Redesigning in Englewood

For my class called Urban Planning, we were put to the test of redesigning a space that we thought we could make better. During these weeks, in our study, we learned a lot about ways to help to contribute to a better city and impact the world with our designs. We had two Fe's which we had guests come on google meets and give us insight from their point of view. One was from a tour of the Chicago Worlds Fair and the other was from a chemical engineer if I remember correctly. During our third unit, we watched many TED talks and have watched videos from the past and revisit to see if things have changed today. For this Ap, we had to choose a space that we could potentially redesign. I choose a location in Englewood at 6126 s Claremont Ave that has been unused for years now. Here's my redesign below.

JL 2020

JL 2020

3D Scale model

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e8SmEKbEtA-3VVqLYnOrR3SQc95WhZrt/view?ts=5ed6a950

Total Area= Aproxamitely- 70,700ft^2 and I got this by multiplying the length(200) times width(353.5)

The volume of at least two of my 3D structures=

Silo- The shape of this object is a cylinder and its volume is 785.4^3 ft I got this by following this equation. V=π r^2 h, here's it plugged into the equation π · 5 ^2·10

Center- Included a rectangular prism and a pyramid on top. The rectangular prism was made with 6 panels all across. Here's the equation that I used W.L.H and = 216 cubic ft. For the pyramid, I used a width of 4 a length of 8 and a height of 6. V=L.W.H/3 so that's 8*4*6/ 3 which gave me 64 cubic square ft     

A relevant quote from a local neighbor

“That place could turn into a market of stores or a grocery store. Better yet a
community center because that is what these kids need. Also, it could be a garden that teaches youth how to cultivate the area.”

Peter Calthorpe’s 3

• Persevere- The garden I added to my new urban space is an example of a persevering nature in places that need it the most. Not only is it good for the environment it’s good for people’s health and well being as sometimes nature is difficult to find in a big city.
• Bike- A component that I added around the open lot was a bike trail that expanded into a circle. This is important because it allows residents the option of either walking or bringing their bikes and riding them, rather than driving a car down the street. This reduces some carbon emissions while also getting a little exercise.
• Mix- I designed a scale model of a community center that could host people of all ages. This was the biggest thought for me because I saw an opportunity would arise if youth could interact with elders and young adults. Also since this community is predominantly black it would diverse the area and bring different faces together.

2 Spaces that inspired my design

These images below are 2 spaces that caught my eye and they’re both in Chicago. The first image is an overhead of Ping Tom park located in Chinatown. The Last two are images of Grant park skate park before it was made and after. Ping Tom park has a community when you go to the park and makes it walkable to access nature for people. There is also bike paths along the park and it’s located right next to urban living areas. From this location, I learned that a little thing goes a long way in creating a community park.

The Grant Park picture was chosen from May 2011 and July 2019. In the photo, you can see an open grass field and a couple of trees nearby. Fast forward 8 years you have a huge expansion of sidewalks, bike trails and nature brought in the heart of downtown. Not only was this a plus for bikers but it allowed local skaters a place to shred since the making of the skatepark. From this space, again learned that community is factored into creating longlasting worth caring about places.

(4) Google Map Images 

Problems encountered along the way 

I had one problem along my way and it was what to do with the space that would make it meaningful for everybody. Then I started to think about what do people need and what do people want and I tried to balance the inputs I was given. The solution was to make the idea simple. I used half of the space for a community center, a third for a garden, and another half for the redesigned buildings.

Purpose

• Community Center- Bring in a mix of ages and diverse the community and surrounding area.
• Garden- Provide nature in an urban area that needs to preserve the little it has.
• Building space- Reovationg the buildings can create an economic impact on the area by adding things such as green roofs and solar panels cost are reduced.
• Bike trail- Provides something for all to be free and able to walk or ride around as freely.
• More trash cans- Adding more trash cans helps reduce waste that lands near people's homes and helps hold people accountable who litter.

2 SDG11 targets
11.4 Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

This SDG target connects go protecting natural heritage to my garden created on my map in Fortnite.

