104 Service Learning Project

My service project for United States Government was about texting and driving.This service project was meaningful to the community because it brought awareness about an important issue to the people it affects most. My project was also valuable to the community because it may have prevented an accident and motivated at least one person to not text and drive.It's a project that can be kept alive!


My friend and I after speaking to a class wearing thumb socks!

Reflect

Your Name Elicia Brewster
Name of Community You Will Serve Jefferson County
Issue or Problem Texting and Driving

Use this chart to reflect on your service experience. Include your responses in the space provided.

Questions and Reflections
Question	Reflection
What did you do for your service action? When did you do it? What were your specific role and action steps?	-For my service action I spoke to different classes at my school about texting and driving. I did this during the first week in October until about mid-November. My specific role was a “speaker” mostly and my action steps were to talk to my teachers and administrators about speaking to their classes. As well as getting my classmates directly involved through social media.
What did you learn about the issue or problem you chose?	-I learned that it is a prevalent issue among adults and not just teens. I’ve also learned that in 2011 23% of car crashes involved cell phones.
Did you meet new people? How are these people important to your community?	-I didn’t meet many new people other than teachers and administrators I didn’t know. But, these people are still important to my community because they educate and are involved in the lives of our youth.
Did the actual service turn out as you expected? Explain.	-No the actual service didn’t turn out as expected because I wanted to do more involving everyone in the community. But I still did get my message out!
Do you feel your action was valuable to the community? Explain why or why not.	-I do feel that my action was valuable to the community because we have a lot of youth that do indeed drive and practice bad habits like texting and driving.
Was this service project a true example of fulfilling citizen responsibilities to the community and civic participation? Discuss.	-This service project wasn’t a true example of fulfilling citizen responsibility to the community but it is an example of civic participation. Because I still became involved in my community in my own way and spoke with real people about a pressing issue. I could’ve done more to fulfill my citizen responsibility about texting and driving.
What could you do differently in the future to make the service better?	-In the future I could talk to local authority and political leaders such as city council.
What do other people, like trusted adults and classmates, think about your project? What have they said to you about it?	-Other people appreciate the awareness that I’ve tried to achieve. My classmates were very supportive and wanted to get involved instantly. One comment from a teacher was: “I wish that this message could be posted everywhere because teens don’t understand how serious it is until they’re affected.”
What can you do to help this service project grow and continue?	-What I can do to help this service project grow and continue is to schedule to speak to more people and keep the issue alive on social media.
In what ways has this service project affected you? Explain your responses.	-This service project has affected me mentally because I’m starting to drive as well. So this project has opened my eyes to how careful you should really be.
Will you continue with this service experience? Explain why or why not.	- I don’t think that I will continue this service experiment because I would like to do some other different service projects too.
What tips would you give to classmates just starting their service projects?	-Tips I would give to classmates just starting their service projects are to start early and plan thoroughly as well as have a back up plan just in case you fulfill your original project. Not to mention spread the word!

My Response:

For my service project I spoke to different classes at my local school regarding texting and driving. This is a big issue among teen drivers and I felt it needed to be spoken about at my school. I spoke to about 30 or 40 different classes regarding this message. My friends and I also gave away thumb socks that we got from DoSomething.org to help spread the message. Next time I think I will start a fundraiser to take the project to the next level.

Nathalie-I love your simple yet powerful service project. There are a lot of good children in need of blankets. I hope you continue your service project good job!

  

Module 6 Deforestation

Use the chart below to guide your research. Answer the questions presented for the issue you have chosen. Be sure to take notes, including the sources of information.

