What Is Faces Of Change?
This is my favorite, and our team's largest, project every year. We ask students organize themselves into self-directed "community cohorts" that act as miniature nonprofits. Here they dissect, analyze, predict and suggest specific ways to improve the lives and livelihood of several underserved San Diego communities, based on ethnographic research and interviews with local stakeholders. Across 3 classes (humanities, spanish and chemistry), they study the complex intersection of culture, politics, economics and technology to create real world change for those around them. To see what our process and final products look like, check out the sections below.
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Direct links to projects:
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ESSENTIAL Questions
How do we become meaningful agents of change in diverse communities?
What is the difference between revitalization and gentrification? Who determines the difference?
Student Quotes
“We achieved a lot in areas that went beyond our project proposal. We came up with our holiday celebration during one of our Farmer’s Market sessions, and worked on it in an attempt to bring people to the market. Our goal evolved to create an area where we could combine a sense of community and a dedication to leading healthier lifestyles, which we hope we inspired in people.”
- Camie Del Rosario, 10th grade “When we first visited Imperial Beach we were overwhelmed by the beautiful surroundings of the community. While there, we interviewed several locals in order to better understand the community. We noticed right away that there was half of IB that welcomed new changes and another half of the community that wanted things to stay the same. As a cohort we needed to figure out something that addressed the needs of both parts of the community.” - Mariano Rubio, 10th grade |
South County San Diego
To the right are the seven communities of South County that our team investigates and advocates for each year. They include Logan Heights, National City, City Heights, West Chula Vista, East Chula Vista, Paradise Hills and San Ysidro.
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Team Mission Statements
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National CityThere are three things that locals of National City wish to improve: Youth currently do not feel that they have a voice in big change, people wish to highlight the strengths of NC to overcome negative stereotypes, and people want to bring business and life to the city. With input from locals and experts from the community, we, the National City Cohort, wish to bring youth, art, and highland avenue to the public eye.
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San YsidroWe feel that the economic growth and education system can thrive in this community with our support. Our goal is to enact a meaningful change in the areas of education and the economy so we can help San Ysidro become a better place. We plan to do this by starting a tutoring program or a business fair with the help of our school and business connections.
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Logan HeightsAs the Logan Cohort, we hope to make a positive change in the community by informing local residents about important ongoing issues that are occurring in Barrio Logan. Our goal is to make sure that everyone's voice is heard by encouraging all locals to participate in their current community projects.
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Paradise HillsTwo of the needs we intend to address through our project are community involvement and after school programs for local youth. We're working with a new community collaborative organization, Project REO, made up of local residents and business owners. They helped us identify these needs through interviews, and by introducing us to experts in the community.
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West Chula VistaOur goal as a group is to impact our community positively and to collectively create a project that will benefit the local residents of Chula Vista now and in the future. Currently we are working on a project that involves both the senior citizen community and the younger high school generation. We are hoping that through this event we will bring both of the different generations together.
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City HeightsWe hope to bring locals together and encourage them to create bonds/connections within their community. The need in City Heights we are focusing on is community engagement and collaboration with one another. Our group is partnering with the Community Development corporation to create murals and markets to address these needs.
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Project Proposals
Click on any Community Cohort to learn more about our Project Proposals:
Community Cohort Project Folder
Find the project folders here: