Four young women were presented with their 20Time project requirements in the early months of their tenth grade year.
Though this part of the project was seemingly easy for the students -- choosing a way that they wanted to impact a community -- it would be The Process that they were about to go through which would truly teach them how to question.
- The project had to be approved by the teacher.
- The project required some research of knowledge that they didn’t know.
- The project had to help a community in some way.
Though this part of the project was seemingly easy for the students -- choosing a way that they wanted to impact a community -- it would be The Process that they were about to go through which would truly teach them how to question.
When the each of the groups began working, the larger group of girls focused on creating events like fun-runs and donation drives for local charities. They soon discovered that they would unable to complete weekly work in class, which was not something that they wished to give up as a group.
Meanwhile, the other student who was working alone suggested that the group make blankets for childrens’ hospitals in the area. It was a project that was tangible and could be worked on in class, so it was immediately adopted by the larger group.
Despite her ideas to support the larger group, she, too, was struggling with her project’s topic. She was running into all sorts of hurdles with her project from getting onto Etsy, to pairing her sales with Etsy to be redirected to the charity, and more. She very soon asked if she could join the larger group in their blanket creation project. They obliged, and the group of three became four.
Now the fun could begin! The students took the time to contact local children’s hospitals to see if their donations would be accepted. They ran into another snag: hospitals have extremely stringent sanitary policies and couldn’t accept very many donations. The girls needed to turn to another charity to support and landed on local homeless shelters. After making some calls, they were in! Two local shelters would accept their blankets when they were completed in the spring.
Planning for blanket creation and construction began immediately. The group had to figure out what materials that they needed, how they were going to get them, and what processes they were going to go through to create them.
After approximately a month of planning (4 period over a month of school), the students, with their own money, had purchased the preliminary supplies that they needed for the project. They measure, cut, and tie fabric together to make small blankets of varying patterns. The girls make approximately two in a single class period, and that’s if they work fast. Their goal by the end of the year is to produce at least 20 blankets; 10 for each shelter that they wish to donate to.
Despite her ideas to support the larger group, she, too, was struggling with her project’s topic. She was running into all sorts of hurdles with her project from getting onto Etsy, to pairing her sales with Etsy to be redirected to the charity, and more. She very soon asked if she could join the larger group in their blanket creation project. They obliged, and the group of three became four.
Now the fun could begin! The students took the time to contact local children’s hospitals to see if their donations would be accepted. They ran into another snag: hospitals have extremely stringent sanitary policies and couldn’t accept very many donations. The girls needed to turn to another charity to support and landed on local homeless shelters. After making some calls, they were in! Two local shelters would accept their blankets when they were completed in the spring.
Planning for blanket creation and construction began immediately. The group had to figure out what materials that they needed, how they were going to get them, and what processes they were going to go through to create them.
After approximately a month of planning (4 period over a month of school), the students, with their own money, had purchased the preliminary supplies that they needed for the project. They measure, cut, and tie fabric together to make small blankets of varying patterns. The girls make approximately two in a single class period, and that’s if they work fast. Their goal by the end of the year is to produce at least 20 blankets; 10 for each shelter that they wish to donate to.
The sharing aspect of this group’s project is easy: they’re impacting their community by making blankets to donate to homeless shelters. But what about those who want to replicate the project? How will they share this with others who it doesn't directly impact?
The girls have been taking countless photos of the project’s development from piles of blankets to their hands at work creating new ones. They intend on sharing the project as a presentation with their class and explained that they also hope that their teacher can share the project with other teachers. Their project has been blogged about publicly, as well.
The girls intend to donate their blankets to the homeless shelters in May of 2014. The project and their personal financial generosity has helped them to realize how easy it can be to help someone who is less fortunate.
The girls have been taking countless photos of the project’s development from piles of blankets to their hands at work creating new ones. They intend on sharing the project as a presentation with their class and explained that they also hope that their teacher can share the project with other teachers. Their project has been blogged about publicly, as well.
The girls intend to donate their blankets to the homeless shelters in May of 2014. The project and their personal financial generosity has helped them to realize how easy it can be to help someone who is less fortunate.