Month: September 2020

Cameron Boyce was an actor and dancer formerly known for his roles of “Luke Ross” on the Disney Channel hit television show, “Jessie”, as well as “Carlos” on the Disney Channel movie, “Disney Descendants”. On July 6th, 2019, Boyce passed away due to an epileptic seizure. Though his friends, family, and supporters were devastated by his passing, they all remained hopeful knowing that his legacy would live on.

Outside of acting and dancing, Boyce was a young philanthropist. He constantly tried to help as many people through his work whether it be building programs for inner-city kids or providing clear water for third-world countries. In honor of his legacy, his family and closest friends started The Cameron Boyce Foundation. The foundation helps build programs across multiple needs/necessities. The last project that Boyce was working on was one that aimed for ending gun violence. It was called, “Wielding Peace”; a social media campaign that represented survivors and supporters “wielding” a weapon of unity. Through the Cameron Boyce Foundation, they continue to work on ending gun violence by partnering with Inner City Arts and providing workshops to help students focus on choosing peace through different artistic outlets. They also partner with agencies to help change gun laws and increase voter registration.

Although the foundation has other projects as well I wanted to write about ending gun violence specifically. Deaths caused by guns violence (including accidental situations) have spiked in the U.S. Everyday, more and more citizens gain easier access to guns which results to gun violent situations. This includes mass shootings, school shootings, murders/ murder suicides, and gang violence. I believe that by supporting the youth and teaching them about gun violence can help prevent higher gun violence spikes in the future.

For more information about this foundation and their projects, click on the link below:

https://thecameronboycefoundation.org/

Are you having trouble focusing in school? Are you not vibing with virtual learning? Do you need a study buddy?

If you need tutoring service, sign up for this free opportunity. You’ll be assigned to a tutor and can work your schedule with them. Tutors are high school seniors from Washington Tech. This service will last until Saturday, December 19th

Check this out and sign up! Fill out the form below if interested.

If you have any questions, please feel to reach out to Alee Xiong at xiongalee314@gmail.com

This my work from week one. We went over voting hopeful these post cards will encourage people to register to vote and vote in November.

Last week we talked about voting and how important it is for the youths to vote this year.

In the past couple of years, there has been an increase in youth gang activity and participation. According to the National Gang Center (NGC), younger adults are more likely to join gangs depending on how many “risk factors” are exposed to them. These “risk factors” include struggling in their homes, schools, social groups, or within themselves. The more risk factors that are exposed to a young teenager, the more they will try to seek protection and a sense of belonging in gangs.

While these activities can include dangerous actions, there aren’t many gang prevention resources in the state of Minnesota. However, what we can do to help is make community resources more accessible to them. This could be raising funds for lower-income schools so that they can offer financial or academic support for their students, or providing all lower-income schools with a food resource room where food is accessible to students struggling with food insecurity.

It could also be helpful to make sure that young adults are heard and know that they’re being heard. Many individuals join gangs because they want a sense of belonging and providing resources for people in the community where they know that their thoughts, struggles, feelings, and opinions are heard may give them that sense of belonging.

“Gang Prevention: An Overview or Research and Programs” Youth.gov

National Gang Center

The year 2020 has felt long and hectic, yet quick and eye-opening for many. There has been an overwhelming amount of information across many different topics these past couple of months. While some may feel stressed or exhausted by the new information, many have found 2020 as the year of opportunity. It has been the opportunity for new voices to speak up, the opportunity for silenced voices to be heard, and the opportunity for all voices to have more conversations than ever before. However, even with the new encouragement for these voices, constantly using your voice can be over-exhausting and can have an incredibly negative impact on your mental health.

September is the National Suicide Prevention Awareness month and with the world at its most vulnerable state, it is important that we stay connected to the ones that we love and care about. There are many ways to show your support towards people and here are two effective ways that can show people you support them:

1.) Reach Out to Those You Love:

Reaching out may be hard for some people, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve talked, but there are multiple ways to reach out to someone and let them know that you care about them. It’s always good to be straightforward and tell people that you’ve been thinking about them and want to know how they’re doing. However, I also understand that people want to have different kinds of conversations. A couple other alternatives are messaging someone a thoughtful compliment. It can change someone’s day and will let them know that you support them. Another option is reaching out to someone to tell them that something reminded you of them. This can be super meaningful and will let them know that you are thinking about them.

2.) Take Action: While it’s good to verbally tell people that you support them, it’s especially important to also show them that you support them. People tend to reject help when asked so taking action to show that you care about them can make them feel loved. Of course, you have to keep in mind of people’s boundaries so instead of taking action without their consent, ask them if they are okay with you helping them. For example, if you know your friend is going through a tough time, ask them if it would be okay for you to drop them off some treats. Doing this instead of simply asking, “How can I help you?” will be more effective in showing them that you care about them. It let’s them know that you’ve already thought about them and are willing to make an effort to help them. Plus, people don’t always know what they want or how they need help, so this makes it easier on them and their mental health.