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Yenifer Turis
Mrs. Frank
Capstone 2
1 May 2014
Reflection
Sharpstown International School carries many opportunities for the students to progress
in their future and one of those opportunities is the Capstone class. A capstone class is based on a
project that takes a whole semester and is composed of four pillars that have to be demonstrating
through the semester in order to pass. These four pillars are Investigating the World,
Recognizing Perspectives, Communicating Ideas and Taking Action. When the student reflects
the four pillars through their actions, they complete the global competence assignment. As a
senior it was required that I took the capstone class one semester, but I decided to take it one
whole year. My first semester was concentrated in a project named Premature Babies and my
second semester was addressing Homelessness.
For the first semester, my partners and I were new to this class and we decide to research
on premature babies. And I have previously leaner about an organization that help more mothers
in order to have healthy babies. Helping people is one of my goals, and now that I found March
of Dimes it would allow me to change peoples life for the best. I cannot resist thinking that there
are so many people around the world having difficulties with their babies been born. I am
interested in this topic because this is an issue that needs to be acknowledged and there are many
local solutions that people can help reduce the rates or prevent premature birth.
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Premature babies are born more often because their mothers live in poverty, have health
problems, or either is unaware of how to take proper care of themselves during
pregnancy. Today around the world for every second that passes, a baby is born with some type
of health problem. According to the records in the United States, about 12.5 percent of all births
are preterm. That is why we as citizens should take action and help more babies be born healthy
by educating or join an organization such as March of Dimes . Having a healthy baby should
start before pregnancy. The first step can be consulting a doctor about getting pregnant, care
provider for a preconception checkup to make sure youre as healthy as you can before getting
pregnant. Eating right, getting fit, and taking the right vitamins for healthy pregnancy can be the
first step. One should also get ready both emotional and financial. Women should expect their
body to change as the months go by. One should prepare themselves for common discomfort,
including morning sickness, backaches and swelling. And after 9 months of pregnancy the final
moment will be there. So you should prepare to pack hospital bag. And you should prepare your
partner in case of a complication. Once a mother giving birth mean another 12 months of taking
care of baby, and that can be exhausting. However at the end, the mother would have the
satisfaction that her baby is a healthy one.
My Capstone will address four Asia Society Leadership Performance Outcomes
categoriesinvestigating the World; by researching the why babies are been born early.
Recognizing Perspectives; learning to analyze different peoples opinion and being able to draw
my own conclusion and opinions. Communicating Ideas; to my community and the word by
updating social medias such as twitter, blogs and etc. Taking Action; by volunteering at March
of Dimes to help the moms and their families have a better life and future, along with fundraising
to donate.
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Taking Action was challenging throughout the semester because I left everything to the
last minute. The project could have been better in the taking action part in order to demonstrate
the effort and dedication. Our topic was difficult to bring into the school because student
wouldnt be able to relate to premature babies. I needed to go out into the public to be able to
spread awareness. My partners and I went canvassing to the nearest neighborhoods in order to
raise money to prevent premature babies. Out of three visits to the neighborhood we raised
around $200 for the organization March of Dimes. This organization helps treat premature babies
and help mothers maintain healthy for a perfect baby. Raising Awareness is one of the pillars
that my partners and I fulfilled. When canvassing we informed the neighborhood about the
problem that families deal with when they have a premature baby. With their donations, they
contributed to the well-being of the delicate life that parents take care of.
Helping people has always been one of my goals; therefore I found an organization that
would allow me to change peoples life for the best. I cannot resist thinking that there are so
many people around the world without a secure shelter to in which to live. Many not only
become victims of human trafficking but also addicted to illegal substances that can lead them to
death or prison.
By volunteering at Habitat for Humanity I would not only help with activities inside but
also I will help raise awareness to our community about this organization. Many homeless
people do not even know there are shelter/homes where they can stay. We would go at least once
a month around our neighborhood and let homeless people know about this shelter and what
benefits they could receive along with Habitat for Humanity.
