Reflection for the Shimmer Sparkle Shine Project Event 1

My first event for the Shimmer, Sparkle Shine Project went AMAZING! I am so glad to have the opportunity to spread the message that girls should love themselves. When I started out with the Shimmer Sparkle Shine Project I had two goals for my learning outcomes. Through the first 3 girls on an individual level, and planning the first event I achieved these. The first was to Engage in An Issue of Social Importance and the second was to Collaborate With Others.

Before I get into my reflection, I want to give an outline of the event, and Shimmer Sparkle Shine's ways to help raise girls self esteem.
The first thing we did was start off with a discussion and get to know you. It started off with all the girls having to introduce themselves along with one thing that they like about who they are. Then Carleigh and I both had power points on things we find beautiful. I talked about my mom along with other family members and friends. I also discussed how I find keys beautiful. My theory behind that was that a key is like a person. Each key is different and unique and is different then other keys. Each key is different, and serves a different purpose. It can also unlock different doors or "opportunities" that are unique to that key or person. I some how want to incorporate this into Shimmer Sparkle Shine.



The next activity was "Boost Books" which I got as an idea from the Dove Self Esteem Campaign. The whole point of the book is to put things inside of it that can cheer you up when you are down like pictures or quotes. I covered basic notebooks in paper before hand, then at the event the girls were able to decorate them with stickers and paper to be unique for them. The volunteers also all brought in an insperational quote to put in the girls gift bags to have them put into their Boost Books.




After that was games, then lunch. The girls enjoyed a Nacho Buffet, then snacked on cupcakes that were made and donated from the Bagel Bakery in Thornton.




Followed by lunch was fun makeover time. All of the volunteers did the girls hair and makeup for their photoshoots. This gave a more one on one aspect between the girl and volunteer with a big sister like relationship. The volunteers and girls seemed to match up perfectly together and create a relationship. It was great to see all ages bonding together and involved.




Followed by this was a photoshoot done for each girl by Carleigh and myself. This way each girl had photos of them to take home that they could have too look back on and reflect on how their real beauty shines through. ( critique of photography to come later)


After that Silver (a volunteer) entertained the girls with games. Then it was closing all the girls came in front of the group one by one and shared what they learned, and received their goody bags with girly stuff donated from Clairs and others!

My first goal was to focus on an issue of global importance. Everything described above sums up how I did it. From here I plan to continue the process of making it a non profit this summer to effect even more girls.

The second goal defiantly came through as a learning outcome which was to collaborate with others. Initially I thought of this as communication between me and the girls, but it went in a different direction. It first started off as way of communication between Carleigh and myself. Carleigh was the one who helped me plan the event. I had to make sure that I wasn't overpowering and that I included her ideas as well. I also had to make sure to include her in the decision making process. We are both very involved people, so it was hard to get together alot, but we made it work.

The next form of collaboration was between myself and the volunteers. I needed help from them to make it all possible. They all helped with the set up, running the actual event, the makeovers, and clean up. It is sometimes hard to put yourself out there with a need for help but it went amazingly well. Every volunteer was excited and had a positive mind frame about the project. Some girls had amazing ideas for us to incorporate in. The volunteers also learned just as much about themselves and their self esteem in my opinion. For myself personally I help myself when I help others, and I think the volunteers were the same way. Some of them were emotional through the day because of the impact we had on the girls. It was great to have the volunteers.



The last collaboration was with Clairs in 16th Street Mall. We contacted them with our idea, and the manager along with the others at that location donated jewelry, makeup, and hair pieces for the girls gift bags. It was amazing!




Another key element was not only the service portion, but the creative side as well. It was just like throwing party planning. Decorations had to be made, goodie bags, and games.




The last goal was to improve my photography. Lighting is sometimes an issue for me, and I really wanted to improve that element. I also like focuses on zooms in of the face, because I find the face a beautiful element to be focused on, and is overall what Shimmer Sparkle Shine is about. It is difficult to work with some girls over others. I just had to figure them out, and get to know them so I could make them comfortable to be themselves and take pictures that reflect them. I did take pictures of my first little girl who has glasses, and after wards I was going through the photos and noticed that her glasses reflected in the photos. That is something I have to be aware of for the future, and learn how to avoid the reflection. Each picture below is my favorite from each girl I photographed.











This is only the start of Shimmer Sparkle Shine. It is going places, and is going to effect a lot of people. Exciting!
Ciara

Reflection for Project Valentine

Project Valentine went great this year and I am so grateful to have had the chance to be apart of the magic. The weekend before Valentine's Day was Assembly day to put all the gift bags together. It was amazing to see all of the gifts that were donated!