I would say gardening has been important to African people for centuries and isn't taught as much as today. This is that we mostly rely on a market or food company to supply our food. But this local garden will not only make food to table it will help teach younger generations about the past.

11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities

SDG target 11.7 connects to my idea of a community garden and allows an easy accessible way to a green public space that is made for all people. This goal can be met if locals start demanding more parks and green spaces in their areas.

Overall this was my last action project and I thought it was made well. I wanted to do more but time wasn't on my side. I got to incorporate things I learned from this course into my redesigned space. I don't really have much to say but I enjoyed this project. Hopefully, I can use what I learned from my Policy course to talk to my Alderman and make it happen.

Cited source

Fortnite Map Created by J.L

Google Maps Images (4)

SDG11 Targets (2)

Can a bill help change outcomes for youth intended to fail?

Jahsia.
Address: 1535 N Dayton St #8054, Chicago, IL 60642

Have you ever felt so much terror just from living in your community, and being so intimidated you saw fit to stay inside?

Hi, my name is Jahsia.L and I am a junior at GCE Lab School. And this letter is me writing out to make a change in my community for future youth. Through my eyes as a maturing young black adult, I’ve seen great things in my city and bad. Sometimes the bad outways the good when speaking on the topic of the CPD. Growing up I always thought that police were your friends, that you could tell or ask them for anything and they would happily help. Over time this became to gradually degrade as instances I starting seeing and encounters that happen with me.

Stories I would hear at young ages that cops are pigs, their dirty and crooked. Then fast forward 5 years later I began to witness horrible things from police officers such as beatings, pinning innocent people to the ground, aiming guns a children’s heads, racist slurs throw around like it was normal, and brutal slaughter of friends and kinfolk. This problem of policing isn’t the beginning as it was planted centuries ago in America. “Policing in southern states started slave patrols, made up of white volunteers empowered to use vigilante tactics to enforce laws related to slavery” They located and returned enslaved people who had escaped, crushed uprisings led by enslaved people, and punished enslaved workers found or believed to have violated plantation rules.

The first slave patrols arose in South Carolina in the early 1700s. Every state had them. See policing is used to keep blacks in order. Another resource that I found was from a study by Standford University that stated that black drivers were about 20 percent more likely to be stopped by police than were white drivers. Also, there’s currently about 200 youth incarcerated in Illinois’ juvenile detention facilities. These facts are thrown at random to lead up to my reasoning of why these topics have to be dealt with.
The bill that is currently being fought to pass is the Recidivism Bill. It states that it will decrease the number of juveniles in the system and while also doing so saving 28 million dollars per year. Thing is that more youth are in theses jails are because of racist systems put into play over generations. I can’t place myself in the event of being in facilities by force. I have visited some and I could see sadness and despair in their eyes. The parents were even worse.

Now I can’t vote against or for this bill but I can give my thought on what it would possibly do. This bill I guess would ultimately lessen the number of cases transferred to adult court.
Legislation that I would propose this to would be the lady that came to our school. Connie Jordan a public defender who has been doing this for almost 30 years. She could spread her viewpoints and awareness towards the subject and give feedback to her go-to State representatives. I don’t really wanna get into any of this stuff because its a waste of time. In the end, nothing changes because of a bill. Things around the issue may seem to be, but not really.

Opponents might say that this bill will increase the crime in Illinois and make it harder to penalize offenders after turning 21. Also, some might say that the mind is mature and the right to make a life-changing decision is there. Even after scientists can prove that it isn't.

Sonnet to Petruchio

In my Humanities class this year called Drama we read the play The Taming of the Shrew by W. Shakespeare. We studied the difference of gender roles in the Elizabethan Era and today. We also went on Trips to local theaters to get the scoop about plays, and how they impact people. For our Action Project, we had to choose a character from a play, and write a sonnet in Shakespearean style. In our sonnet, we had to give advice to the person we chose. I chose to write my sonnet to Petruchio. I wrote it to him because he was the main character that had his own view on life and gender roles. I wanted to write a sonnet to tell him how he should treat a woman. What I liked about this was I got to create something on my own. The challenges that faced me was finding the words that rhyme and that also made sense. I'm not good with my words, nor have I ever been. This for me took longer than expected but here you go. Hope you enjoy!