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I am interested in this topic because this is an issue that needs to be acknowledged and
there are many local solutions that people can help reduce the rates of homelessness. Thousands
of homeless youth call the streets home, a place where they might suffer physical, mental or
sexual abuse. Most of them are younger than 18 years of age, when they should be in school and
instead they face hunger and a lack of shelter. All these kids have dreams and needs but it seems
that people simply ignore them as if they were not human beings. Furthermore, most citizens
even commit hate crimes towards these innocent young people who lack a safe shelter.
According to the National Coalition for the Homeless 386 violent acts were committed against
homeless and 155 of those acts were lethal (Facts and Figures: The Homeless). These statistics
contribute to the fact that ignoring the alarming number of homeless youth in the streets cannot
be ignored anymore. We have to take leadership on this issue it cannot just be left to the
government to do something about it. We need to contribute to the rescue of more than a million
kids that live in the streets. The modern poor, however, face a variety of structural barriers to
gaining paid employment and improving their financial circumstances (Goetz 1994). In fact, the
median income for persons ages 18 through 67 who had not completed high school was roughly
$23,000 in 2008(Goetz 1994). Similarly, the Group of Experts on Population and Housing
Censuses (CES) introduced the following definition at the United Nations Economic
Commission Europe Conference of European Statisticians: In its Recommendations for the
Censuses of Pofor pulation and Housing, the CES identifies homeless people under two broad
groups: (a) Primary homelessness (or rooflessness). This category includes persons living in the
streets without a shelter that would fall within the scope of living quarters; (b) Secondary
homelessness. This category may include persons with no place of usual residence who move
frequently between various types of accommodations (including dwellings, shelters and
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institutions for the homeless or other living quarters). This category includes persons living in
private dwellings but reporting no usual addresses on their census form. The only ways we can
achieve that is by coming together and help these young kids get an education and a proper
shelter.
My Capstone will address four Asia Society Leadership Performance Outcomes
categoriesinvestigating the World; by researching the correlation between poverty and
homeless percentages. Recognizing Perspectives; learning to analyze different peoples opinion
and being able to draw my own conclusion and opinions. Communicating Ideas; to my
community and the word by updating social medias such as twitter, blogs and etc. Taking
Action; by volunteering at Habitat for Humanity helping the clients have a better life and future.
Throughout my capstone project I accomplish more than what I had set for myself and
more than I actually did for my first capstone. Mainly because it was a topic high school student
recognized. I started as soon as I got my topic approved. I organized myself and became more
ambitious about grades. The more I had the feeling of helping genuinely, the more I wanted to
do. Volunteering was my favorite part, not just because I was making a change but because I got
to meet different people that had gone through homelessness and wanted to change the futures of
those who were experience it. I created a club for my friends and peers to join during lunch. This
club is to share ideas with the public and set plans to volunteer for the benefit of homeless
people. Every Monday the club is held in Mrs. Frankss room(A217) and its made up of 10-15
members and the meetings only take 45 minutes. I enjoy sharing my experiences with my
classmates and demonstrating pictures of the hard work that Habitat for Humanity members
and the Beacon members do. For example, I learned how to involve with people that worked
for the benefit of others. Habitat for Humanity was recruiting volunteers to help at the event
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Kaboom to build a playground at a school. There I met people that were willing to sweat off
just for kids to play. Volunteering help me understand that in the world you can get anywhere if
you help one another. They involved me in their activities, even though I was one of the younger
ones.
