Service Learning Project: Best Practices

Our service learning project dealt with understanding what best practices are and trying to create our own best practice by researching numerous best practices and trying to combine them into one unique practice. At first, my group and I struggled to figure out where to begin, how to begin. After discussing it and meeting with one another, we started to realize that creating a new best practice, we were free to roam whichever way we wanted, that there was no such thing as a step in the wrong direction. I think having that much freedom, for as big as this project was, was overwhelming, but we persevered.

There are many sub fields within the category of education, and i chose something that may seem as counterproductive with academics, video games. I researched how video game could be implemented in schools and how it could be just as helpful as a teacher, better yet, be a teacher itself. I also tied it into sports, which is another topic that was covered by my group member, and how it could help develop more knowledge for sports in general.

For me personally, video games has always been a part of my life, especially in sports.Being able to play with friends in the neighborhood, I was able to comprehend to basic fundamentals of sports, such as football, baseball, and basketball. But for me to be able to really understand the in-depth-details and intricacies of sports, I relied on video games to help me learn.  It helped gain a better understanding of the diversity in sports as well.

When used appropriately, video games can offer numerous tools that can be adapted into life. The way we are taught in schools is that we go through a slow process of leveling up, year by year. Through numerous days of gaining basic knowledge, repetitions and practice, then over-learning material to remember them as facts, which is a process that is practiced in schools; also a reward and punishment system can be practiced as well with this.

To establish video games in schools, schools and teachers need to dedicate time, money and effort to prepare a functional environment. As a kid in elementary school, I remember once a week going to the computer lab playing educational games such as Math Reader, Reader Rabbit, and Oregon Trail, but once I got to a certain age, using those educational games stopped. Not only did I learn to read and write better, but I was more engaged into wanting to learn more. It was less stressful and learning became more fun.

 

The final touch: the Synthesis paper

You know what the best part of school is? The end. In order to get to the end and be done with it all, we must finish all the excruciating course work that seems to just pile up all at once. Specifically to this course, we must end the course by writing our synthesis paper. In the beginning of the semester, I knew this day would come, dreading the idea of writing another paper for the sake of writing another paper. But this paper will have a different meaning compared to the previous papers I have written in the past.

We have learned a lot of information with issues dealing with children across the globe. Some were good, happy factual “rags to riches” stories, while others were cold-hearted facts that seemed unheard of and impossible to fathom. In regards to the synthesis paper, I will be applying main points and ideas from each article and or documentary that I have come across throughout the semester to our course goals and themes, which are: diversity and trends, voice and action, global perspective, and power and inequality. I will also be applying the knowledge and information gained from learning projects, graduate student presentations, and children’s media outlets.

The goal is to organize accurate information from what I have read and researched to show my understanding of the material learned and to present new knowledge and/or create new ideas. It isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but what will be most gained from this paper is that I will have learned a lot more meaning of how the world works.

WORLD SPORT CHICAGO

Since I was little, sports has always been a huge part of my life. No matter the sport or the outcome of what I played, i enjoyed every second of it. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge from each sport that I played because it involved learning from others who have played it, such as friends, family members, or professionals athletes. It also taught me very valuable lessons and attributes within sports, but essentials that I can continue to grow to help me succeed in my professional career, such as: character, responsibility, teamwork, communication, trust, sharing, composure, focus, dedication, hard work, mentoring, and humbleness. Being involved in sports can help build a stronger community leading to stronger, lasting friendships and more importantly staying in school and being involved at school. Within the US, the dominate, more commercialized professional sports tend to be football, baseball, and basketball. There are various sports that aren’t offered or as focused on within the US, but these sports are prestigious, respected, and appreciated throughout the world.

I for one, have played volleyball for most of my life, as well as basketball. In high school, volleyball wasn’t as popular as basketball or football, but i still loved playing it. Before I graduated high school, i knew there were very few schools that offered scholarships at the D1 level, which is the highest level of competition in college. I continued to play in my years at Illinois State University, but it was only offered as a club-program rather than a sanctioned NCAA sport.

I found this one particular organization that focuses on reaching out to youths in Chicago to participate and join a variety of sports, especially the sports played in the Olympics. The organization is called “World Sport Chicago”.From their website:

“ The mission of World Sport Chicago is to:

• Introduce Chicago’s youth, regardless of physical  abilities, to the fun and benefits of sport.
• Generate interest and excitement in sport by providing every youth in Chicago with an opportunity to see and experience a wide variety of sporting events.
• Strengthen in youth the ideals and the characteristics of fair play, teamwork, respect, leadership and to promote the health, safety and education of Chicago’s youth.
• Strengthen Chicago’s communities through bringing youth, families, schools and community groups together through sport.
• Expand the availability and quality of sport by supporting existing youth programs integrating Olympian and Paralympians into programs and establishing and sharing best practices throughout Chicago and beyond.
• Expand the horizons of the youth of Chicago by opening up new possibilities and experiences.

 
World Sport Chicago promises to promote, uphold and advance the Olympic ideals in every day life through active participation in Olympic and Paralympic sports.

We strive…

To reach everyone we can,

To inspire everyone we reach,

To support everyone we inspire

To strive for every dream they can imagine.

