Hello everyone, it is once again Ian Fay here for my final blog post. Last time, I talked about my own opinions on the issue I am covering. I also discussed the original research I had conducted in the form of a survey. If you did not see that blog you can access it in the links at the bottom of this blog. Now, it is time to make one last blog because now I have even more stuff to talk about. So let us get to my Final Post for Change!

         In my last blog post I talked about how I was to do my Agent of Change action. Since then that part of my project has passed and now I’m here to tell you about it. For my action, I did a presentation for my advisory. I went over the many things I have shown in my other blogs such as the identity theft, web restriction and discrimination, and the one murder charge discussed in my first blog. I feel like the presentation went well and I did a good job at informing the class of my issue.  

         Other than what I have done to raise awareness of the issue, many other campaigns and people have decided to do the same. If you read my last blog, then you may remember me talking about a video with a man by the name of Eli Pariser. He was talking about how certain websites that use algorithms to supposedly suit a user’s likes can create “Filter Bubbles” which can effectively restrict you from numerous amount of websites. Also there is a campaign called Save The Internet which helps to give net neutrality a secure foothold in our online society. There are other campaigns like this one which could really use a donation or even taking action in these campaigns. These are some of the few ways that awareness of this issue is being spread.

         In this whole process, there were some things I wish I could’ve done a better job in doing. One example is getting my survey that I created to more people to get a much wider opinion on my topic. Also I wish I could have done something more for my Agent of Change action. However, due to the complexity of this issue, I do not see any alternatives as of right now. Maybe there will be a solution sometime in the future but, as of right now there seems to be little to do unfortunately.

         Throughout this process,I have learned many things about not only my issue but, also myself and those around me. When it comes to this issue, there is a lot of mistrust, differing opinions, and other things that complicate it even more. There are many other problems like this were there doesn’t really seem to be a solution. Only time seems to tell how it ends. It’s hard to find out how to fix things like this and it takes years or even decades to solve. RIght now, all we can do is combat internet privacy issues. Eventually we may find a solution to keep our online society at peace once and for all, but until then we have to combat it and hope it will come soon.

         Thank you very much for reading my blogs. I hope I have informed you enough to where you can make change happen yourself. If you check out the bottom, then there are many different links to my past blogs, websites, videos, many other things for you to be aware of. This is Ian Fay here for the last time.

Blog #1

Blog #2

Eli Pariser “The Filter Bubble”

Save The Internet Campaign

Hello! This is Dubois again writing to you about big cats. So in my last blog post, I talked about my opinion on big cats and my results from my survey that I sent out along with my interview of Ms. Houston. This time i’m going to talk to you about what is currently being done for the big cats and what I did to raise awareness. There are currently organizations around the world that specialize in the preservation of big cats, such as Big cat rescue, the largest big cat sanctuary in the country,  See the Wild, which is a fundraising organization for the big cats, and our own Philadelphia zoo, which teaches children from an early age how to save big cats. All of these programs try to show people the importance of big cats by showing them our worlds after its too late.

For my Agent of change project, I did a presentation on the Big cats to my advisory. I talked about the problem, the things that were currently being done, and what we could do. I was actually already involved with the Philly Zoo before we started the project through an organization called STAMP. Every month I write a blog post about the events that are coming up to raise not only the awareness of animals, but also the amount of teenagers that support museums. For the exclusively though, if more people came, there would be even more support behind the protection of the big cats. I at first was very nervous about doing this project because I didn’t know what difference it would make if I wrote about it when multiple others already had, but was also excited because big cats are my favorite class of animals. I feel like could’ve connected with the Zoo though and maybe even an event for the big cats because i think that would’ve been much more effective than presenting, but I was too scared to try.

In the future , I think that we as a race should make eco efficiency a standard in every household around the world, and make it cheap so everyone can do it. We should also make law enforcement stronger and much harsher for poaching big cats to reduce the amount of poaching-especially since they’re unnecessary and are only used for their fur.Overall, we are moving forwards and I think that if we implement just a few of the things that have been mentioned, we’ll be making great progress.