I also was offered the chance to deliver the bags to the Thornton Rocky Mountain Cancer Center on Valentine's Day, but I was sick with a cold, and I didn't want to infect anyone. My mom and my uncle went in replacement of myself.

My two learning outcomes for Project Valentine 2012 was Planning and Initiating Activities along with Developing New Skills.

For Planning and Initiating Activities I had my church group help me along with my family. My church group made Stress Balls along with Valentine's Day Cards. I also rallied my family together to make a total of 400 cards and 100 pair of earrings. I learned a lot just from putting these few minor activities together.

My second learning outcome of Developing New Skills was used in the creative portion, and the communication aspect as well. I took 2 classes from my local bead store (Ally Cat Beads) to learn to make earnings and an intricate twined necklace. Both of these classes required that I use metal and metal tools. I learned new methods of working with metal that led me to help make earrings for the gift bags. Another skill I learned was communicating with others in a sophisticated manner by both email and telephone. Both are very important skills to have in the workforce. I learned communication through email with talking with the founder of Project Valentine; Rita. When I finally met her in person at one of the Project Valentine Inventory Events, she complimented my passion and voice that was coming across in email. In addition I had to call the Cancer Center to find out how many patients they were expecting that day. It was hard to get in contact with the coordinator, but I made it happen. I get really nervous on the phone, so this was good for me to do.

It was great to see the satisfaction from the people in charge of Project Valentine for all of the donations that not only came in from me, but other people and companies. The people in charger were very kind, and humble. You could tell that they had a passion for what they were doing, and had their whole heart into it. It only inspired me to want to help as well. It was amazing to see how someone's attitude can effect other people as well.

I am a firm believer that we need to find a cure for cancer, and continue cancer research. I also believe that something needs to be done in the mean tine to help the people that have cancer, and that is what Project Valentine does. They don;t get the luxury to have a "cure" before they experience cancer, so we need to help them live a more comfortable life. Project Valentine for 2012 turned out great!
Ciara

Project Valentine

Project Valentine is going great, I have had my church group working on projects, as well as my family. One of my goals was to initiate activities, and I did this through my youth group. I first had them create stress balls one night, then cards another. This is because I found out that this year they were in need of cards which was something we could easily do. I also had my family get involved one night to make cards and jewelry. My mom and Shari worked on making cards while my uncle Byron, shea, and myself made earnings. This leads into my next goal of learning new skills. I took a few beading classes at the local bead store, and I used those techniques to help make earrings. Here are some pictures;




After that long night, and the work of my family, my Uncle made 80 pairs of earrings, and my mom and shari made 450 cards! It was just amazing. We were able to attend the first inventory day where I met the people behind Project Valentine and see them love the stress balls, earrings, bookmarks, and cards my family, church group, and family had made.

The greatest part of all was look back in the inventory room and seeing all of the donations from companies and people. It was an amazing sight, that made me want to cry. When I was look around, I knew that I had been doing the right thing. Here are some ideas in case you want to donate, or just to see what others have done.

You can donate things like socks, or scarfs, or beanies. People going through cancer get cold easily and need to stay warm. Lots of knitted items are donated, because that is how Project Valentine got started. Check out the website for more info.

Jewelry always makes someone feel better, and this is a pair of earings my uncle made. so cute.

Here are some of the cards we made. They try to put 6 cards in each bag, and there is over 1000 patients going through chemo on valentines day, that alot of cards. Valentines cards are always welcomed.

Patients in chemo have sensitive skin, so any type of body products that are scent free and hypo-allergenic are awesome too!



Here is my mom and I holding up one of the bags that the goodies go into.

I am very excite because this year my mom and I get to bring the bags to the cancer patients on Valentines Day. Only "special" people get to do this, and the opportunity shall be worth it. I am almost done with this goal, but I still have a whole another year to go for next Valentines Day! I will do my overall reflection after valentines day.
Ciara

Progression in Taekwondo

I have been going back for 3 weeks now, and I just love it. I still can't run for very long without foot pain, but I am getting there. I almost have my forms mastered so I can learn the next new one. This last practice on Friday I found to be impactful because my master said, "There is a difference in doing the forms, and knowing the forms" What he meant by that was the easy part is to do the form, the hard part is understanding it. This meaning that we should know how many steps each form takes, or the meaning of the form. I really want to strive to work on this. I decided to do some research on this topic to find out what the forms mean and the orgin.

