Proyecto ComUNIDAD
Lisa Griffin & Andrea Adams Team
Proyecto ComUNIDAD
Griffin-Adams 10th Grade Team
August - December 2017
Proyecto ComUNIDAD
Griffin-Adams 10th Grade Team
August - December 2017
San Diego’s High Tech High tenth grade students developed friendships with sophomores at Tijuana’s Instituto México Americano del Noroeste (IMAN), discussing and researching shared issues of injustice and opportunities for hope in our two cities along the US-Mexico border, finding common ground and connection in their weekly Skype video chats and shared photo posts via Instagram. Students interviewed experts and leaders connected to the research issues, and created visual stories about their research through cut paper art, a twist on traditional Mexican folk art, papel picado. Students will meet at Friendship Park and exhibit their art and research to the public at the border on December 9th, and at High Tech High on December 14th.
INTRO
I chose this topic because I want to learn more about the Narcos and the drug trade, what sort of drugs they smuggle and how much is smuggled. There’s a lot revolving this topic, and it branches off to many other things (violence, medicine, addictions, corruption, etc… ) Narcos are intimidating people, and seeing their motives, their lives, the danger these gangs put others, it’s wild. A lot of what's going on is obviously immoral but there’s still a lot more to learn. There’s just so much going on and it affects so many people and laws (public officials, police officers, civilians, the justice system).
I’m lost when it comes down to what product I could make for my topic. I have a lot of ideas but I'm sure when it comes down to it I’ll end up with something simple. I really want to build something but I'm not sure what would work best for my topic seeing as it’s difficult to display drug trafficking. I was thinking about building this prototype of a tunnel to show an example of how drugs may be smuggled across the border but I'm not certain about it and I'm not sure how it’ll impact anything but it sounds like something fun to do. But I’m most likely not going to have anything to show but my papel picado. And to be honest, another reason I want to learn about this topic is because I want to meet people (San Diegan Police, Border Patrol, City Official) who work in that field of drugs, or have ties to it, and hear their stories. I assume they’re on the front line, or have at least seen or heard some dark things. And hearing people’s experiences with narcos and the drug trade would really help me get a better understanding of the impact it has on people.
I already know the drug trade is a very serious and violent topic. The rise in homicide has risen significantly in Mexico just this past decade and some people speculate it´s even higher than what's been reported. There’s also the false information that Mexico is the one that smuggles drugs across the border, when in reality both Mexico and the United States smuggling drugs across each side. The drug trade branches off into a lot of other controversial topics (human trafficking, judicial system corruption, social justice, etc…)
One thing I wonder is how the government plans to tackle this huge-scale problem that affects many people. Will the homicide rate continue to increase in the next few years? Will the cities and towns near the border become inhabited by drug gangs? What’ll happen to the people? I´ll keep on researching and hopefully when this project ends I'll be able to have my questions answered.
I chose this topic because I want to learn more about the Narcos and the drug trade, what sort of drugs they smuggle and how much is smuggled. There’s a lot revolving this topic, and it branches off to many other things (violence, medicine, addictions, corruption, etc… ) Narcos are intimidating people, and seeing their motives, their lives, the danger these gangs put others, it’s wild. A lot of what's going on is obviously immoral but there’s still a lot more to learn. There’s just so much going on and it affects so many people and laws (public officials, police officers, civilians, the justice system).
I’m lost when it comes down to what product I could make for my topic. I have a lot of ideas but I'm sure when it comes down to it I’ll end up with something simple. I really want to build something but I'm not sure what would work best for my topic seeing as it’s difficult to display drug trafficking. I was thinking about building this prototype of a tunnel to show an example of how drugs may be smuggled across the border but I'm not certain about it and I'm not sure how it’ll impact anything but it sounds like something fun to do. But I’m most likely not going to have anything to show but my papel picado. And to be honest, another reason I want to learn about this topic is because I want to meet people (San Diegan Police, Border Patrol, City Official) who work in that field of drugs, or have ties to it, and hear their stories. I assume they’re on the front line, or have at least seen or heard some dark things. And hearing people’s experiences with narcos and the drug trade would really help me get a better understanding of the impact it has on people.
I already know the drug trade is a very serious and violent topic. The rise in homicide has risen significantly in Mexico just this past decade and some people speculate it´s even higher than what's been reported. There’s also the false information that Mexico is the one that smuggles drugs across the border, when in reality both Mexico and the United States smuggling drugs across each side. The drug trade branches off into a lot of other controversial topics (human trafficking, judicial system corruption, social justice, etc…)
One thing I wonder is how the government plans to tackle this huge-scale problem that affects many people. Will the homicide rate continue to increase in the next few years? Will the cities and towns near the border become inhabited by drug gangs? What’ll happen to the people? I´ll keep on researching and hopefully when this project ends I'll be able to have my questions answered.
PROCESS
As we started on our project, we first read the book Into The Beautiful North, that covered many problematic topics like drug trafficking, homelessness, immigration, poverty, and alot more. I was really drawn into the book when there was a whole chapter dedicated to the main characters using a tunnel that smuggles drugs to cross the border. It was very secretive and intense and that was hard to ignore. Drug trafficking is such an heavy topic and it branches off into many other contreversial ones, but drug trafficking specifically pulled me in and I decided to focus on the topic for the project.