Because Olympic Sport – like Olympic ideals – are for everyone.”

To access more information about World Sport Chicago, you can access the website below:
http://www.worldsportchicago.org/

Children, Youth and Development by Nicola Ansell

“Children, Youth and Development” by Nicola Ansell, goes into detail about issues with children globally, and way to help and develop programs for countries that are struggling. The concepts and topics she touches were important to our class discussions and projects. She brings up topics on health, education, work, power and inequality/equality, culture and religion, which in turn, we tie to our course themes and goals. The book opens your mind, gives you a whole new perspective in life, compares and contrasts westernized countries vs. non-westernized. Thought within the US, we have our own problems; Ansell paints a picture verbally to show you problems all around the world. At times it may be depressing to read because it is something I’ve personally haven’t really experienced, but it shows how powerful and strong some of these kids are.  Throughout the chapter, she provides examples of children’s life stories, giving me and to whoever reads this book, a better idea to those who are lucky enough to live a life of freedom, should be grateful for the opportunities that a lot may never receive.

There were stories of children being taken from homes at young ages and forced into militias and creating havoc against their own people, children being forced to live in streets, subway stations, and ghettos, with no hope for a better tomorrow. Most of these kids are abandoned, addicted to drugs, stealing to survive one more day, hustling and being involved in gang related activities. It was real stressful taking in this information but at the same time it made me less ignorant to these facts. Most people around the world are clueless to this type of information because “what they don’t see, they don’t know” mentality.

Throughout the book, she provides organizations that are trying to reach out to these kids across the globe to provide the rights and resources they lack. Some that have been mentioned: the CRC, Save the Children, UNICEF.

Children Underground

“Children Underground” is a documentary made in 2001, following the lives of five kids out of the thousands who are homeless in Bucharest, Romania. Most the homeless children are unwanted by their families, which then leave these kids on the hunt for a new “home”. The streets tend to offer a better living environment for these kids who are abandoned or have ran away from home because they can become comfortable and feel wanted in the streets, even though it doesn’t seem ideal. The increasing number of children in the streets was amplified by Nicolae Ceausescu, who in 1966 prohibited the methods of contraception use and abortion.

“Children Underground” follows the lives of five children, aging between eight to 16 years old, who live in a subway station. What was really enlightening about these kids was how they were in control and the power they had in their own world. The methods of living or surviving were lying, panhandling, stealing, trading, drugs, and fighting. They were all creative and had their own distinct characteristics. Cristina, age 16, appears to be a tough teenage boy, but is actually a girl. She lied about herself to put on this tough boy-image so that she wouldn’t get further harassed or abused for being a girl. She provides power and protection for the younger kids. Mihai, age 11, has a pure heart. Unlike the other children who panhandle, he works for the local shops by helping them carry products and stocking shelves.  He believes by doing good to life, good will be rewarded back to him as he gets older. Macarena, age 14, is a drug addict of Aurolac paint. She earned her nickname “Macarena” because she loves that song and is always dancing the Macarena.  Ana, age 10, and Marian, age 8, are brother and sister, who have ran away from home to the streets thinking it has provided a better life for them. 

After watching this, the pain and suffering these kids go through has seems to be a way of life that they have become numb to it. While the normal world revolves around them, the kids have created, in a sense, their own world that gives them some power and equality. It was not their choice to create this world, but a world that had to be created because of past government laws, which has created dysfunctional families. In most cases, thousands families could not help support their own children, leading to thousands of abandoned kids living on the streets. It hurts knowing that these innocent kids were left with no right to live.

Albany Park Theater Project – Home/Land

We had recently taken a trip to see you’re play, and to be honest, I had no idea what was going to take place. As I walked into the theater, it felt very tight and small because in my mind, I had pictured an actual main-stage theater show with all the lights and big name actors. What I got instead were a bunch of teenagers walking around the stage, smiling, interacting with the audience members before the performance begun.

Albany Park Theater Project: Home/Land is about numerous stories of immigrant families, battling through adversity to arrive to a place they can call home. The beginning with the story telling from the father to his daughters was a great way to capture the audience’s attention. I was impressed to see cast members play their own instruments as well as hold a key while singing in front of a live audience. Once the play really settled in, I started to understand that these might be stories of their own family members. The risks, the time and investment to try to escape their homeland to pursue the American dream. I would think to myself from time to time about what my family had to go through traveling from Iran and their adventures to reach America.

There was one act that really touched on my thought when the girl of Middle Eastern descent going through the airport scene. She had gone through intense scrutiny and nasty looks by the general public. Ever since the 9/11 attack, my life has been completely different, I’m sure I am not the only one whose life has been effected in some way. Before seeing that specific act, I had felt that I was the only one who had experienced it because not a lot of people from my neighborhood really understood how it felt to be an outcast because of terrorists that brought pain and mourning to all people in the US.  It was hard to express my thoughts to my friends because this “cut” was so fresh and pure, that they haven’t yet experienced the same or similar wound.  It is tough to see people of similar culture or ethnicity, segregated into a different line at the airport.

