Sunday, April 22, 2012

The End.


I am now at the end of my fifteen hours for my service-learning project. I feel that I have obtained my goal of informing and hopefully some sort of change will take place, either through the blog or the petitions signed on Change.org, Amnesty International, and CodePink. Bye.  

A Future for All Children


The next three petitions are geared towards lowering college tuition and enacting the DREAM Act. The first one asks, “Now, who wants a limited future? Who wants to lose education opportunities just because they can’t afford them? I know I don’t.” Everyone that wants to be able to go to college should be afforded the opportunity without the worry of going into debt over it. This petition created by Kira Gallancy clearly illustrates how many teenagers’ and twenty year olds feel about the prospect of paying tens of thousands of dollars for a college education, especially living in the current economy.



 In a second petition created by Margaret Medrecki titled “I’m 21 and Broke!” sends it message simply, yet effectively. In it she writes, “Our world is powered by technology and innovation. These ideas come from the bright minds of the young people, many who would not been able to follow their dreams if not for education.” Again those that want to go to college should be able to. Why should a good brain go to waste, because of money? Most certainly not. Medrecki goes on to state “on average, a student graduating with a four year undergraduate degree leaves with over $24,000 of debt. This will take them the majority of their lives to pay off.” This is clearly an insane practice that leads many to give up their dreams because they simply cannot afford the cost of college.   

The third petition created by StudentsFirst is an effort to pass the DREAM Act. The act would give immigrant children a chance at a college education “While they had no choice about coming here, these students have been raised as Americans with American dreams. They did what was expected of them – stayed out of trouble, studied hard, got good grades – but are denied the chance to pursue the colleges or careers they want because of the actions of an adult in their lives years before.” No child should be denied a proper education not only because they do not have money, but because they were not born in this country. If the DREAM Act were passed into law it would mean, “students brought here as children [would] be eligible for in-state tuition and, after having gone to college or served in the military, would [be] on a path to legal status.” Not only would these children be able to have a first rate college education, but they could also become legal citizens if they chose to. 

In Girls Make Media, Mary Celeste Kearney discusses the need for girls to learn about technology “As media play such an influential role in our global society, we believe that if women and girls are to achieve equality and advancement in today’s world they must be taught to be media literate” (221). Because colleges focus on making well-rounded students that are capable of participating in all facets of life, it would only make sense that girls especially are well taught on all things media. Kearney goes on to discuss the need for girls’ media education leading to “one of the small steps they can take in becoming comfortable with technology, engaging actively with culture, expressing themselves in a new way, and feeling confident and proud of their accomplishments” (131). If girls start at an early age learning how to be media literate it would only make sense that they would be more willing to earn degrees in technology and various media outlets. But for this to happen cost of tuition would also have decrease in an effort for all individuals to attend college. Lowering the cost of tuition and allowing all children to attend college would help in putting girls in technology and media classes and allow for an equal career field among men.