Many people engage in community service project because they are either forced as a
punishment or sentence. Others engage in community service out of Spirit of unselfishness, or a
desire to connect with their communities by helping out. For me, it brings a sense of
completeness. During this semester, my team members and I have engaged in different projects,
collecting food, clothes and donating to the homeless. My team and I also created al club in
which we meet during lunch to plan ahead of time the different projects above. In a way Ive
experience working the different organizations and helping the community. But with this
particular project, it meant much more then collecting for the disadvantaged, It was about
lending a hand and your heart to a community in need.. During my involvement in this fieldwork
project I got the opportunity to offer my unconditional assistance for one day in a non-profit
making community based project. The name of the project was Habitat for Humanity, which is
being undertaken by a Christian ministry organization whose aim is to improve the livelihood of
low-income families through building affordable and decent houses at a 0% interest rate. The
organization founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda fuller has built and rehabilitated more than
100,000 families in need, becoming the world leader in addressing the issues if poverty housing.
According to them, they work in partnership with God and people everywhere, from all social,
economic, and ethic group to expand communities with people in need by building an renovating
houses so that everyone can experience Gods love and can live and grow in to all the God
intends. For that particular day, three of my group members and I will volunteer to assist in the
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normal working hours to undertake activities such as framing, insulation, window and door
installation, painting, tiling, landscaping and other construction related tasks on the new single-
family homes. For the four of us this would be our first hands on charity work.
When I have volunteer, each time I leave with profound satisfaction and a rejuvenated
respect for humanitys compassion. The physical labor is often demanding, and my muscles
refuse to forgive me for days, but the smiles compensate for the aches. To give time and effort to
those in needs is a remarkable form of charity, and perhaps the most needed.
With this project I learned a lot about myself. I learned that if I set goals I am determine
to accomplish them. I also learned that I enjoy helping others. One of my weaknesses during
semester two was that I became so into my capstone project that I left off some of my school
work. But I recognized that I had to equal out my work or I would fail in one. One of my
strengths is that I did more than I was expecting to. I never thought I would actually go and
volunteer with strangers, but I did it. I am very proud with what I have accomplished regarding
my capstone experience.
My life has been changed. In helping those who needed it most, I was able to discover the
magnitude of my actions. I gave part of myself to that family, and what they gave me will
continue to grow in my heart. That family gave me renewed faith in humanitys benevolence and
compassion, a renewed sense of myself, and an awareness of lifes inestimable value.



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Work Cited
Burt, Martha R., Laudan Y. Aron, Toby Douglas, Jesse Valente, Edgar Lee, and Britta Iwen.
"Findings of the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients."
Findings of the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients. Urban
Institute, 07 Dec. 1999. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.urban.org/publications/310291.html>.
Carnevale, Anthony P., Nicole Smith, and Jeff Strohl. "Center on Education in the Workforce."
Center on Education and the Workforce -. Georgetown University, June-July 2010. Web.
19 Nov. 2012. <http://cew.georgetown.edu/jobs2018/>.
Coalition for Homeless, National. "11 Facts about Homeless Youth." Do Something. N.p., n.d.
Web. 19 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dosomething.org/actnow/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-
homeless-youth>.
Education for Homeless Children and Youths Program. Rep. no. 22. N.p.: National Center for
Homeless Education, 2009. Print.
"Facts and Figures: The Homeless." PBS. PBS, June-July 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/526/homeless-facts.html>.
"How Many People Experience Homelessness?" National Coalition for the Homeless. National
Coalition for the Homeless, July-Aug. 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/How_Many.html>.
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"Streetwork: Homeless Youth Facts." Safe Horizon ::. Safehorizons, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.safehorizon.org/index/what-we-do-2/helping-youth-14/streetwork-
homeless-youth-facts-220.html?gclid=CMb03euc-bICFUeRPAodjSUAiQ>.
"Texas Homeless Network Balance of State Survey." Texas Homeless Network, n.d. Web. 15
Oct. 2012.
Troisi, Catherine L., Ph.D., Ritalinda DAndrea Lee, Ph.D., and Richard J. Stoll,
Ph.D.Community Needs Assessment Report. Rep. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.homelesshouston.org/images/hh/documents/2012NeedsAssessmentReport-
Aug23.pdf>.











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