Jamekea S. Lee Capstone

Abstract

For my capstone I mentored young girls at my old middle school every Wednesday for eight weeks. Each week we discussed different topics such as, Social Media, Family and Friends, Violence, School, Society Views, and Self- Respect. As we had our discussion there was also assignments that the girl had to work on, which were all based on the topic of discussion. The goal of this capstone was to understand how young girls think, how the react, and what influence their actions. Each of the young girls had a journal which they wrote in just about every week about how they was feeling and I responded back to them each week. Through the course of the program I learned so much about these girls. I went in expecting them to be distanced and unwilling to work but they were open and allowed me to get personal. I learned that some young girls only need for someone to take the time out of their day and just listen, listen to their feelings and thoughts, knowing that they wouldn’t be judge. They made me realize that no matter what age you are, you’re still vulnerable and want people to be there for you, no matter how strong you are. This was a learning experience for not only the girls but for me.


Blog and Pictures

Here are a few pictures of my blog and some of the girls I mentored 

Blog

Link to my blog, where all of my work lives: HipstaShakur

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Bibliography 

COARD, STEPHANIE IRBY, ALFIEE M. BRELAND, and PATRICIA RASKIN . Perceptions of and Preferences for Skin Color, Black Racial Identity, and Self-Esteem Among African Americans. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2001. Web. <http://www.uncg.edu/hdf/facultystaff/Coard/Publications/Perceptions and Preferences for Skin Color.pdf>.

I chose to use this online book as a source because I think it’ll be a interesting read and it would help with my capstone. The book is about Black Racial Identity and the perceptions of it, I think it would be interesting to “learn” in a way about how blacks are looked at in society. If I learn more about how blacks are looked at in society, then I can teach the girls and tell them why it’s important to have a good character so society can have more respect for themselves. I’ll incorporate my findings into my work.


"Community Violence: The Effects on Children." The Child Study Center. NYU Langone Medical Center. Web. 31 Jan 2014. <http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/community_violence_effects_children>.

This source is reliable because it breaks down how the community a child lives in can play a part in their behavior. If a child grows up in a bad neighborhood, then they will have bad tendencies because they don’t necessarily have the right role models to follow. I can like at this source as a what-not-to-do, and try to be a good role model for the girls I’m teaching. This source isn’t the go to source for everything though, I wouldn’t use this as what-to-do source but I’ll definitely use this as a fallback source.


DuRant, Robert, Chris Cadenhead, Robert Pendergrast, Greg Slavens, and Charles Linder. Factors Associated with the Use of Violence among Urban Black Adolescents. 84. 1994. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1614778/pdf/amjph00455-0086.pdf>.

I chose to use this source because it was a study to examine social and psychological factors associated with black adolescence. This sources relates to my capstone because I’m studying why black adolescent girls have little respect for themselves. This source states how community played a role in their decisions, I also think that community plays a role in the way black girls choose to represent themselves to the world. This source is very reliable and helpful for my capstone. I’ll use this source as the basis of my curriculum and to help plan out my activities for my capstone.


Galbreath, Lydia. Philosophy of the African American Identity Crisis: A Double Consciousness Exploration (2011): n.pag. Web. 30 Jan 2014. <http://urpasheville.org/proceedings/ncur2011/papers/NP50231.pdf>.

I chose to use this as a source because it’s about black racial identity which will help with my capstone. This source looks thoroughly into the Double Consciousness Theory and the role it plays in the African American lives. I found this source very reliable because it’s study and an overview of the African American culture and their lives. It’s a good source about the black society and how it’s viewed by people from other ethnicities, which will help me explain my reasoning for my capstone to the kids. It will help a lot with my curriculum and what I’m trying to do with my capstone.


Khattri, Nidhi, Kevin W. Riley, and Michael B. Kane.Students At Risk in Poor, Rural Areas: A Review ofthe Research. Pelavin Research Institute. 13, No.2. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 79-100. Web. <http://www.jrre.psu.edu/articles/v13,n2,p79-100,Khattri.pdf>.

This source is very reliable because it’s a online excerpt from a book published by people affiliated with Pelvain Research Institution. The book is about students who may be at risk in poor, rural areas which relates to my capstone because I’m working at a middle school in North Philly which is in a rural neighborhood. I can use the information I get from this source and feed it to my audience. I can teach about the risk they are at and how to prevent falling into traps of living in such a community. This source will help me spread information about how much community influences an individual behaviors.


"Middle School Survival." Understanding and Raising Girls. PBSParents. Web. 31 Jan 2014. <https://www.pbs.org/parents/raisinggirls/friends/mid1.html>.

I chose to use this source as a reference because it about middle school girls behavior. This source breaks down why some middle school girls act out in school and why their behavior may be bad. This source is a great start for me understanding the minds of middle school girl, while it may not be the best thing when trying to fully understand middle school girls, it is a good starting point. I can reflect on this site when I feel as though I’m having a hard time with the girls, this source will give me understanding of what’s going on.


"Parenting, the Social Environment and its Effects on Child Development." Virtual Medical Centre. Virtual Medical Centre, n.d. Web. 31 Jan 2014. <http://www.myvmc.com/lifestyles/parenting-the-social-environment-and-its-effects-on-child-development/>.

I think this source is reliable because it breaks down everything about parenting and social environmental effects on child development. My capstone was originally about how parents and the environment plays a major role in a child’s life but I changed it around a bit because I thought it was too broad and would cause a lot of problems. However, I will touch on the topic in a more settle and discreet way, so this source is good for me to pull information from. This source is also reliable for me to reflect on and even show the girls so they can look at it too.


Popkin, Susan J., Tama Leventhal, and Gretchen Weismann. Girls in the 'Hood: How Safety Affects the Life Chances of Low-Income Girls. Urban Affairs Review, Web. <http://www.dedoose.com/PDF/Publications/Popkin, Leventhal, Weismann_2010_Girls in the Hood.pdf>.

I chose to use this source because it relates a lot to my capstone. For my capstone I’m talking to 6th grade girls about self respect. Rather me taking up eight weeks to talk just about self respect, I want to give them facts about more things. Such as how society views them and what messages they’re sending out to society. I want to show the girls the long term effect of the choices they are making at such a young age. By referencing this site, I’ll be able to show them the work of people who actually study these sorts of things and that will helpfully help them understand more.


Stack, Carol. All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community. New York: Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group, 1997. 22-57. Web. <http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=kDarMIro39YC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=black+adolescent+community&ots=K_7thnXl7V&sig=qv2s3ClE3Iifbot23Bu1BOqHNxU#v=onepage&q=black%20adolescent%20community&f=false

This source is very reliable for my capstone because within the book it has chapters about black communities and how they play a major role in black adolescents lives. I thought the chapters within the book were helpful in helping me understand more about the black community. Even though I’m from a black community, it’s good to have another insight about it from other people.  This source will be very reliable for getting information that I’ll need to complete my capstone and to help others understand my capstone. I’ll not only give people of different ethnicity a view of the black community but it will give African Americans a view of the black community.


"Youth in Action: Teens Forming Teens." What Kids Can Do. What Can Kids Do, Inc. Web. 29 Jan 2014. <http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2008/08_youth_in_action/index.html>.

When I reviewed this site I was looking to find articles about young black adolescence and their behavior. However, I was surprised when I seen a featured story about teens helping teens because it relates a lot to my capstone. This article helped me understand how to approach my audience in a more fun and interesting way rather than just laying facts out to them. It inspired me to make activities where they’ll teach me about their experiences and the reasons for the decisions they make. Although this source isn’t reliable for my whole capstone it is a good starting point for the activities I’m going to make.

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