Reflective Blog 3

WOW can't believe the semester is over already! Time definitely flew by. 
Now that the semester is over, I can reflect on the work I did in my group project, and working with 916 Ink.

In the beginning of the project, I found myself asking "Why am I doing this"? Were my motivations intrinsic or extrinsic? Was I solely completing the work to receive a passing grade? Well, after exploring the 916 Ink imaginarium and talking to the 916 Ink crew, I received an answer to my own question. I quickly became enamored by the passion and drive 916 Ink exhumes. I became excited to help 916 Ink promote their workshops because I saw the value they bring to the Sacramento Community youth.

The readings from the course definitely helped me throughout the journey, mainly the Allen and Light text because it mentioned social media, and the value of civic literacy. The Allen and Light text provided good examples of social movements that have been prevalent throughout the recent years, and that have acquired a following as a result of social media. By using our knowledge from the course in regards to the importance of social media, our group was able to formulate various solutions to 916 Ink. Social media ended up being the main focus of my proposal to 916 Ink for the reason that 916 Ink is need of gaining more attention through social media to hopefully attract more workshop participants.

Yes, this experience differed from my initial experience mainly because I did not anticipate this much of a workload. Coming up with proposals was rather tricky, but my group and I were able to hone in and focus on what aspects of 916 Inks' social media we could improve on. It was also rather difficult to find research and statistics on Instagram and the success rate of advertising on Instagram. I wish our group could have provided more stats and sources, but it was simply hard to find.

Overall, working with 916 Ink was a great experience. The class lectures and readings shaped me into a more knowledgable individual, and the experience I gained from working with 916 Ink further helped shape me. I now have a much greater appreciation for organizations like 916 Ink who strive to help youth and make a change in a community. I am also grateful for having the opportunity to learn more about civic literacy and civic engagement and why it is such an important and political issue. Prior to this class, I was not motivated to be politically involved, I mean I do vote, and I do my research about propositions, and presidents, the basic stuff. But I am now aware that being politically active means way more than voting. I am now aware that I can be political from the comfort of my own home, and inform others about civic issues through social media platforms. I CAN use my voice to help make a change.


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