  Sly like a fox you seem to be fine sirs,

  Petruchio it appears you lack wits.

  Tending to gals like water rushing blurs.

  You can’t let loose hate to whom thou emits.

 A man should love with heart not for riches,       

 Thou woman is precious like a flower.

 Time has toll over peasants who are vicious.

 You know you can change actions any hour.

Sir, Kate is superior to dumb games.                                    

She is a goddess that shall be worshiped.

Whom are the beast that intends to be tamed

Whose pointing fingers he knows his verdict.

 "Katherine the curst," rowdy fellows say.

 Kate just be bold and say have a nice day.

Popeye’s Arm, Truss Bridge!

This is my first Action Project for my class Urban Planning, and it was awesome!

During this time we are all at home due to the Covid-19 Stay at home order and learning has been stressful at times. Our classes have turned to virtual chat sessions and we connect by Zoom or Google Meets. We dug deep into learning about triangles in our time and how there the strongest shape, and lots of scientific topics on physics. We went over the Laws of Sin and Cosine and also talked about tension and compression. This brings me to the point where we cross the bridge here. 

For the Action Project, we were chosen by the Gods and Goddesses of bridges to build the strongest withstandable popsicles stick contraption. We all were sent 60 sticks, glue, and a taste of friendly competition. My bridge held up to more weight of a newborn and also withstood constant bitting from my dog and cat. Well, enough talking about it here's my presentation below. Enjoy!

Thoughts about this Ap? Well, it was cool, I got to work with my hands and create something special and unique. Also while doing so I learned new ways to make bridges withstand more, and this could impact my future. Especially if I were to become a landscaper or construction worker. The project was timing consuming but it was worth it in the end. If I were to do this again I would paint my bridge and spend more time on the bottom portion of my bridge. Anyways thanks for viewing my presentation.

Final Presentation- Music To Your Ears

Hi, and welcome to my presentation where I will share what I've learned over the past 8 weeks. During my WInter term here at Global Citizenship Experience Lab School, I've participated in a course called Light, Sound and Time. In the course, we discovered how humans perceived sound and how other organisms do also. We researched ear structures and learn about the anatomy of the ear. Over time in our investigation, we lent toward music and different frequencies of the pitch. This brings me to another course I took which was my Independent Study, Music Theory. During the duration of studies with the help of my Teacher Adam. I went over the basics of staff reading, music notation and learned some chords on the guitar.

For this Final Presentation, I wanted to see how music can impact others and how much of that impact can spread peace and love. Music has been around for a long time. We use it at gatherings, celebrations, and even at protest. An Example of this is, Michael Jackson’s “We Are the World”, in 1985 it raised over $63 million (equivalent to $147 million today) for humanitarian aid in Africa and the US.

Another popular song that stood for a cause was called. "F**k the Police". This song was a protest song by N.W.A in 1988 and it was written shortly after the group was harassed by the Torrance Police Department. The lyrics protest police brutality and racial profiling in the song. Since its release in 1988, the "F**k da Police" slogan continues to influence pop culture today in the form of T-shirts, artwork, political expression and has transitioned into other genres as well.

Below are links to the two songs I referred to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AjkUyX0rVwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AjkUyX0rVw
\https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5fts7b

As you can see music has a big impact on one another and the world. I would like to share a video of me playing the guitar, but I don’t know if I can. So instead I’ll just post somethings I did in my Independent Study that can relate.
https://www.musicnotes.com/now/tips/how-to-read-sheet-music/
https://www.libertyparkmusic.com/guitar-chord-shapes-beginner-to-advanced/
https://s3.amazonaws.com/halleonard-pagepreviews/HL_DDS_27655xJ0F1p5CBw.png
https://cdn3.virtualsheetmusic.com/images/first_pages/HL/HL-351361First_BIG.png

These are some of the things that I have gone over during my course. Some things were easier than the other but I enjoyed it overall. Connecting back to Light, Sound, and Time, the reason we can hear sound is because of the sound waves in the air that vibrate at different Hz. The sound goes through the ear canal, and eardrum then sends a signal to the brain.