I relied mostly on news articles and websites for information throughout the entire project. I remember when we were doing source notes in the first few weeks of class. I was really interested in justice and legal corruption, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, mostly for the reason of it being such a heavy topic and the hope that I’d be able to see or hear something relating to it. There were a couple videos of people explaining what it was like to be a part of a drug organization and you could tell how traumatic it was for them to even talk about it.
While researching more and watching documentaries and reading articles and files, I found out that it was a lot more brutal than I thought in the first place. There are massive graves full of the skulls of people that were involved with the drug trade, shoot outs in neighborhoods where children can see, dead bodies left in the street as a message, and corruption within the law enforcement and justice system. There isn't much benefit for the people from the drug trade, even medicine smuggled across can be deadly and the police who are supposed to protect are usually bought over and guaranteed protection from narcos, by narcos. It's all a big mess and it continues to grow and doesn't show signs of stopping.
I wasn't around for any interviews, I do know my drug trafficking group did interview a border patrol agent and took notes, but I wasn't able to expereince talking to them as I wished I could have. But the audio recording for the interview was good enough and answered many questions I had before.
As we started on our project, we first read the book Into The Beautiful North, that covered many problematic topics like drug trafficking, homelessness, immigration, poverty, and alot more. I was really drawn into the book when there was a whole chapter dedicated to the main characters using a tunnel that smuggles drugs to cross the border. It was very secretive and intense and that was hard to ignore. Drug trafficking is such an heavy topic and it branches off into many other contreversial ones, but drug trafficking specifically pulled me in and I decided to focus on the topic for the project.
I relied mostly on news articles and websites for information throughout the entire project. I remember when we were doing source notes in the first few weeks of class. I was really interested in justice and legal corruption, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, mostly for the reason of it being such a heavy topic and the hope that I’d be able to see or hear something relating to it. There were a couple videos of people explaining what it was like to be a part of a drug organization and you could tell how traumatic it was for them to even talk about it.
While researching more and watching documentaries and reading articles and files, I found out that it was a lot more brutal than I thought in the first place. There are massive graves full of the skulls of people that were involved with the drug trade, shoot outs in neighborhoods where children can see, dead bodies left in the street as a message, and corruption within the law enforcement and justice system. There isn't much benefit for the people from the drug trade, even medicine smuggled across can be deadly and the police who are supposed to protect are usually bought over and guaranteed protection from narcos, by narcos. It's all a big mess and it continues to grow and doesn't show signs of stopping.
I wasn't around for any interviews, I do know my drug trafficking group did interview a border patrol agent and took notes, but I wasn't able to expereince talking to them as I wished I could have. But the audio recording for the interview was good enough and answered many questions I had before.
REFLECTION
These past couple of weeks have been full of so much learning and new experiences. From the beginning of school we've been doing things related to our project. Our teachers Lisa and Andrea gave us a brief explaination on the project, we had two field trips to the border, one in San Ysidro and the other at the Border Field State Park. We visited an art gallery in relation to Tijuana and Into The Beautiful North was a good way to start us off and introduce us into these topics in a more casual way. We did a couple test scources in the first few weeks of class and I was always interested in drug trafficking and corrption so this was a good chance for me to make sure it was really something I wanted to spend a whole semester reasearching.
This semseter introduced me to a lot of new experiences I never really thought I would do. I wasn't expecting to go to the border or watch a play on racism. The play was amazing even in the little time I watched and I wish I stuck around more but something personal came up and I unfortunatley wasn't able to see it all. The most exciting thing all semester though (besides having partners from Tijuana) was when three other students and I were chosen to take a two day trip to Facebook Headquarters. The thought of flying to San Fransisco to talk to students from others schools across the country and state never crossed my mind. Our entire team had the possibility of going, and people who wanted to go had to wrtie down a reason for why they should be chosen. I didn't care much for it but as I was writing my reason I realized it would be my only chance for possibly telling other students face to face about our project and what we were hoping to achieve, which all excited me. I didn't think I'd be chosen but I surprisingly was. The week after we were chosen at random, the three other students plus our teachers and I, all met at the airport and went off to San Fran.
Facebook was full of so much energy and (kind of cheesy but not necessarily bad) good vibes. The students there were all so different and hearing about their schools really showed how different our school works. There were also a lot of similarite between every school, and overall I think it effected all four of us in a way we won't forget. The overall project was full of unforgettable moments to be honest. Our partners from Iman and all the video chats we had, the trips to the border, the intense research, it's going to stick with me for a while. The research on drug trafficking was some brutal stuff though. I saw several videos on what the drug trade can do to people, the way innocent lives are caught up in violence and the corruption in th justice system. Despite it all being heavy stuff, I can appreciate the insight this all gave me.
Meeting our partners was exciting. They were so nice and so happy to meet us it made us feel the same way. There was a lot of smiles and laughing and people were just really happy to see each other. We were able to learn more about them in person than over skype, the real life experience was more down to earth and very casual.
