Approach 1 – CullenS
Assisting Low Income High School Students
This Hacktivism Approach deals with provided meals and donations to low income families in local school systems, through the use of social media and spreading awareness.
I would like to work to assist low income high school students that don’t qualify for completely free meals, but also don’t come from wealthy enough families to have consistent meals.
Background:
Growing up in my neighborhood, I knew a lot of fellow high school students who struggled with being able to consistently get meals for lunch. They lived in an almost unfair purgatory of financial situations. Their family wasn’t making enough to be able to regularly provide meals, but they also made too much to be considered poor enough to qualify for free meals. The low-income families and children would benefit, as it would relieve them of a lot of stress, money, and hunger. This is extremely important because no children should be left unfed. Especially in high school, when nutrition is very important for ensuring correct bodily growth and development.
Explanation:
As you might be able to tell, this is something I am passionate about. I’m on the firm belief that no child should ever have to go hungry, and it saddens me to know that every day, in local schools, kids are going hungry because of their finical situation. There are two explanations, and reasons for this project. 1. This is an issue that often gets overlooked and unnoticed by people in their local communities. 2. It’s a problem that can be easily addressed, with as much, or as little commitment as you’d like. Whether you’d just like to donate one single dollar to the school, or just make an extra lunch while you make your childrens’, it’s up to you to figure out how much you want to commit to fix the issue at hand.
My Solution:
There are many potential solutions for this specific problem. I thought it would be most relevant to look at this from a new media perspective. I’ve decided to focus on pre-existing media and mediums to further improve this dismal state of affairs. The following are two different solutions that could be acted out at the same time.
- Crowdsource The Job – Reaching out to the community would be a fantastic way to tackle this problem. Sending out flyers via email, texts, and general social media posts would be a fantastic way to reach a large amount of people. After reaching out to the people, you could ask them to do two simple things. The community could donate to a local fund in the high school, only accessible for students in need, that would allow them to get “free” money to use to purchase food from the lunch room. The donations could be collected via the internet or just sending in a check. Alternatively, the concerned community could even make bagged lunches and send them to the school. That way, if a student comes in without a lunch or money, they can be provided with a free pre-made meal.
- Tap Into Local Networks – Although it would be much less of a hands-on approach, tapping into local networks could be a very good way to raise funding for low-income families with students in high school. Using a similar technique to my previous solution, it would require spreading awareness about the issue. You could do this by simply making a flyer, or video describing the issue in focus, and spreading it via social media. This would be a slightly less direct approach, and would rely on reaching the right people who have the means to make a major difference. For example, reaching out to specific Maine celebrities, such as Stephen King, and hoping for his monetary support would be an option.
Budgeting:
Budgeting for these solutions would be fairly simple.
Creating a flyer via Photoshop:
Time: Roughly an hour or 2
Monetary:
- Access to an editing software such as Photoshop – 10$ a month.
- Renting or purchasing access to a computer to edit – 0$ – 1,000+$
Creating a short video:
Time: Depending on depth – A few hours to a few days. Must budget time for shooting, as well as editing.
Monetary:
- Renting or purchasing equipment – 50$ – 1,000$
- Renting or purchasing a computer for editing – 0$ – 1,000+$
- Getting extras or actors for the film – 0 – 50$ per hour each.
Also, if one wanted to donate towards the school. A GoFundMe, could be made. Which is a free service, that allows people to donate money over the internet to a cause. This would allow for free, easy donations from sources all over the world. It would only take time to set it up.
Audience:
The audience for this project ranges. It can reach concerned parents, who have children in the school system that worry about other kids. It would reach students themselves who see the struggle occur everyday in school and want to spread awareness. It could also reach people in and out of the community who are just concerned about the well being of others. The people I can most likely see it not reaching are the following: people who are unaware to the issue, people who are finically unable to help, those who simply don’t care, and students and parents who are too embarrassed to admit that they are facing the same problem.
Credit:
The credit goes to my own personal experience, and experience of my fellow classmates and students. I know what it’s like firsthand to have your one free meal taken away for seemingly no reason, and how difficult it is to get through the day hungry. I think if this project could help even one student, then it would be more than worth it.
One thought on “Approach 1 – CullenS”
You must be logged in to post a comment.
PROJECT FEEDBACK FORM
Concept
1. what media is the intent/project? 1-1, 1-many, many-many? Explain
This is a many-many project that asks many people to feed many people.
2. does the idea enlist any of the New Media Strategies? If so which & how?
This idea uses the New Media Strategies “Crowdsource The Job” and “Tap Into Local Networks,” which you did a wonderful job laying out.
3. what major issue(s) does the project engage? The issue is kid’s who can’t afford meals on a consistent basis.
4. does the concept interest you? Yes, Cullen has proposed an idea to help others, which is extremely attractive. I haven’t related with this issue directly, but I love the idea.
Design
1. is the design clear and appropriate? Yes, the design is both clear and appropriate.
2. does the design invite attention and/or participation? Yes, it invites the public to participate and raise awareness so others may participate.
Technical
1. what tech is used? is it appropriate? This would be mostly done through social media and a gofundme. This is appropriate for the project.
2. what is the cost? is it affordable for most people? the planet? is it sustainable? Well, the original cost is very minimal. But the cost after that is based around gathering donations, so the more, the better.
Audience
1. who is the intended audience? Residents in the area with money to give would be the intended audience.
2. how is the project geared to the audience? The project is geared towards the audience by calling for sympathy and generosity.
3. would the project appeal to or challenge the audience? how/why? Yes, it would challenge the audience to give to those who are in need and less fortunate.
Creativity
1. does the idea stem from some personal passion of the creator? Yes, Cullen has witnessed this, as he states.
2. can you detect the mark of a particular sensibility? Yes, Cullen outlines a proposal that handles the situation with directness, yet sensitivity.