Here we are, the final day of the 20% project. With TED talks only 3 days away, everything is coming to a close, rather nicely too. Although I did not reach my goal, it does not mean it is out of reach still. Since my last update I have completed my outline for the TED talk. I am in the process now of refining and condensing my talk until it is in the sweet spot, time-wise, and has all the information that I need to make a meaningful impression on the audience. This past week I have learned that it is extremely difficult to write out a TED talk, and perform one. It is very stressful. but when done correctly has a very meaningful impact. The biggest challenge I have faced is simply sitting down and writing information for the talk. To over come it I just have to put myself in the right state of mind. Once I get going, I can really get the ideas on paper. So, as we leave this project behinds us, we will carry forward our accomplishments and our new found wisdom. Hopefully this project will help students find their own motivation for years to come. Thanks for following me on my journey.
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Since my last update before spring break I have learned a few things, and accomplished a few things as well. I learned that certifying a teacher, or myself, as an authorized provider of CPR classes would be too expensive. This means that it will not be an option with the limited time left. The biggest would be that I have chosen an organization to provide the classes, which is Mercy Hospital. This is mainly due to the fact that they can provide the classes for free, which will allow me to make then mandatory next year. Something else I have done is created a poster (pictured left) in Photoshop that I plan to print professionally and hang to raise awareness for CPR and heart disease at our school. However, there are still challenges that I am facing, mainly being unable to reach my contact at Mercy. If I am continuously unable to reach her, then it will cause problems and possible push my end goal to the outside of the project, forcing me to work on my own time. Hopefully it will be resolved soon. Stay tuned for final update. As we approach spring break, I am getting closer and closer to finishing the process of setting up the classes. With our gallery walk yesterday, I was asked some good focusing questions. Among these, I was asked what I will do in return for these organizations providing the classes, I will keep this in the back of my mind until I can figure out. There has also been some good news. My contact Ryan has informed me that the cost of the Hearts-On classes can be reduced to $5, however all of the teachers need to be trained to be certified instructors. This presents a mild challenge, but also a great opportunity to make it affordable and worthwhile. This will be my main focus after spring break, to figure out the probability of this working, then focusing on the presentation. Hopefully after the presentation I will be able to make my vision a reality and create a new wave of awareness within our student body.
Things are going very well. Currently I have three different contacts for multiple different organizations that can help me get CPR classes here, one way or another. I have been talking with Trent from Heart Safe La Plata, Ryan from Hearts On, and Susan from Mercy Medical Center. This is exciting because now I will be able to work out a plan that is most beneficial for Animas and it's students, in terms of scheduling and cost. Alongside that, I have been preparing a presentation all about the details of CPR, the history of CPR, statistics and much more. I have been developing this to present at our next N.E.S.T meeting and get everyone hyped for CPR, and teach them why it is very important for everyone to learn CPR. The only road block that I have encountered so far is only my contacts not always being available for talking or planning. More updates to come, CPR is on it's way!
However slowly, I am making progress. I now have a contact that can provide me with access to student CPR classes, and get the students certified. The downside is that it will cost $60 per person to train, which will mean that the classes cannot be mandatory. However a course of action I can take is to raise money, or have someone sponsor our classes and allow every student to take the classes. Another Idea that I am looking into currently is the possibility of my becoming an instructor and teaching the students myself. The problem with that is most likely an issue of age and legal liability. But now I have options and contacts that I am able to speak with and discuss ideas. Etoile has introduced me to a man Named Ryan Wirth, who gave me the offer for the afore mentioned classes. At the moment I do not have a mentor at the current moment, but I might be able to talk to Ryan, or some other people I have been introduced to that might be my mentor. Moving forward, I will be looking into the possibility of becoming an instructor, and raising money for classes.
After many brainstorm sessions, I have finally found what I will do with this 20% of my year. I will be bringing (or attempting to bring) first aid and CPR/AED classed to Animas High School, and possibly other high schools in the area, through organizations such as the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Durango Fire and Rescue, and more. I am very excited to have a task that is based on my interests, and that will be helping people and saving lives. As far as setting it up is concerned, I have the go ahead from the Head of School, and now I need to work on gaining support from one of the afore mentioned organizations. With their help, I will be able to organize and carry out yearly classes that teach all grades of high school students how to treat basic injuries and ailments, as well as perform CPR and use and AED safely and properly. Stay tuned for the next update. How do you come up with a world changing idea all on your own? Short answer: you don't. With the upcoming project, giving us one month (approximately 20% of our school year) to work on a project of our own creation. This project will allow us to branch off in an direction we choose and create a meaningful end result, even if the project itself is a failure. However, not everyone can always think of a world changing idea. After brainstorming with Stephen, my idea evolved from trying to create an entire summer camp in Durango, to attempting to have a training day or days at Animas High School, and possibly even Durango High School, to train students in first aid and CPR/AED training. In the next few day, I will be working on contacting the head of school, Sean, and multiple organizations in order to see what is possible, and what we can do. |
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