How Stuff Works.

Back to the music context. I have always had a love for sounds. Every since I was a baby, I would always hit pots and pans or at school make a rhythm on the table. It’s just something that lets me feel free and in control. That’s why I believe music can change and impact the world for the better. Starting after listening to this I challenge you to think about something that you find unjust or unfair and make a quick song about it. Record how you feel after you share it with others and how it impacted them to test my hypotheses. Also, consider playing an instrument or sing, it can be beneficial to your creativity and health.

Seaons Clock

For my final AP in my STEAM class, Light, Sound, and Time we looked into many concepts such as sundials, sextants, longitude, and latitude and ancestors of time devices. We also were challenged to read a book called Einstein’s Dreams and presented to our class some basic and complex ideas about time discussed in the chapter. We dove into learning about different time zones and time paradoxes in space-time too. But for this final assignment, we were tasked to do research on a couple of time-telling devices, then after finding some to try and take inspiration from it and make your own. During this last unit of the course, my peers visited the Adler Planetarium and we also planned to host guests form a University to help us gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Personally, I found this course fun and challenging at the same time I have taken in a lot of information and it will definitely help me in impacting my future. Below is my presentation, enjoy.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17KPAbfh6Np9SqwWKJuCHmHYfJmhUxzBx/view

J.L- (2020)

In conclusion, I really liked the project. It was great to get in this creative mindset and make something that hasn't been made. The drawback that I take from this is the amount of time I had to complete it. If I had more time it would be more clear and thorough. Also, I would have loved to create a prototype.

To Wear Or Not To Wear

For our second Action Project in A Nations Argument course, we were tasked to focus on our school’s Code of Conduct. Were challenged to pick a rule that we thought was unjust and create an argument about it. We also had to try and plot concepts we learned, while looking for contradictions and fallacies. The purpose of this project is to reinstate rules to make our school’s goals for the future stronger. During this class, I learned about syllogisms, premises, and conclusions and also the art of argument. I also learned that by being more straightforward with inductive premises your arguments can be sound and you can win more. Over the course, we visited a couple of court cases and tomorrow we will be welcoming a public defender and a state's attorney. This will definitely be a cool experience. We will ask questions and gain as much knowledge as possible about laws, arguments and unconstitutional topics. Below is my amendment, hope you enjoy it.

Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 13 Dec. 2015,

Above is a picture of a seventh-grade boy who was banned from wearing his Star Wars shirt to school because it has a gun on it. I'm arguing that he should be able to wear the shirt because it's his right to express himself and also guns aren't bad. People who use them decided to do unjust things with them giving a not so good look.

GCE Dress Code

GCE Lab School staff and students strive to create a community that does not judge people based on their dress or fashion, but which values individuality. Students are encouraged to dress in a manner which reflects their individuality and self-expression. At the same time, clothing reflects the educational environment and therefore should not be offensive, provocative, or disruptive to instruction. All students are expected to dress and groom themselves neatly and modestly in clothes that are appropriate for an academic environment. “Inappropriate” includes clothing that is designed to be erotic or suggestive of violence, clothing that reveals underwear or excessive flesh.

This rule is unjust because it doesn’t fully allow self-expression the way students need and want. This is a need because humans have a tendency to reflect on mood. We are social creatures, well most of us are. This isn't just me saying this it's scientifically proven. Mood boost increases the change that you may be wanting to reflect in your school or institution. When you're feeling upset or bad about yourself, your clothes have the power to boost your mood and change your attitude. Clothes actually tell a story about your character and by not allowing representation of yourself it hurts your mood and vibe.

This can lead to depression and harm to yourself or others.

