I learned a lot of new things here that I can use to help me in my future job or life. I learned to use sumopaint to make our postcards. Through our researches on the projects, I gained new information on our topics I might not have known before either. I also learned more about STDs/safe sex in general that my health class didn’t cover all. On our topics of healthy relationships, I learned what would help me have a healthy relationship not just with my significant other, but also my family and friends.And I learned a little more about college on how to choose the right one for me.

After this job, I am hoping to get another job now that I am 16 to continue to support me and my family. With all the new things I gained here, I can use my new skills to help me at my new job whatever it may be. I can use my knowledge of responsibility and working in groups to help me work efficiently at my new job. I can apply my decision-making skills when needed also. After having worked in groups a lot this summer, it helped my communication with others and I can use that to apply at my new job with my new co-workers and supervisor.

This fall, I will be a junior. I’m starting to think farther in my educational plans but I’m still not sure yet. I am planning and want to go to college. I want to go 4 years and maybe even continue it. I want to go into a career that is professional so I have been thinking of business career. Having been in the Step-Up program and having all these experiences, I actually have a broader idea and interest of what I want. But other than that, I am going to continue my education and get whatever job I can to help me save for college and support me and my family for the time being.

This summer, working with Asian Media Access, we went through a lot of topics our communities are struggling with. We took pictures, made postcards and preventions, powerpoints and brochures. I learned more in-depth within the topics through our researches and projects.

Community Maps:

We started off the summer making community maps of the North Mpls neighborhood. It made us understand our surroundings and the community better as a whole. And it lead to our topics as the community’s concerns and problems.

Obesity & Body image:

Obesity is becoming a nation-wide concern. Not a lot of people are eating healthy and getting enough exercise they need. Obesity comes alongside body image because body image is influenced by the media. Here, people might not be eating ENOUGH because they want to be skinny and not labeled fat.

Alcohol prevention:

Even though the legal age to drink is 21, there are more under-age drinking. Many of it is influenced through peer pressure and also culture/traditions. The culture and traditions very well with my life because of the way my people celebrate and do the traditions.

Tobacco/Drug prevention:

Drugs and tobacco use are also influenced mainly through peer pressure. Many might think tobacco use is not as bad as drugs because of the way society thinks or runs, but they are both still bad.

HIV/AIDS/STD prevention:

We had many guest speakers who came in to talk to us about STDs and HIV/AIDS. There are a lot more I didn’t know and a lot more I learned. We also learned safe sex along with birth controls and condoms. This kind of comes along with a topic we didn’t discuss too much of; teen pregnancy. With the knowledge we learned through this, we could prevent teen pregnancy and further more, the spread of STDs and HIV/AIDS.

Beauty:

I think beauty was a big concern because it also comes along with body image. Everyone has their own styles, vision and perception of beauty. A lot of what people think of beauty is also influenced by the media, peers and culture. The topics we presented were personal styles, wedding clothes, and body art of tattoos.

Love & Relationships:

This topic kind of ties the knot of all the topics and bring them all in. It fits how body image comes in play, alcohol/tobacco/drugs can come into use, and how STDs play a big role in this. It can also lead to teen pregnancy. We discussed the cycle of domestic violence and how a healthy relationship should be. Many main roles we said lead to healthy relationships includes respecting each other and no pressure.

All of the topics we researched and did projects on had a common ground. They are mainly influenced through media and peers sometimes culture and traditions. But throughout the summer, i learned many preventions and a better understanding and vision of them.

Field trips:

Target Field Tour: We took a tour throughout the whole Target Field and had some lunch in one of the public rooms. Then we had a chance to talk to the Vice President of Marketing and asked him questions.

Canoe trip FAIL – Movies: We went to watch “Zookeeper” with the North Commons when the weather turned bad on us.

Young Eagles Flight: Coming up this Saturday, August 20th !