When we all went out to greet them, it was just a blast of energy. I didn’t expect anyone to hug me but all of them did and they were just full of joy. Talking all together helped break the ice a bit but to be honest there wasn’t much to break seeing as everyone was already adjusted. Going around the campus and seeing all the other schools, it was nice to visit my old schools. I wasn’t really there for the ice skating part of the day but we did take a group photo. I just really liked seeing everyone so happy to finally meet each other.
I wasn’t really willing to have partners from anywhere but I’m glad we were pushed to do this. I wish we could’ve talked more often, and hopefully we’ll be able to make more connections in other countries or states. I think people should have at least one international experience. It really breaks people’s expectations and shows we’re all very similar despite living far away.
In the beginning of the semester, I thought this was just going to be quick and simple researching project but High Tech High teachers always put some over-the-top-spin in it. We were introduced to new people and were able to hear about their lives on the other side of the border, we were able to see the differences between the United States and Mexico and visit the border too. The research on these intense topics that would usually be left up to older people was also pretty fun. I'm just glad I was able to experience something more positive this year compared to my last year.
These past couple of weeks have been full of so much learning and new experiences. From the beginning of school we've been doing things related to our project. Our teachers Lisa and Andrea gave us a brief explaination on the project, we had two field trips to the border, one in San Ysidro and the other at the Border Field State Park. We visited an art gallery in relation to Tijuana and Into The Beautiful North was a good way to start us off and introduce us into these topics in a more casual way. We did a couple test scources in the first few weeks of class and I was always interested in drug trafficking and corrption so this was a good chance for me to make sure it was really something I wanted to spend a whole semester reasearching.
This semseter introduced me to a lot of new experiences I never really thought I would do. I wasn't expecting to go to the border or watch a play on racism. The play was amazing even in the little time I watched and I wish I stuck around more but something personal came up and I unfortunatley wasn't able to see it all. The most exciting thing all semester though (besides having partners from Tijuana) was when three other students and I were chosen to take a two day trip to Facebook Headquarters. The thought of flying to San Fransisco to talk to students from others schools across the country and state never crossed my mind. Our entire team had the possibility of going, and people who wanted to go had to wrtie down a reason for why they should be chosen. I didn't care much for it but as I was writing my reason I realized it would be my only chance for possibly telling other students face to face about our project and what we were hoping to achieve, which all excited me. I didn't think I'd be chosen but I surprisingly was. The week after we were chosen at random, the three other students plus our teachers and I, all met at the airport and went off to San Fran.
Facebook was full of so much energy and (kind of cheesy but not necessarily bad) good vibes. The students there were all so different and hearing about their schools really showed how different our school works. There were also a lot of similarite between every school, and overall I think it effected all four of us in a way we won't forget. The overall project was full of unforgettable moments to be honest. Our partners from Iman and all the video chats we had, the trips to the border, the intense research, it's going to stick with me for a while. The research on drug trafficking was some brutal stuff though. I saw several videos on what the drug trade can do to people, the way innocent lives are caught up in violence and the corruption in th justice system. Despite it all being heavy stuff, I can appreciate the insight this all gave me.
Meeting our partners was exciting. They were so nice and so happy to meet us it made us feel the same way. There was a lot of smiles and laughing and people were just really happy to see each other. We were able to learn more about them in person than over skype, the real life experience was more down to earth and very casual.
When we all went out to greet them, it was just a blast of energy. I didn’t expect anyone to hug me but all of them did and they were just full of joy. Talking all together helped break the ice a bit but to be honest there wasn’t much to break seeing as everyone was already adjusted. Going around the campus and seeing all the other schools, it was nice to visit my old schools. I wasn’t really there for the ice skating part of the day but we did take a group photo. I just really liked seeing everyone so happy to finally meet each other.
I wasn’t really willing to have partners from anywhere but I’m glad we were pushed to do this. I wish we could’ve talked more often, and hopefully we’ll be able to make more connections in other countries or states. I think people should have at least one international experience. It really breaks people’s expectations and shows we’re all very similar despite living far away.
In the beginning of the semester, I thought this was just going to be quick and simple researching project but High Tech High teachers always put some over-the-top-spin in it. We were introduced to new people and were able to hear about their lives on the other side of the border, we were able to see the differences between the United States and Mexico and visit the border too. The research on these intense topics that would usually be left up to older people was also pretty fun. I'm just glad I was able to experience something more positive this year compared to my last year.
Instagram Posts
Over a span of 5 weeks, we posted 2 to 5 images per week with the hashtag #proyectocomUNIDAD and a description in spanish talking about where the image was taken and what was happening. We did this so that our partners could get a glimpse into our daily lives and so we could see theirs too. This allowed us to connect with our partners from Iman and see our similarites and differences. |
Papel Picado
We started our papel picado part of the project by practicing, makin our own designs and taping them to window. The weeks after we started to make a design based off the topic we were researching and continued to make drafts until we reached a final piece and cut it out on coloured paper. |
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These photos are from all our field trips and in class experiences. Also my personal experience at the Facebook HQ in San Fransisco.
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