I understand that school is a place to learn but when restricting someone’s freedoms of expression it can be drastic to one’s self and personality. Students should be allowed to wear what they please as long as it’s not too much skin or something you wouldn’t put on in front of your parents. School board, Perspectives students and donors contribute to this fine school and by allowing a student to just dress anyway can ruin the reputation of GCE. I understand that.

Syllogism
P1- Students should be able to wear clothes they want
P2- Clothes are cool and great when showing others
Conclusion: Let’s allow us, teenagers, to decide what we should wear.

My new amendment will change the original one by allowing students to have more freedom of expression when wearing clothes. This includes guns, drugs, and nudity. My amendment will conclude that on days where there might be guests or FEs students are absolutely required to dress in a unique professional fashion. Other than that individual choice should be an option for students.

Syllogism with a further investigation into why my amendment is possible.

P1- Students should be able to wear clothes they want
P2- Clothes allow individuality
P3- Attire preserves one’s self-expression
P4- Clothes depicts your identity
P5- Adding rules under circumstances of dress code differs passion for what a person might be proud or ambitious about 

Conclusion: Students shouldn't have restrictions on any fashion or trend at school unless it goes against GCEs visions. 

Clothes are the needles that thread creativity for future generations and now. By shedding light on the adolescent’s perspective it can be beneficial to the goals of the school and the individual. By allowing people to wear what they please increases the chance for people to open up and be a part of a bigger cause and school community. A lot of people don’t feel comfortable as the next person may feel, it’s all about coming to an understatement. Even if that understanding is to disagree.

Because of my new proposed amendment life here at G.C.E will be more vibrant and social. People’s clothes will spark conversations for our Soapboxes and regular days. Views of whatever gender will be expressed even if others may disagree. Even if you wanted to support the Presidential Election and you happen to wear a MAGA hat it wouldn’t be banned or scorned upon. Somethings are offensive I get, but little things will only make us grow stronger together if we start that dialogue. My amendment sets the bar for self-love and joy. Clothes do a lot, they tell a story and represent you. The “real you”.

The Constitutional amendment relates to my amendment because it represents freedom of speech and this means you have the right to express yourself through, religion assembly and petition. Freedom of speech also comes with the right to express one’s opinions without the fear of censorship or restraint.

This U.S. amendment supports my amendment because it contradicts what our student handbook says. It states that GCE does not judge people based on their dress or fashion, but which values individuality. Students are encouraged to dress in a manner which reflects their individuality and self-expression. Then later goes on to say, “clothes that are appropriate for an academic environment” and list things that are inappropriate. So how can we decipher what’s appropriate and what’s not so students can decide for themselves. My amendment demonstrates true citizenship by allowing people to thrive and create a prosperous community in whatever way they may desire. Without censorship.

Quote from my peer that supports my argument and its impact

Quote: “Clothes can affect the school positively by encouraging different styles and trends, also students should wear what they wanna wear.”

Speaker: N.L

                               3/12/20 

Three cases that have gone against people's first amendment right. These are cases that are unconstitutional and unjust for students at school or in any formal institution.

1. Seventh-grader wearing Star Wars t-shirt is told by school administrators that it is BANNED 'because it has a gun on it'

Dailymail.com, Myriah Towner For. “Texas Student Banned from Wearing Star Wars t-Shirt 'Because It Has a Gun on It'.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 13 Dec. 2015, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3358570/Texas-seventh-grader-banned-wearing-Star-Wars-t-shirt-gun-it.html.

2. Student sues Wis. high school over dress code that bars him from wearing a shirt with a gun image
Wjrt. “Student Sues Wis. High School over Dress Code That Bars Him from Wearing Shirt with Gun Image.” ABC12, www.abc12.com/content/news/Student-sues-Wis-high-school-over-dress-code-that-bars-him-from-wearing-shirt-with-gun-image-568121681.html.

3. California school changes policy after banning shirt with gay message
“California School Changes Policy after Banning Shirt with Gay Message.” Al Jazeera America, america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/2/17/california-school-to-change-policy-after-banning-gay-t-shirt.html.