My Presentation

Philadelphia Community Youth Court

Welcome Back for my final installment of my You And The World Project. My name is Jesse And I am a freshman soon to be sophomore back with blog post #3. Throughout my first two blogs I introduced the topic of the school to prison pipeline and then shared with you my original research which was an interview which was with the Youth court coordinator herself Mrs.Kimberly Stevens. If you missed out of any of the blogs I will have links to them at the end of this blog as well as a link to my annotated bibliography.This blog will is the after my agent of change work and is once again the final part of my YATW project.  Now on to  blog #3.

Blog Post #3

Throughout my Agent of change part of my I have done multiple things to raise awareness about my issue. The Things that I have done range from walking in the “ Pete’s Sake Take a break from Cancer” walk, to mach trials preparing us for the real deal then finally actual live cases. The walk did not only help raise money for an organization that really wants to make sure that cancer patients get the best treatment possible and have a little vacation but we also got a chance to do walk as a group and represent The philadelphia youth court and have fun while doing so. I mean I don't know many organizations that genuinely do these kind of things out the kindness of their heart and not just because of the publicity(it sounds like I contradicted myself in the first paragraph to now but the reason we went to the walk in the first place was to support one of our members that have had breast cancer and went through these program). The live trials gave us a chance to actually help teens stay in school and not end up in the streets which and they are now doing a lot better which shows that this organization is making a positive change in people lives even though we’re doing it student by student. We make people want to stay in school and also give adults hope that our generation isn't just full of people who don’t care about their future and just are rowdy kids, so that show promise for an even greater positive change.

So far I feel as though these steps to change maybe small but are effective to eradicating the school to prison pipeline. We can’t be unhappy with the type of change that allows a teen with potential another chance to be apart of the working class and be something in their lives. Going throughout my agent of change work I wanted to pursue people that would help us in our mission and understood what we understood and help us reach out. I needed people who care about youth and were upset with the current status of the school system and wanted to make a change. Those are the type of people I was pursuing.

The changes that I have made so far are small but strong changes throughout the project. I have done two live cases where I was able to help two students stay in their schools and allowed them so that they could graduated on time. I have also with the help of the rest of the youth court members we got help from the barristers association who are now 100% behind the Philadelphia youth court. After this Agent of change part I have learned that there is always someone who thinks like you and when you find fault with something to speak up and try your very hardest to achieve your goal. Also never try to do everything alone.Now there are a few things that I could have done better. I could have participated more in youth court events so that we could get morte partnerships and I could have been a little more vocal. The only things that is left to do is repeat what I have already been doing and hopefully along the way get more people on board.

I would like to thank all of you for coming along with me throughout this journey of my YATW project and thank you for taking the time to read each and every blog post that I have made. Even though I wont be making anymore blog post I will still continue to help out with PCYC and do my best to make a meaningful change.Now go out there and make a change yourself and make this generation proud!  

 MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

Blog #1

Blog #2

Annotated Bibliography

Hi everyone! My name is Gabrielle Cromley and you may have read my past two blog posts about Finding a Cure for Cancer if not, take a look! (Blog #1 & Blog #2) This is my final blog post for my You and the World project and it includes my Agent of Change portion. The Agent of Change part is how I tried to make a difference for my cause which is finding a cure for cancer.

There was recently an article on Liberty Voice titled “Cancer Cure on the Horizon?” that described a possible new treatment called CART treatment (chimeric antigen receptor T-cells)  that has been extremely successful in patients who were not responding to chemotherapy like Emma Whitehead and Doug Olson who said, “As far as I’m concerned, I’m cured. I don’t ever think about relapse. I don’t. It’s like all of a sudden you can breathe.” The treatment involves stripping white blood cells from the blood then using a modified version of the HIV virus to reset the white blood cells in order to make the white blood cells attack the cancer when they return to the bloodstream. CART treatment basically “genetically re-engineers a person’s immune system”. One of the major downfalls to this treatment is that it makes the patient’s immune system even more vulnerable for a while and they could possibly die in that span of time. It has a while to go, but the treatment is currently undergoing tests and development in order to make it safer and possibly compatible for more types of cancer.

