If this realtor listing doesn’t make you blind, I don’t know what will.
Hello and welcome to the first summative post of this semester. I’ve recently completed a project with the project title and driving question, “Who Cares and Why Bother?”. In this project, I learned more about my strengths and weaknesses while engaging in the idea of “How do I convince young people to vote?”.
A main part of my learning in this project started with a reading and an analysis of a book titled “Lord of the Flies.” We read this book to improve our understanding and comprehension of allegories. In reading this book, I was focused on making notes that showed my ability to create deep analysis. I felt I succeeded with this by making insightful connections to political structure and finding analogies that represented real-world ideas. These detailed notes showed my strength in critical thinking and communication skills. In future projects, I want to embody this example of sophistication in my work.
After reading and understanding this book, I was able to have a discussion (with Hannah) about the contents of the book. I talked about my analysis of the main theme, which is that “humanity, at its core, will be inherently evil.” Using my talking points, I also mentioned my interpretations of my characters, such as the fact that I believed Ralph represented civilization and democracy. In addition to mentioning my point, I feel I was able to use good in-person analysis and interpretation skills through building understanding and building off points that Hannah was making in her discussion. I think having a one-on-one conversation allows for more ideas to be shared in comparison to a larger group, but I knew I had many more ideas that weren’t able to be discussed.
After Lord of the Flies, our class moved more heavily into the idea of “How does the Canadian government work?”. Honestly, before doing this portion of the project, I truly thought I had a good understanding of the Canadian government, but it turns out not. To understand how it works, we took a. Honestly, I’m shocked that a Kahoot quiz actually taught me something. Well, there’s a first time for everything. Although I took the practice quiz over 10 times and memorized it, I still think I understood the concept pretty quickly.
After having a baseline of political structure, I was put into a group with Fraser, Gwen, and Cooper. In this group, we were tasked with creating a video on how the Canadian government works, with a slight understanding that we would create a presentation. For most of the video creation, I was bedridden, but I still wanted to do my part to contribute. Using my ✨PLP communication skills✨, I talked with my group and decided what would be best for me to complete from home. We decided it would be best for me to create some animations, so I did. This part of my contribution to our group’s success was probably the weakest. In the future, when it comes to creating group videos, I hope to put more effort into the brainstorming process.
After completing the video, our group moved on to creating our presentation. Before brainstorming ideas, we needed to do research on current issues that young people face. I feel I took agency while doing this because I did the research based on the incomplete work of other group members. The topic I researched was the cost of living. In this brainstorming process, I feel I drastically improved from the video. I pitched the idea of a TED Talk, but in a different way. I suggested the term “TOD-Talk,” and as a group, we decided to focus our presentation on each of the research topics. I suggested the idea of embodying a character, and there seemed to be a consensus on that concept. We moved forward, creating scripts, slides, and rehearsing.
When presenting, I tried to use skills I learned in the previous project, “The Great Debaters.” I was focused on presenting my character, Martha Mayweather, as a comedic relief to the somewhat heavy topic. As I learned in the previous project, I worked on emphasizing certain words and being persuasive with my language. In doing this, I feel that I showed my strength in communicating.
The presentation, as a whole, went pretty well. The timing was spot on, thanks to the last-minute switch of script in rehearsal. Although I do still feel like the ending of our video could’ve been shorter to make it more engaging. We presented to a group of students in grades 10 and 12, so our main focus, which was common issues for young people, was engaging. Based on the feedback we received from them, I feel we succeeded in convincing young people to vote.
With the project at an end, I am now able to answer the driving question, “Who Cares and Why Bother?”. We should care about voting because it’s how we take charge, shape our tomorrow, and stay true to what we believe. It’s our chance to make a real difference. By casting our votes, we’re actively shaping the world we live in and will continuously live in. Whether it’s pushing for the changes we want to see or making sure our voices are heard, voting is how we make sure our future reflects our values. So, bother about voting because it’s our chance to take responsibility, build a brighter future, and stand up for what matters most.
If you are to get anything out of this post, I hope that when you turn 18, you will go and vote. Make our future one that you had a part in creating.
Thank you for reading.
Alicia 🙂