I'm Allowed To Be Frustrated

Everything was going pretty well until I started working on my website and powerpoint. I had no idea it was going to be so hard getting all the pictures I needed for my action plan, and Rico is actually making me pay him for them. Sucks!

I'm just spinning in circles with my website because nothing seems to be working right. I want to keep the theme and design of it, but I'm afraid I'll have to change it. I'm tired of changing things about the project so hopefully Mr. Mays can do that voodoo that he do and fix it.

Our presentation day is coming up in like two weeks and I just hope everything ends up being okay. I don't know what I would do if I failed grad project. (I most likely won't fail, but I'm still a little concerned)

Dot Dot Dot

I started my website. I can't stand Dreamweaver. I'm pretty sure its main purpose is to make me mad.

I started my presentation. I have no idea how to set up. I want to be creative, but I can't think of anything which is just lovely. I'm sure I'll come up with something. I better or I'll fail.

I need serious help with putting together my survey results because I'm like handicapped when it comes to making charts in excel.

What else can I do but keep going? This isn't fun!

General Update

Things seem to be slowing down. I know I have a lot to do, but I don't know where to start first. I just finished putting together the results of my survey, which took half a period, but it was worth it.
The results weren't really shocking but they were interesting. I just have to put it into graph form and in my paper.

I also need to start putting together my presentation and my website. What joy!

Good Pace

Mrs. Savido is helping me get out copies of my survey so the information that I'm going to gather from that will help me finish my lit review completely. I still need to get a good conclusion, try to make my sentences flow better, and make all the edits that need to be done. Fortunatly, Ms. Denise is helping to edit my paper so having an actual professional writer and editor look at my paper is great and will help a lot. I love knowing people so willing to help me.

The interview situation isn't that great because Ms. Lee never got back to me, and I never got in contact with a professional in another ethnicity so I just have Black journalist.

Its kind of annoying, but I like the pace I'm going. I think with the rate I'm doing I'll be able to complete my each part of my project well.

It's Getting Better

Everything is going pretty well. I think I'm moving at a decent pace, but it could be just a little bit better. I have to get my survey out, and finish my interviews. Ms. Lee never got back to me, which has me a little upset because she would have been great to interview. Rachel and Nexus are letting me interview them so that will be done by Saturday. Once I have my survey info put together, and my interviews all in, my paper will be pretty much set. Besides from editing, I won't have to add any more information unless a teacher tells me otherwise. I have some really good quotes, great sources, so I'm really excited!

Gosh...

I only need one more interview and then I'll be done trying to contact and track down people. After that I can finish my lit review and start on my portfolio. I figure I should be done with it by next Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

Right now the only thing I'm real trouble with is my survey. It's hard trying to think of questions that aren't so open-ended. Hopefully I'll get done soon and get it out so I can add the results to my lit review. Hopefully.

Progress

Over the past couple days, I have set up several interviews with my old mentor and Chris Moore. Hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have a couple more lined up too and my survey finished. One problem I'm having right now is finding minority journalist that aren't black. My goal by the end of the week is to have at least an Asian and Latin journalist to interview too.

Beautiful Findings

As I was working on my outline, I decided to go back and look over my notes from the PBMF Workshop and came across a page entitled, What Is News?
I don't know why it took me so long to look at my notes because there is a lot of good information in there. A good piece of info that I found is the definition of news, and what people consider news.

Now all I have to do is keep going through my notebook and see what else I can find.

Movin' Along

Over the weekend I had some trouble with my proposal, but I figured it out so now I should be able to finish...hopefully. Next is doing my outline, and then I can start my paper.

The library didn't get my books in yet, so now I have to wait another day or two to finish my research, and plus I'm having issues getting my interviews set up.

I'm not stressing too much about it because I already have my action plan done, so its just basically researching and writing for the next couple of weeks.

How fun...

Salvation at last!

First I would like to thank Mrs. Savido for helping me realize that I've already done my action plan. I am happy that I don't have to worry about it, but I must admit I was kind of excited about starting a teen online newspaper. I think I still might do it. I actually must thank Mr. Hamilton of helping me develop the idea of starting a online newspaper.

I guess I can't worry about that right now anyway since I still have a ton of work to do. I need to request books from the library, find more info online, and finish up my proposal and outline. Hopefully all this can be done by next Tuesday in the first half of class. I don't have time to keep playing catch up at this point.

Thank GOD!

I knew I needed something to get my brain juice flowing, because that I have an awesome action plan, I know a lot more about what I'm researching. All I need to do is get my thoughts together and I'll actually have an essential question. YAY ME!

