Boys and Girls Club Reflection: 1

Yesterday was the first time I had ever been to a Boys and Girls Club, and I must say I was very impressed to see how excited and happy the kids were to be there. In talking with the freshman girl I worked with, I could really tell how rewarding the experience was for her; for me it was great to see that the kids wanted to be there just as much as their parents did.

It was a bit difficult to work on the project because she had not yet completed her interview (although she did start it very briefly). That being said, we were able to talk with her about the process in general terms and even get down to some specifics. After showing her an example of a digital narrative, we asked her what she liked/dislike as well as what she thought added to the content of the story. She seemed to be able to see which components she found effective and might possibly use in her own story. She particularly liked the idea of having music in her story, so we also made sure to show and explain how to use the creative commons.

Since she is using her Grandmother as her interview subject, we were able to talk a little bit about what she thinks her grandmother might share. She said that she expects "Grandma's" pearl of wisdom to be, "to always think for yourself." I found this very interesting and was relieved of all the ways a great story could be formed with this "pearl" at its core. We were able to discuss some of these possibilities, many of which really seemed to excite the student.

Overall, even with the difficulties of not having an interview to work from, I found the visit to be a success. I feel we achieved our objective to both inform and excite the students about the project, and formed a relationship that will be conducive to collaborative work in the future. I was very happy with our student's excitement and commitment to the project, and also that she was looking forward to us coming back.