Blog 15: Independent Component 2

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

• At the moment I have two ideas on what to do for my Independent Component 2.

• My first idea was to plan this year's "Senior Prom" at the senior center. I would go through the whole process of planning, budgeting, and advertising. I would have to research what the seniors expect to have and how to create a nice event and experience for them. I like this idea most because I am pretty creative and I know that I would enjoy this project very much. 
• The only problem is that the Prom has usually been held in June, and this component is due in April. I'm not sure how the seniors or the staff would feel about an April prom, and it is too soon. 

• I could hold the prom in early May and just turn in my planning work up to the event.

• My second idea was to plan a health fair. I would go through the process of planning, and scheduling. I would contact companies and health experts to further inform the seniors about health. This event could also include eye exams or blood pressure tests. 

• Even though health is not the topic I find most interesting, it might be easier and the event could be done before the component due date.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• With both ideas, I plan to show the evidence of my hours by showing some of my paperwork of planning, scheduling, and/or budgeting. I also plan to take pictures of my work. Planning any event takes hours of work, so I am sure i will meet the requirement.

3.  Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• With the Prom event, I would research the usual audience at these event too see which generation they're mainly from, and their likes/dislikes.I would learn more on how to cater specifically to seniors, entertainment wise.

• With the health fair, I would research on the main health concerns that seniors have and try to provide access to experts and care having to do with those topics. I would also learn more about senior health.

4.  Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.

Independent Component 1

• LITERAL
• " I, Caroline Salinas, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 33 hours of work.”
•  My mentors Augustine Alvarado and Spencer, and also my mentorship experience at the West Covina Senior Center helped me to complete this independent component. They gave me feedback and supported me in throughout the whole process.
• For my independent component, I created a survey and distributed at my senior center. This survey helped me to gain data at the age demographics of the seniors there, what they enjoy at the center, and what they would like to see there int he future. Then I collected the data and spoke to my mentor and employees about my result. I later volunteered at Electronics Day where seniors learned about technology and modern devices. 
• INTERPRETIVE 


• My project helped to introduce a different topic to the senior center. The center had never had an Electronics Day before. It was a big success with many seniors and many volunteers. Seniors were able to get their questions answered and learned new things about modern technology. I think that having high school volunteers also helped to break down the generational barrier between seniors and youth. Having one on one conversations helped us to become closer and relate to one another. 
• The center never really got feedback from the seniors about what they liked and wanted at the center. So my survey was something that was needed and was a good start. I hope that in the future, the center collects more data to better serve the community's seniors.


• Here is an example of a filled out survey I passed out
• Here is an example of some of the data I collected
• Here is a picture of the flyer for the Electronics Day event and of the event
• APPLIED
• My project helped to gain a closer understanding of how seniors interact with modern technology and their desire to learn more about what is new with the younger generations. I got to have one on one conversation with seniors and personally got their opinions on the current status of the seniors center and their hopes for the future. 

January Blog: Electronics Day

• As part of my independent component, I said that I would be a part at an event that benefits seniors and related to my survey results. I noticed in my survey that most senior did not use social media. I also have had conversations with senior center employees in the past, about seniors and electronics.
• Staff members at the West Covina Senior Center put together an Electronics Day event on January 17th. Student volunteers from various high schools would come together and teach senior citizens about technology and answer any questions that they had about their electronics. 

• I volunteered and got paired up with a nice lady named Millie. I helped her download apps, use Facebook messenger, and use FaceTime on her phone and tablet. She was really sweet and was very thankful. She even dropped off a gift for me at the senior center days later, with a thank you not. This event was a wonderful experience. Millie even asked if we could take a "selfie".
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

• I am most proud of my audience engagement. I felt that I executed my presentation well by being informative while keeping the audience interested by incorporating subjects they would  find entertaining or relatable. I was able to use certain aspects of my topic to further entertain my type of audience, teenagers.

2. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation?

• AE because I feel very confident in meeting the requirements, such as the area in engaging the audience and the activity helping to further teach my answer. I felt like the audience was paying attention and that I was very informative on my topic. Walking around throughout my activity allowed me to see that people really did understand what I had taught. The audience easily completed the activity. I also went above and beyond by talking further about subjects within my topic, after I had thoroughly explained my answer.

3. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

• I had brought my prop to school with me, but I left it on my school desk during my presentation and forgot about it by the end. If I could do my presentation again, I would use it. My prop wouldn't have made a big impact in my overall presentation because it isn't something really important. If it were up to me, I wouldn't use it because I don't need it personally, but it was on the contract so I wish I would have remembered to present it.

4. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

• My second answer would most likely be "Senior centers must offer services that cater to all the needs of seniors" and I might add "to encourage well-being".  This would include needs such as nutrition, entertainment, health, education, and social services.

Blog 12: Mentorship 10 hours check

1. Where are you doing your mentorship?

•  I am doing my mentorship at the West Covina Senior Center.

2. Who is your contact?

• My contact is Augustine Alvarado. He is a Program Recreation Leader at the senior center.

3.  How many total hours have you done?

• I haven't been able to record many hour I did in October and November. I have to go to ask for the volunteer records at the center to find out the specific date and hours. But I currently have  a total of 31.5  hours logged.

4. Summarize the ten hours that you did. 

• In my ten hours I got to get a sense of how things are run at the senior center, and the daily routine. I helped to give out lunch tickets, and to serve the lunches. I also spoke to some seniors and listened to their stories of the past. I redecorated some of the boards because a lot of them seemed old, faded, and outdated. 

Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

1. What did you do over the break with your senior project?

• Over the break I continued going to my mentorship for as much as I could, and also took a step further for my Independent Component. I created a survey and passed it out at the Senior Center.

2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

• The most important thing I learned from what I did was what the seniors enjoy most at the Senior Center. My source was my survey, where I collected the data and was able to get a sense of what today's seniors enjoy.

Here are some of my findings:

• I've also learned what I can improve on the next time I want to do a survey. I have learned that I could improve because even thought I did receive a good amount of data, I could have gotten more. My source was this experience I had with the survey.

3. If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

• I would talk to the head employee or manager at the West Covina Senior Center because in order to be in there position, they must have plentiful knowledge on my topic and answers. 

December Blog

• Last blog post before the new year! I began today with volunteering at the senior center for their end of their year party which included desert and entertainment. I really enjoy helping to decorate the facility with their theme boards and I sometimes draw on the whiteboards. 

• Below are some pictures of the boards I made for New Year's Eve.

•  I help decorate along with a senior from the center. She is very kind and creative, and has explained to me how she creates certain decorated pieces. She is like a human "Pinterest" and is known for her delicious food dishes. For New Year's Eve celebrations, she made shiny origami swans and I was able to take one home.

• For my independent component, I said that I would create a survey to have input from the seniors on what they would like to see at the center. I passed our my survey and received some predicted responses and others were quite interesting. The Mayor of West Covina visited the center to speak with the citizens and he also delighted to take my survey.  I spoke with him briefly and found out that his daughter is an Ipoly alumnus which was really cool to know.

• My survey was only 5 questions and did not require any personal information or name because I know that most seniors value their privacy. The process of handing out the survey wasn't much trouble, but some seniors did ask what "Social Media" was because many did not know what it is. The survey included the following questions:

• 1. I am part of the _________ generation.
• Greatest (1901-1925)
• Silent (1926-1944)
• Boomers (1945-1964)
• 2. Do you use Social Media?
• Yes
• No
• If yes, which?:

• 3. How did you find out about the senior center and it's services?

• 4. What do you enjoy most about the center's activities, features, etc.?

• 5. What would you like to see more of at the center? ( classes, entertainment, etc.)