Throughout the play, you can sense the power and inequality displayed through the raw emotions and charisma by the teenage actors. The one act “Who Wants to be an American” was a great act displaying the amount of power the government has and the process an immigrant must go through to achieve citizenship. America is a melting pot, accepting many different cultures, race, ethnicity. It is easier said than done to become an American, and the APTP displayed a great performance of the struggles many people have gone through and still go through.

Please check out APTP and support their project. More information about Albany Park Theater Project can be found through this link >>>> http://www.aptpchicago.org/whats-on/

CHICAM

Children in Communication about Migration (CHICAM), is about a research project funded by the European Commission, for migrant children, ages 10 -14, to express their lives through media production. It gives children a chance to show the world their daily interactions with peers, at school and with their family. Six youth centers are located in Italy, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands and Greece. The use of internet made it easier to establish communication and sharing stories between children worldwide. Short films, art, rapping and singing songs, and interviews are just a few ways children have expressed their ideas and thoughts. More can be seen here (http://www.chicam.org/videos/index.html)

Children that do migrate to another country are either forced into child labor or feel the need to hide from society. They are scared to admit who they are to society because they may not be accepted or they are unwanted and harm could be brought onto them. In one video from CHICAM, it shows that peer relationships were their biggest concern. Expressing thoughts and communicating through media has become a great way for these kids to open up to the world, and to be proud of their origins.

 

International Labour Organization – International Programme on Elimination of Child Labour

There are a wide arrange of non-governmental organizations out there providing a focus on numerous issues such as children’s rights, women’s rights, education and health. The one specific NGO that I will inform you about will be the ILO, International Labour Organization. The ILO works to provide the needs of working women, men, children and setting a balance between workers and businesses. It ensures a voice can be heard between trade unions and employers to work on social and economic issues. A conference is held once in a year in June, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The IPEC, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, is specifically about child labor. Throughout the world, over 200 million children are at work. Most cannot afford to go to school or enjoy the time of being a child. Hazardous working environments, forced labor, slavery, prostitution and drug trafficking are huge issues that IPEC tries to limit and prevent from happening in the future.  Over the years 2004-2008, there has been a 3 percent decline on child labor, globally.  Estimates for children ages 5-14 have decreased nearly 10 percent, and have decreased among girls of 15 percent. By 2016, their goal is to have plans eliminating the worst forms of child labor.

As great as this organization is, it seems to be a work in progress. Gradually it is making progress for a better future. The decrease of children working throughout the years seems to provide some positive light; hopefully by 2016 they can reach their goal and give children the privilege to receive an education, and more importantly, to enjoy the beautiful life  and dreams of childhood.

the CRC

It is common sense to understand that in order to become and adult, you must first be a kid. In the United States, for me, being a kid was the life. Not that I had everything in the world to provide my every day needs, but i did have a lot of things that most children all around the world didn’t. My family was able to give me a home, clothes, shoes, food, and education. After I was done with school, I was able to go out in the yard, the streets, the park, and play with my friends, where ever our imagination took us. The freedom most of us had as kids is something we shouldn’t take granted.

Once I went to the UNICEF website, trying to read about who they were, what they represented and why, I gained a better understanding that a lot of children globally aren’t nearly as lucky or blessed as I was. The Convention describes kids as actual humans with the minds to think for themselves and they should be well respected just like any other adult. The Conventions plan is to incorporate all range of human rights for kids. The photos provided by UNICEF’s website give you a closer perspective to what life is really like for kids who struggle.

Even though as a child, my life may have seemed like it was the best time in the world, the US is only one of two countries who have yet to ratify the Convention on the Rights of a Child. Their main reason, quoted from the UNICEF website, “the United States undertakes an extensive examination and scrutiny of treaties before proceeding to ratify.” The US has signed on two protocols insuring that children will not engage in war and cannot be sold. The US is making progress towards an agreement, but are taking their sweet time doing so.

About me…

Before I began, I would like to describe some back ground information of who am I, where my family is from and my relationship to the world. I am an Iranian-American from a family of six. I have three brothers, one younger, and two older than me. My little brother and I were born in the US, as for the rest of my family, they are from Iran. My early childhood, we had lived in Chicago for about 13 years of my life, before moving up north to the suburb of Highwood and still reside there.

My family is very traditional, just I’m sure most foreign families are. Growing up in the US and being around the westernized culture, I am still learning more about my own Persian ways. Traditionally, families are suppose to be big in numbers, as oppose to the US, where families are smaller in size. Ideally, westernized men and women tend to be single and delay marriage, where as traditional men and women want to get married or rather need to get married because it helps them financially.

Its pretty cool experiencing both sides of the world, it can be very confusing at times, but in its own unique way. To have my family grow up in a developing nation to successfully making they’re way into the US as citizens, is a dream many people want to achieve. To give myself and my brothers a chance to go to school and the opportunity to go to college, seems like an everyday routine for the typical American kid, but they didn’t have that chance. It seems that kids in developing countries don’t have many options with what they want to do in their life because they’re families struggle to make a living, which would mean becoming an adult a lot sooner than expected. I’m glad that my parents gave me the opportunity to succeed, giving me options. One day, it will be my turn to give back to my parents.