Our forms are technically "poomse's", and they help to form a pattern. Each form has a set of 3 lines, that are broken or connected in different ways. The closed lines represent yang, and the open ones ying. All forms together create unity being called T'ae-guk. The art piece for the forms of the ying and yang is below;

The following information is about each of the forms, along with their symbols, and meaning.
Poomse Taeguk/Palgwe Il Jang -- Heaven
(South, Father) The first Taeguk/Palgwe is the beginning of all Poomses. The associated trigram represents Yang (heaven, light), therefore, this Poomse should be performed with the greatness of Heaven.

Poomse Taeguk/Palgwe Ee Jang -- Lake
(South East, Youngest daughter) In the depths of the lake are treasures and mysteries. The movements of this Taeguk/Palgwe should be performed knowing that man has limitations, but that we can overcome these limitations. This should lead to a feeling of joy, knowing that we can control our future.

Poomse Taeguk/Palgwe Sam Jang -- Fire
(East, Second daughter) Fire contains a lot of energy. Fire helped man to survive, but on the other hand had some catastrophical results. This form should be performed rhythmically, with some outbursts of energy.

Poomse Taeguk/Palgwe Sa Jang -- Thunder
(North East, Eldest son) Thunder comes from the sky and is absorbed by the earth. Thunder is one of the most powerful natural forces, circling, gyrating. This Taeguk/Palgwe should be performed with this in mind.

Poomse Taeguk/Palgwe Oh Jang -- Wind
(South West, Eldest daughter) Wind is a gently force, but can sometimes be furious, destroying everything in it's path. Poomse Taeguk/Palgwe Oh Jang should be performed like the wind: gently, but knowing the ability of mass destruction with a single movement.

Poomse Taeguk/Palgwe Yook Jang -- Water
(West, Second son) Water can move a mountain. The movements of this Poomse should be performed like water. Sometimes standing still like water in a lake, sometimes thriving as a river.

Poomse Taeguk/Palgwe Chil Jang -- Mountain
(North West, Youngest son) Mountains will always look majestic, no matter the size. This Poomse should be performed with the feeling that all movements are this majestic and deserved to be praised.

Poomse Taeguk/Palgwe Pal Jang -- Earth
(North, Mother) The associated trigram of this Poomse is Yin: the end of the beginning, the evil part of all that is good. Even in this darkness, there is still some light. Performing this Taeguk/Palgwe, one should be aware that this is the last Taeguk/Palgwe to be learned, it also is the end of a circle, and therefore it is also the first, the second etc...

I hope to get better everyday on this long journey full of unexpected events. I shall get to my goal that I have had as a child to receive my black belt, along with a healthy exercise routine.
Ciara

SSSP To Do List

Today I made my to do list for the Shimmer, Sparkle, Shine Event on Feb. 25, 2012.
Need To:
1. Finish Invites and Distribute
2. Make basic cover for girls to decorate for Booster Book
3. Make Name tags
4. Create Gift Bags
5. Gather Decoration
6. Create Thank You Cards for Volunteers and Sponsors.

Gift Bags
1. Feel Good CDs (burn disc, and make CD covers)
2. Dove Self Esteem Book
3. Shimmer, Sparkle, Shine Buttons
4. Girly Supplies
5. Cinderella Shoe with quote (create quote)
6. Card from Carleigh and I
7. Treats

I also made an estimated cost list.
1. Black CDs ($10)
2. Frames ($20)
3. Buttons ($10)
4. Copy of Dove Handbook ($20)
5. Cinderella Shoe from Dollar Store ($6)
6. Bags ($10)
7. Decorations ($20)
8. Hair Stuff ($10)
___________________
Cost = $106

I somehow need to find funding. I also made an incentive schedule, but of course it is open to change.

10:00 - 11:00; Intro, Powerpoints, and discussions
11:00 - 11:45; Booster Book
11:45 - 12:15; Lunch
12:15 - 2:15; Beauty Time and Photo Shoots
2:15 - 3:00; Closing talk time, while we print photos
Ciara

Planning

With the Shimmer, Sparkle, Shine day scheduled, it is time to get to planning. Getting a full hair team was more difficult then I thought, so I approached IBSU to help me find girls who need the service hours to help out with the event, and do their hair for the photo shoot. The amount of responds was overwhelming, and it is awesome that so many people want to help. A volunteer meeting is in the future about more details. I have a design for the invites, and those should be going out this week. The basic things are done in basic preparedness, but I am still having a rough time finding a cater. I know I can find one, its going great! More info to come!