilla. Later on Jerrica convinced her to join the talent show. I was shocked. I was even more shocked when she sang Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men and had an incredible voice. She started off as too shy to talk to anyone to being one of the best performances in the talent show because Jerrica got er out of her comfort zone by befriending her. This shows that parks and rec afterschool programs can support community adolescence by providing staff willing to build relationships with them. 

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

(1) For this component I plan on continuing to work with kids at the center I'm at and actually asking and recording what positive things they take away from the programs.
(2) I can easily meet the 30 hour requirement because there are always multiple programs going on at the center.
(3) this correlates with my EQ because my EQ is centered around how these programs can support the kids.

Blog 14: Independant Component 1

Literal

(a) I, Isaiah Chavez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) My mentor is Jerica Bonilla, 909-243-2076
(c)  Hours
(d) For my component, I spent 32 hours at the De Anza Teen Center working with kids and helping with their programs in order to help answer my EQ. Specifically I refereed different games, helped create posters/ fliers, helped distribute food for their movie nights, and generally monitored different activities.

Interpretive
Shoot Around

Tournament

Practice

Arts and Crafts

Ping Pong Tournament

Kids Just Hanging Out


Applied
Well my component helped a lot. It game me a good answer to my EQ which I was able to present on. For instance, it was from there that I understood that afterschool programs benefit them kids by making them want to be more healthy. All the foods cooked in the kitchen are healthy, and theres always a game going on which makes the less healthy kids want to get up and go play with their friends. It was also through my independant component that i learned factors of creating a quality program. I learned that a big factor was the person running the program, the friendlier staff had more kids wanting to play with them than others. All this I learned from being out in the field, and not through my research.

Blog 10: Senior Project Update

1) What are you currently doing in your independent component?

I am getting more involved in the programs at the De Anza Teen Center that have more kids in them. I will soon be taking pictures and I've been planning questions to ask them regarding how the programs impact them.

2) What is a recent piece of research (article, interview, or audio-visual) that have you reviewed you would say was significant in helping you understand where to go next in your senior project?  The piece of research should be something you reviewed in November.  Please explain what you learned and where are you going next because of this piece of research.

I recently read an article about a city that was having difficulties regarding youth violence so they built recreation centers and started after school programs and saw crime rates go down. With this information I'll have a better understanding on how to build my questions I'll ask the kids.


3) Provide evidence from your independent component or the piece of research as something you recently did.  For example, a photo of something you working on for your independent component or your notes from the video you watched. 

This is a calendar of events from the De Anza Teen Action Committee (TAC), a program where kids can volunteer in city events and much more.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

CONTENT:(1) Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component.

For my independent component, I plan on volunteering at the De Anza Teen Center. There I will interview kids on how the center affects them and where they think they'd be without the center. I will also be helping with clubs, programs, and events held at the center.

(2)Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.

I believe I will meet the 30 hour requirement very easily. There is always a program going on at the center and I've already been getting on average 15 hours a week. There are also all kinds of kids that attend the facility which will give me the opportunity to interview many of them.

(3)How does your independent study component relate to your working EQ?  

My essential question has to do with the effects of the center on the kids. So by interviewing the kids I will be able to get a better understanding of this. So i believe this component will benefit me greatly.