Although the treatment has had a large success rate in its patients, I think that there is still a lot more that has to be done to improve the treatment so it is less harmful. Before it can be used on the market, it has to be a less risky procedure so that it can be as effective as possible. The treatment has also been successful in mostly forms of leukemia. It should also be tested and altered if needed so that it can be utilized for other forms of cancer. I also believe that the researchers working on CART should attempt to use a different virus than HIV just in case something goes wrong with the virus. Though CART treatment needs to be advanced more, this could possibly be another treatment option for cancer patients that could be more successful for them.                                                                                                        

In order to try to make a difference in the fight to conquer cancer, I participated in and donated to Yoga on the Steps with my classmate, Talya Laver. I took part by doing yoga for about an hour and a half with many breast cancer survivors and supporters. We also sang and ate breakfast together and talked about other events going on to support cancer and ways that we can all help. Yoga on the Steps is an event that was created by Living Beyond Breast Cancer which has been doing this activity on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum for 13 years. So far, Philadelphia has raised about $276,000 out of it’s $310,000 goal, and donations are still being made until June 30, 2014. If you would like to help find a cure for cancer by donating to Yoga on the Steps, click here.

Yoga on the Steps wristband

Yoga participants filling the art museum steps

Talya Laver and I in a yoga pose feeling victorious over cancer.

Participants filling the steps and sidewalk in poses

I may not have made a colossal change by myself, but when thousands or sometimes millions of people donate to an organization to aid in eradicating cancer, it makes a huge difference. If you think that your contribution doesn't make a change, you’re wrong because it takes as many people as possible to fight against varieties of a worldwide, destructive diseases like cancer. One donation can give a patient treatment or pay for needed supplies and testing for research. I have made a change by being part of this difficult battle instead of dismissing it. This project has made me realize that with passion, generosity, and perseverance this is a fight that we can win, but there needs to be support from as many people as possible. During my Agent of Change, I was witness to so many people that were similar to me in that this was such an emotional cause for them. So many people care about this fight and strive to win, we just need more dedication like this to put a stop to cancer.

Although I am proud of the work that I have accomplished for this project there were things I did not have a chance to do. I wish I had raised more money for the Yoga on the Steps by creating a team or having some type of fundraiser. I also wanted to be able to participate in other events that I was not able to like the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure and the Light the Night walk for Lymphoma and Leukemia. The You and the World project has made me realize that with passion, generosity, and perseverance this is a fight that we can win, but there needs to be support from as many people as possible. Also, there are many events that happen in spring that fund cancer research, and many people can only participate in about one or two of these activities since they do not have a lot money to spend at once. So, I think that more of these fundraisers should happen during other seasons in order to generate maximum support. Donations, participating in walks and other events, volunteering, and helping cancer patients are all simple things that we can do in order to fight cancer.

Cancer does not stand a chance against an entire country or even an entire world fighting as one. Why would anyone not want to witness the pain that cancer causes come to an end? Everyone who knows someone who has been diagnosed with, died from, or is a survivor of cancer needs to dedicate their efforts to these people, because they are the ones who truly know how brutal and degrading cancer is to a person and to society. We all owe it to those people to gain vengeance against the horrid cancers that infest this world. With that being said, we must stand up together and battle cancer in anyway possible and never give up until its end. Thank you for reading my blog posts!

So, I’m back again with my third and final blog post about bullying; depression and suicide. Here’s a recap of blog #1 and blog #2. In blog 1, I talked about facts and statistics about bullying and how it leads to depression and suicide through research. In my blog 2, I talked about the original research that I did. For my original research, I did a survey and had kids at my old school, taking them from grades 6-8. If you would like to read about any one of the posts you can check here, Blog Post #1 and Blog Post #2. Now, for this blog post I’m going to be talking about my Agent of Change. This means, what did I do to make a difference or let others know about how important my topic is which is bullying.

