July 17th

Today I completet my parent thingie so they can sign off on it. I also went through my out line and filled in all my sources so it would be easier to write my paper.

July 16th 2008

Today I worked on my paper and got the first two paragraphs done . I'm going to see if mr. Boring can confrence with me today about what days he wants to have the meatings and how often he wants to have them. I also still need to talk to Administration to see what they say about the club and possible get some people who I know would want to be involved together and maybe start fundraising after August break.

July 3rd

Yesterday I went to another PDEC meeting.

• they put up the youtube video of the May 18th march (me n keke are in it for like a second)
• Frank Wolfs bush for bush to boycott the olympics
• divesment
• tents of hope - new protest thingie planed

July 24th

Today I worked on my proposal now that I went to that meeting and finally selected a project. I really hope everything works out because I really believe that it will help the people of Darfur even if its in the smallest way every step helps. I also talked to you about my notes (and how heels cause hammer toes) and Im on the right track so thats a relief. I asked Mr. boring if he wanted to help sponsor the clubs and he said he would! So the first step is done.

July 18th

Tonight is the PDEC meeting. I emailed one of the leaders of the group and they said that they always are discussing things that they can do to get more people involved and that Ill probably get some good ideas at the meeting. Today I will do some additional research and take some more notes on my topic.

June 17th

Today we will be learning about out interview and how to conduct them correctly. I also emailed the principle at the school that the article was about and asked if she could give me the email address of the student / teacher involved with the Darfur club to get more information

June 12th

Today I worked on note taking and I highlighted all my articles except 1 that I have left to do. I still have to type the notes into the computer but that shouldn't take me too long. I read that whole article about teenage involvment, and the kids in the article started a club to raise awareness and they do things like have people speak at their school after hours and do things to raise money to help send aid over there and I think its a really good idea but a big one, to start a new club so thats maybe something I would want to do for my action project

Plus there was a big step for darfur china talked to sudan about what there doing. Here is a link to the article

June 11th

Today I worked on searching for my action project. I started reading up on some websites about what were ways to help and it lead me to doctors without boarders. This website had a place were you could donate and fund raise for them. It said that if you registered your event with them they would give out letter to everyone who donated that would be tax deductible, so i started looking up fund raising ideas and i thought that maybe i could do a movie night or maybe a carnival to raise money for them

June 10th

Today I started to work on my proposal and did as much as I could do without knowing my actoin plan, so then I went onto pittsburgh darfur and saved some pictures from the march and starting looking threw the sight. I found the email adress and sent the head person on the website and email telling them about my graduation project and asking them if they know anything that teens can do. I also research more info on what was going on in darfur and found that radio station you were telling me about.

June 9th

Today we went over how to do out proposals then I went and talked with Ms. King about my action plan I have allot of ideas on what to do but I'm not sure about what exactly I'm going to do but i decided to go to the pittsburgh darfur PDEC; its on Wednesday next week, I think im going to see who will go with me, maybe angie since she lives in Squirrel Hill

June 5th 2008

Today I typed the remaining notes that I took yesterday into the the computer. My computer froze half way through but luckily I saved it so I didnt loose anything. I am going to talk to ms. King about my action project and well start thinking about what i wanna do

June 4th

Today I read three articles today and highlighted the information that answered each of my 10 questions. The first article was Q&A and has a lot of information about the actions taken, I also wrote the notes on my computer about the article. The other two articles I didn't get to type up my notes from the other articles yet but I will do that tomorrow. I also have been thinking about my action project and I think I either want to do something to raise money for an organization that sends aid to Darfur or maybe talk to the girl that is from Darfur that lives in Philadelphia now who started an organization to help the kids by sending them school supplies and other things that will help them and make them feel like their life is a little better.

June 3rd

Today I started reading through my articles, I got all the way through one and highlighted the info that was important. It had allot of good information in this article on what was happing to the people in Darfur.

June 2nd

Today I met with ms. King and we talked about what I wanted to do for my action project. I really wasn't sure yet I know I want to do something that will actually help the people in Darfur in some way but i dont know what. I also met with Ms. King and she told me how to take notes for this project and how it would be organized. I got together my articles and set up my papers for taking notes

May 29th

Today I worked more on citing my sources I got 7 done today and only have 3 more to go for tomorrow so I'm in good shape. I didn't have a chance to watch that MTV special that I wanted to yesterday because I was doing b-day stuff but ill try to watch it tonight.