Research Notes
Subject	Guiding Questions	Your Responses
Define the situation or problem	Take the issue you have chosen and explain how it affects your community. What do members of your family and community say about the issue?	1.      Deforestation affects my community with air pollution (dust, allergens) and forcing wild animals into our community. 2.      Members of my family and community are against deforestation for commercial gain and because it destroys our ecosystem and animal’s homes. Yet some areas could be cleared in certain areas that pose a threat to residents like forest fires.
Construct a circular-flow diagram that incorporates effects of your chosen issue on economic products and various sectors of the economy.	How does this issue affect households and local residents? How does this issue affect area businesses? How does this issue affect our government at the local, state, and national levels? How does this issue affect the rest of the world? How does the issue affect resources, goods and services, and finances?	1.      This issue affects households and local residents by eroding soil of nearby homes and causing residents to evacuate due to discomfort. 2.      This issue affects businesses by giving them the opportunity to expand due to land clearing. 3.      This issue affects our government at all levels because the government gives licenses to corporations to clear land for construction. The government has to make more laws preserving land and wildlife. 4.      This issue affects the rest of the world with climate change and import/exporting of more paper products. 5.      This issue affects resources, goods, and services by reducing the natural resource of trees yet increasing other wood resources and goods like paper products, wood furniture, etc.

6.02 Research

Research Notes
Subject	Guiding Questions	Your Responses
Identify the important criteria to evaluate possible solutions.	What are the necessary conditions for any possible solution to work? Are there budget or labor concerns? Does the public need to be aware of and support the solution? What challenges are there to implementing each solution? How else might you judge possible solutions against each other? What do your parents say about the issue? Should possible externalities factor into the chosen solution?	1.      The necessary conditions for any possible solution to work are logging companies thinking more conservatively. Also, building more greenhouses. 2.      Yes there are budget concerns because greenhouses and other conservative alternatives are more expensive. 3.      The public does need to be aware of and support the solution. 4.      The challenges there are to implementing each solution would be getting everyone (the public, companies, the government) to agree on cost-friendly solutions. There will also need to be replacements for some of our many tree-based products. 5.      I might also judge possible solutions against each other by checking long term benefits like conserved energy. 6.      My parents agree that it has become out of control and is destructive to the environment. 7.      Yes possible externalities should factor in the chosen decision to ensure that the decision made was he correct one.
Research Notes
Subject	Guiding Questions	Your Responses
Consider all possible solutions or alternatives.	Give three possible solutions to the environmental issue you are investigating. Why would some people oppose the solutions you have chosen?	1.      3 Possible solutions to deforestation include limiting areas where trees can be cut down, passing laws to replant trees by the number that they’ve been destroyed, or create products to replace most used tree products. 2.      Some people would oppose the solutions I’ve chosen because they wouldn’t make as much money and they require more work.
Calculate the consequences of these solutions—both intended and unintended at all levels of the economy.	What positive or negative externalities does this issue present at each sector of the economy? Refer to your circular-flow diagram. What incentives do individuals, businesses, and government have to act on each possible solution? What are the externalities, both positive and negative that could result from each possible solution?	Some externalities would include people losing jobs in the tree-cutting business but people would gain jobs in other areas like environmental protection. Also the government would have to pass more laws and possibly more items might become imported. The incentives are to help the environment for future generations as well as jour health. Externalities again are mostly job and money  loss and in some areas gain. The public would be more aware of our environmental state and more involved.

6.05 Analysis

· Examine the possible solutions against your criteria.  My first solution to limit areas where trees may be cut down, does indeed meet  my criteria because it isn’t too radical. My second solution involving passing laws to replant trees destroyed is a more radical idea. I say that because it doesn’t meet my criteria for public support and it may take to long to get an agreeable law passed. My last solution of just replacing tree/wood products is too extreme and nearly impossible. It doesn’t meet any of my criteria for budget, conservativeness or public support. We use too many tree/wood based products to replace them all, and this may cause a shortage of other resources.

· Choose the best option and explain reasons for your choice.  The best option in this situation is my first option. To just limit the areas of where trees may be cut down. This is the best option because it conserves land. This way logging and land-clearing companies won’t go out of business, but they become more conservative. Land won’t just be destroyed for financial gain, if companies need to be built then they would need land-clearing permission from the government (local, state, or federal). This solution also has the least consequences and negative externalities while not allowing the destruction of animal’s homes.

Works Cited:

National Geographic Society, "National Geographic." Last modified 2013. Accessed November 1, 2013. environment.nationalgeographic.com.

World Wildlife Fund, "WWF." Last modified 2013. Accessed November 2, 2013. www.worldwildlife.org.