For my Agent of Change, I decided to go to my old school and start a little support group. In this support group, there were children from grades 6-8. Some were in there by choice and others were kind of recommended by teachers and parents.

I chose to create a small support group because often times children are bullied and depressed, but they feel like they have no one to actually talk to. I thought that they would be a little comfortable and more open with children around their age and those who are going through the same things that they are. In the results of my original survey, more than 50% of the children that took it said that they have not told anyone that they were being bullied. So, this was the time to tell someone and be heard. They were given a journal where they would write in. The group was called Sticks & Stones. 

(This is a poster that the kids made about what they felt or thought about cyber bullying. It was not forced upon them. They had the choice to go up themselves if they had something to write.)

I can walk away knowing that I helped kids open up more about what’s going on in their lives, especially if they’re being bullied. This makes me feel amazing and proud because these kids know that it is very important to let their voices be heard. I now know that if I feel strongly about something, maybe the best thing to do is step up and do something. Every voice is important and should be heard.

Some things that could have been done differently is maybe do more activities of getting to know each other. Most of the children did know each other, but others were quiet and a little awkward. I would actually like to continue doing this because it was a nice way to get to know children and hear their stories.

Bullying is a very serious case leading into other serious cases such as depression and suicide. People should be more aware of what the causes and effects are. You never know if someone you know is being bullied. Most times it’s because they don’t share that type of information, but make sure you could make yourself a pair of open ears. They’ll feel more wanted.

Welcome back! It has been a long year, but the time has come for my final Blog. My name is Daouda Njie and I am a freshman in Science Leadership Academy. Thank you for those who have read my other two blogs Blog #1 and Blog #2. For those who have just started to read my blogs I am exploring Autism for my You and the World Project, and whether the School District of Philadelphia is giving the best educational experience for a child with Autism.

For my first blog I talked about what Autism is and problems that the kids with Autism face. I have discovered that Autism is a disorder that causes problems with social interactions, repetitive behaviors, and verbal or nonverbal communications. Autism happens because of brain mutations in early stages of brain development. Autism affects how your brain processes information. These problem make school for children with Autism challenging. I have witnessed many children with Autism struggling in schools because of lack of assistance schools offer. Although there are special plans that children with Autism can take. They are called ILP which stands for Individualized learning plan. These plans all differ and are made to fit each child's needs differently.

For my second blog I decided to interview one of my fellow classmates that has Autism. Asking him if he thought the school district is doing everything to help him and what are problems he faces. He said that sometimes he does have trouble socializing in school but his family helps him and provides support for him. He also take studies skill which is provided for kids with disabilities. This allows him to stay focused and get his work done. I also interviewed a Special ed professor who works with people with Autism. She stated that children with Autism have trouble understanding what people say, if there are greetings such as “what's up.” If a child with autism hears this they might respond with “the sky.” This can make it difficult in a school environment because school is full of social interactions.

                       this is me also presenting in my advisory

For my agent of change I decided to inform my advisory on what they can do to help a child with Autism adjust to school more and not have challenges. I believe that I could have done more for my agent of change. I originally wanted to volunteer at Autism speaks but due to lack  of communication I was not able to. But by at least educating other people I believe that I have helped my cause.

I really enjoyed this assignment and it made me feel like I was doing something to actually help someone else. I also enjoyed this assignment because unlike most assignments I was able to freely choose what I wanted to work on. Finding a problem that is interesting to me and going out and doing something about it. I believe that people should become more self aware of children with autism because everyone deserves the best education. I would like to thank Ms.Dunn for allowing me to have a chance to make a change and my advisory for listening to my presentation. I would also like to thank everyone who has read my blogs thank you and goodbye.