Project Update

This past Friday, three of us from our group went to Martin Middle School with high hopes of collecting our cameras. It was interesting for me to step foot in the school and see it functioning on a school day. The architecture is unique and hard to navigate. You walk into the front door and the school office is difficult to find. There is a "courtyard" in the middle of the school that even though brought light in, gave a cold feel to the school as you were overwhelmed with the look of bricks and bland, unmarked hallways instead of colorful displays like in most schools. I also thought it was interesting how the kids had uniforms at this public school. The collard shirts they were allowed to wear were either grey, black, or white. The color scheme to me seemed very dull and depressing. There seemed to be little encouragement of creativity which makes me worried for these students. The view of  bricks, the school SRO, and the color palette of the uniforms made the school seem rather depressing rather than a celebration of learning or school spirit. I think they should change their uniform colors to at least the colors of the school that will help brighten up their environment.

The reason I think all this is important is because our project that we are implementing expects the students to be creative with their photojounalism. Creativity is kind of like a muscle. Kids in creative environments exercising their creative outlets can create things more organically. In conclusion, I wonder and worry for these kids if they are getting setback not only by the changes and inconsistencies in the Holly St. area but also in the lack of enthusiasm and school spirit of the school itself. These setbacks might reflect in the creativity seen in their photos. I guess we will see Friday once we get the photos developed. 

Below is a video from my trip this past summer that puts into words my ideas on creativity and the importance of creative environments (the statements are near the end of the video).
http://vimeo.com/75185658

<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/75185658" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/75185658">Meraki Creative for DSIC/DEC</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user21174845">Meraki Creative</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

Project Update

As for our project with Martin Middle School we have hit yet another setback. When we delivered the project and the materials to the group, it ends up the cameras did not work. In class we did not want to mess with the disposable cameras so we did not test them, but apparently the wheel that you turn just kept spinning.

Thus, our next roadblock has us at a stump as to what to do next with our project and for gathering another idea for the university service day. Once we are able to discuss as a group in class the next step to take our brainstorming for the project day will be easier as well.

Besides the road bump, Greta said that the kids who committed to the project seemed excited about it and that is refreshing to hear. Once we get all the kinks worked out I am sure the project will turn out great, especially since we have gathered kids that are interested in what we are proposing.

Also, this is not directly related to our project or to the project day, but I watched this video on what is the invisible bike helmet, and I think the theme of the article and video is to think creatively to move forward. I think this mindset works for both our project and project day. If we can think outside of the box, and think past what we are told we are capable of, we will be able to think of something extraordinary.

The article about the invisible bike helmet:
http://jalopnik.com/swedes-develop-invisible-bike-helmet-1460189477

Gentrification

1.) The gentrification currently happening in the Holly St. and Marlo Heights neighborhood seemed to be more similar than what is happening in the Mueller Development. The Mueller Development is a complete transformation of the area and the creation of a new neighborhood/community that is completely different from surrounding communities. While all of these examples of gentrification are disruptive to their areas, I think the gentrification in the Holly St. area was the easiest to identify because it had the largest contrasts houses. The new homes in Holly St. were very disruptive to their neighborhoods and the environment while the gentrification in the Marlo Heights neighborhood was not as alarming. The Mueller Development however was completely redefining the neighborhood and forgetting its past.
2.) What I thought was an interesting similarity is the article points out that "hipsters" are a part of the gentrification. I have read many articles, and know from a first-hand account that "hipsters" are the ones venturing into East Austin. Although this a label and cannot be a fact necessarily, it would be interested to research into that similarity more. The difference between the two occurrences of gentrification is the history of the area. South Africa has a corrupt government since their segregation and equal rights movement was more recent than ours. I do not know a ton about the apartheid and history of South Africa, but I do know that it is still seen in their society and it was more recent than ours.
3.) I was thinking about the projects and the similarity that I noted in the previous answer and I feel like something that needs to be done is communication and awareness. The people of this area need to be informed on what is going on. As an outsider I think, if I were not educated by this class I would not be able to full comprehend and value the of fairly doing business in living in that area. The area is indeed attractive to live in because of the newness of it and the prices, however I am sure people do not know about the negative affects on the neighborhood. I am not sure how LCCE would organize the volunteers but I think their first goal and plan of action should be on educating people.