May 28th

Today I cited all my sources for my webliography, I started to re-look at my websites so i could become refreshed on what the websites are about. I also started to write my first paragraph and found a really cool website on genocide on mtv. I was suprised they have a whole page on important issues in the world and even did a segment where they sent 3 teens over to Darfur to see what was going on and im going to watch it tonight

March Pics

May 27th- Back from New York

Today is our first day back to work after the New York trip and three day weekend with memorial day. New York was great, I think that the best part was I got to spend time with people that I dont get to see alot because were in different classes, it let me get to know people better some in good ways and some in bad but it defiantly opened my eyes. I also like the fact that we got to pick who we roomed with and it gave us our first taste of what real life would be like with roommates and how its not always easy sharing a bathroom with four girls. I really liked the Lion King musical, it was better than I thought it would be and there were more songs than in the movie. Overall I had a really good time and now i have to get back to work on my grad project

May 17th

Today I worked on my questions and though more about what I wanted to do my expert questions on and I desided to do them on what people are doing to help and what teenagers can do. I think that finding out what teenagers can do will help me pick out a final project that not only will give me a good grade but also actully do something to help.


Questions

What is genocide?
Why did the genocide in Darfur start?
What actions have been taken to end genocide?
Why have the actions taken failed?
What’s happening to the people in Darfur?
What are some organizations helping send aid to Darfur?
What are some organizations that have send people over to help?
What were the dangers they were in when in Sudan?
How have these peoples lives changed?
What are some ways that teenagers can help end genocide?

May 15th

Today I did more reasearch into what started genocide, I also wrote a rough draft of an email about the genocide march that I wanted to send to all city high students so all I have to do is talk to wiertheimer and see if its ok. I got my letter in the mail from the march and now I have more information, Im planning on bring my camera and taking pictures to include in my presentation. I plan on working on my questions tomorrow.

May 6th 2008

Today I read a BBC article on the genocide in Darfur it had question and answers and it really focused on the start of the genocide and the attempts to stop it that have failed and not been follow through. I also defined some more terms about my topic and now i only need to think of two more words to define.

Today I started to work on my key terms and got about 5 done so far. I also read some more on the start of genocide in Darfur and on the first attempts to stop it by the UN. Although I'm not sure exactly what I am going to do my project on I think that it will be on why and when it started and how it can be stopped and look at the past attempts and why they failed and what all they accomplished. I didn't get a chance to go to library yet or to get those movies but I think Ill also get one on Rwanda to see the similarities and why they started.

I started to look at books and movies that are about the genocide in darfur. Im going to go to the library and get a book to read, which will hopefully give me more knowledge on the genocide. One book I was looking at getting was Darfur's sorrow : a history of destruction and genocide by M.W. Daly. This book is all about how genocide started why it continues, what people have done to try and stop it and why is hasn't been affective. Another thing I want to do is watch the movie the devil came on horseback. Last year we watched a documentary on the authors follow up trip to darfur to see how it had changed since then and I think it would be interesting to see what he thought being an outsider in the genocide.

May 1st 2008

Today I decided what my graduation project was gonna be about.......Genocide in Darfur. I picked it because its a really important issue and even though I'm just one person and the issue is so big every step helps. I was reading about Darfur and its genocide and I'm not sure yet what I want I exactly want to look at with in Genocide but I was reading about diversion how companys are funding the genocide in Darfur and how places in pittsburgh such as CMU and Pitt are investing money in these companys that are investing in Sudan which gives 70% of the profit to the Janjaweed who are the ones causing the genocide.

April 30th

Today we wrote a list of interest and went through them to find somethings they all had in common to get a good idea of a subject to do our graduation project on. Based on my list I came up with four ideas for my graduation project that I would like to do.

1. Genocide in Darfur- not sure exactly what my action plan would be yet
2. How people are treated based on looks- find out how different groups of people are treated in local places (ex. goth, prep, nerd....ect.). I would do interviews with people who consider them selves members of each group and the stereo types they encounter. My action project would be a documentary
3. Write a kids book- I would write and illustrate a children's book for kids and get it binded and copied. I would sell copies of the book and raise money, then for my action project I would go and read the book at children's hospital and donate the money.
4. Outdoor Activity Day for kids- Research about kids and obesity and long term affect. For my project I would organize a day filled with kid actives out doors were there were races, contest, and lots of fun that get kids out of the house and outdoor playing getting in shape and maybe have this happen every weekend in August.

Im not really sure which one I want to do yet but I like all four ideas and from coming having no ideas at the beginning of class that is a good improvement