Mercy Mercy Me

I NEED an essential question, because I am so lost as to what I have to research. Everything I type into the search box just returns articles written by teens, so I think my best source is going to be interviews with people. I have several different people that I could interview, but the problem is getting into contact with them, and them having the time. Mrs. Savido/Mr. Hamilton and I need to have a sit down really bad so I can get moving on this project or I'm worried that I'm just going to have to go back to my old one.

I know I can get it done, and get it done well, but I need a lot of help right now.

Restart!

I most certainly do not want to restart my whole project, but journalism is what I am really interested in and I think I'll do really well on this project...I just wish I would have thought of it ALOT earlier.

for now, these are my starting ideas that I need to narrow down so I can get moving...

Print

• local
• events
• fashion
• arts/entertainment
• special interest
• editorials/opinion
• national/international

Broadcast

• same as print
  
• breaking news
• tragedy
• gossip
  
• sensationalist

Web

• attention grabbing
• convenience
• video
• blogs
• gossip
  

Radio

• opinion
• on going reports
• music

HS newspapers

• HS events
• HS news

Current Events

• local
• national
• global
  

Did You Know....

Expanded studies have showed that there is a higher percentage of mental illness in blacks
http://www.consumerstar.org/pubs/AAMH.pdf

African Americans are more likely to use the emergency room for mental health issues
http://www.allaboutblackhealth.com/new_page_19.htm

Incidence Rate for Mental illness: approx 1 in 4 or 22.10% or 60.1 million people in USA
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/m/mental_illness/stats-country.htm

In addition, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders-major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder
http://www.geocities.com/bipolargirl187/mental.html

Late-life depression affects about six million adults, but only 10 percent receive treatment

Depression will be the second greatest cause of premature death and disability worldwide by the year 2020
http://www.everypurpose.org/statistics/statistics.htm

Four of the 10 leading causes of disability—major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder—are mental illnesses
http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih5/mental/guide/info-mental-a.htm

Mental illness usually develops during early adulthood (ages 18-24)

Treatment for patients with mental illness is 60-80% effective
http://www.brown.edu/Courses/BC0168_S9/Student%20Pages/statistics.html

Essential Question

Why are some mental diseases and disorders more prevalent in African American community and why are they sometimes untreated and ignored?

Foundation Questions

What are some of the most prevelant mental diseases and disorders in the Black community?

What percentage of Blacks are treated for mental disease and disorder?

What are the differences in how White seek treatment and how blacks seek treament?

Is there some sort of denial when it comes to Blacks having mental disease or disorders?

Is there a difference in the way Blacks are treated in mental health facilities?

Why don't some Blacks seek treatment for mental health issues?

Key Terms

Aetiology: all the factors that contribute to the development of an illness or disorder

Carer: a person whose life is affected by a close relationship with a consumer, or who has chosen and contracted a caring role.

Diagnosis: a decision based on the recognition of clinically relevant symptomatology, the consideration of causes that may exclude a diagnosis of another condition, and the application of clinical judgement

Mental health: holistic sense of well being and the capacity of people within groups and an environment to interact in a way that promotes subjective well-being and optimal development to achieve individual and collective goals.

Mental illness/disorder: a recognised, medically diagnosable illness which results in a significant impairment of an individual's thinking and emotional abilities and may require intervention.

Prevalence: the proportion of the population with the disease/disorder

Minority: a group of people who differ racially or politically from a larger group of which it is a part

Outcomes: The results of a specific mental health care service, usually phrased in terms of child and family gains (e.g., improved school performance, improved family communication)

Symptom: an observable physiological or psychological manifestation of a disorder or disease, often occurring in a group to constitute a syndrome.

Treatment: an intervention (either medication or therapy) by a recognised health professional such as a psychiatrist, general practitioner or other doctor, nurse, psychologist, occupational therapist, social worker or other professional mental health worker.

Websites

Today I found 15 useful websites for my graduation project.
I still havent come up with my essential quesiton, but I am starting to get there.

My Topic

The idea that I chose for my graduation project is Mental Diseases and Disorders in the African American community. The topic is really broad, and Im working to bring it down to something more concrete, but this is what I want to do for sure.
This topic is important to me because I see a lot of it going on in the Black community and there isn't really much done about it. I have mentally disabled family members who I am close with, and I've always wondered what causes it.
I can't wait to start on my project and see where it takes me!

Beginning Grad Project

All I know about the graduation project is that its one of the biggest things here at City High. I know it requires alot of work and is a requirement of City High to graduate on time.

The subject I am most interested in doing for my graduation project is mental disease in the african american community. This topic interest me because a very close family member of mine is mentally retarded, and I've always wanted to learn why and how this happens. I wanted to center around the black community because it goes most untreated and ignored there.

My main concern about the graduation project is time. I know I am very capable of doing the work and doing it well, but I need to focus on time management