I learned a lot about HIV/AIDS with the guest speakers who came in to educate us about it. Even though it’s harder to catch than common viruses like the flu, it’s a lot more serious. 33 million people in the WORLD have HIV/AIDS and probably millions more who don’t even know they have it… It cannot be cured but there are medicine out there that help and as long as you stay healthy eating nutritious food, exercising, staying away from alcohol and drugs, you will still be healthy. I also learned that in MN, people don’t have to tell you that they are diagnosed with HIV unless they are not going to use a condom. So we have to be careful not just of ourselves, but others as well.

This has also reminded me a lot of ABDC’s Champions for Charity when a girl diagnosed with HIV/AIDS said that even though she is living with HIV, she feels like HIV is living with her. And that’s why we should always be careful because we never know.

The past few days of work, May Lee has come in to talk to us about STDs, safe sex, and a little about college. I learned a lot from her. She used games and activities that helped us learn more about sex, STDs, and HIV/AIDS. She even brought in models and contraceptives to show us. I think this help us be more open and aware of the things. May also talked to us about the different types of college. She said it’s not always for everyone, which I now think is very true. Having the guest speaker here for the 2 days has impact me more than I thought it would. It got me to think more about everything she’s said and taught. Sometimes, it’s more about having the knowledge to do it than just knowing it and doing it.

Rhyming:

Before you drink, THINK!

Format:

Life is a highway, don't exit to Alcohol.

Humor:

Beer: it's pop that kills you.

Myself*:

You know YOU, more than anyone else do.

Health
Effects
Alcoholism
Risks
Treatment

Who: My dear friend and cousin, Bee Vue
What: Who now lies underneath me and lives above me
When: Since November 8^th, 2009
Where: Found a little too late than they should have
In his little room,
In his little house…
Why: All because he drank a little too much than he should have

R.I.P. Bee Vue

Who: A man, in his mid-40’s
What: Listens to the same song over and over again *beep *beep
When: As everyone is out for Christmas and these strangers are working for him
Where: Laying in his hospital bed reminiscing,
Why: Oh, how the clinking of those beers has got him listening to the *beep *beep

If the world… revolved around alcohol, we’d be drunken monkeys running around trying to run this world.

Tomorrow is always… another chance to quit.

My father had said once… you can care all you want about alcohol, it doesn’t care about you back.

A good friend… doesn’t get you drunk so they can take your wallet.

Pressuring someone… to quit is like trying to force alcohol out of your system; only through time will it come out.

Jumping off a bridge is like… drinking alcohol – you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.

Love will always… overcome all. Alcohol just makes you think it doesn’t…

Genuine friendships are… better than genuine beer.

The grass is… greener if you don’t water it with beer.

When you feel down… know that alcohol isn’t what gets you UP.

Picking friends is like… picking a drink; you want the soda that gives you the hypes, or the beer that gives you the crashes.

Being alone is… not a reason you turn to a beer. It ain’t gonna be there for you all the time either…

No matter what… you drink, if it’s still alcohol, it’ll still kill you.

Live life to the fullest but… don’t fill yourself to the fullest with alcohol.

A philosopher once said… you can choose to die with alcohol, or you can choose to die with love.

The weatherman’s forecast states… it is raining beer everywhere, but Sunny-D will come through once the clouds of alcohol are gone.

Your future is… clearer when you’re not buzzed.

If I were to choose… which one is better, beer or wine cooler, I’d choose none. They’re both still alcohol.

The media… says cocktails are free at this bar. Well, I get 2-in-1 with water; it’s free and it doesn’t kill me.

If I had an app it would… scream “DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!” every time I get in the car.

A photo describes… a million things you couldn’t. Alcohol describes a millions things you could have.

A mother’s love is… at the tip of that bottle. She doesn’t know, but only if she did…

A father’s love is… not two beers and the TV; it should be two hotdogs at a football game.

The world could be… less polluted without all the beer bottles lying around.

Getting struck… by alcohol later on is worst that getting struck by lightning.

Using an escape rope is like… drinking alcohol; they both slowly get you down. The only difference is, in alcohol, you have a choice.

There is no need for… the excitement that alcohol gives you. Roller coasters already give you that.

If I could I would… make them see how it hurts their bodies than how it makes them feel.

Dear Mr. President… if you had one choice to eliminate alcohol or alcohol, which one would it be?