HSteinberg

toc = Wiki Organization = The York School Personal Project Student Handbook information is written in brown.

**Action items (due dates, forms etc.) are written in red.**

YOUR PROCESS JOURNAL ENTRIES SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN BLACK. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT EACH ENTRY IS PROPERLY DATED.

= Process Journal = = = Maintain a process journal containing all your thoughts, decisions and actions. This document allows you to record your progress as you work on the project. It should be completed honestly and regularly to show how your project is developing. The process journal will also help you as you write the various sections of the report.

* //Adapted from MYP Personal Project Guidelines, Jan 2004// The process journal should be written in each of the following stages of your personal project: Investigate, Design, Plan, Create and Evaluate.

**The process journal will be collected along with your written report on the due date for submission: December 11, 2009.** The process journal is your account of the progress you make with the personal project. It is about:

a) What you are doing at that moment. b) What you are thinking c) What you are accomplishing d) How you are coping with each of the different stages of your project e) How well you are dealing with problems and what you are learning about yourself as a result f) What makes you happy, annoyed, angry, nervous, disappointed, proud g) It needs not contain only written material, you can use pictures, photos, sketches, checklists, recordings, anything which provides evidence of your planning and progress

For example:

Today is the first day that I have actually set to work on my personal project product. I have the storyboard/script and timeline printed and ready to refer to throughout this process. Today I just went out to a few different areas of Toronto to take pictures and video clips of diverse neighborhoods. I first took the subway to Kensington Market to take pictures of the interesting streets, people and any sight that really appealed to me (as part of my project is capturing areas of Toronto). I also took a video clip of walking down one street that I found particularly interesting. The second area I went to was downtown, by King and Bay Street. I took video clips of the street and one homeless man who I saw. Today I also worked on gathering media for my film. I went to some areas around my house to take pictures of dark doorways and alleyways. This is for the part of my film where the person who I interview talks about where homeless youth end up sleeping/staying. So far gathering these pictures and video clips has been easy. I am enjoying visiting different parts of Toronto and being creative. Today I worked on finding someone to interview for my film. I visited the websites of three of the largest youth shelters in Toronto (Horizons for Youth, Eva’s Initiatives and Covenant House). They all looked like great places to visit and explore, but to start off I emailed Covenant House. Their website was the most informative and appealing to me, so I asked if there was someone who worked with the youth who I could speak to. Hopefully someone from here will email me back shortly and I can arrange an interview! I will also need to bring someone along with me to film the interview as I will be asking the questions. Covenant House responded to my email today and unfortunately they are unable to accommodate my request. They said that they don’t do interviews because of the large number of people that ask for them. This was a bit unfortunate for me, so I called the Horizons for Youth shelter in hopes that they would be available for a quick interview. Right away they told me that it would be okay and that I could come in and speak with a case worker! I was really happy so I set the email up for the coming Friday. My interview with Horizons for Youth shelter is coming up at the end of this week, so today I wrote out the questions for the interview. I have about ten good questions that are direct and to the point for the case worker. A lot of my questions are pretty basic, like “what do you personally do at the shelter” and “tell me about the history of Horizons for Youth”. The last few are more specific and about hazards for youth on streets and how youth end up on the streets. I really want to learn about specific youth and their individual stories because that is what I find the most interesting. I am looking forward to my interview on Friday and the video camera is also ready. Today I ran into a huge dilemma and had to cancel my interview for tomorrow. I should have double checked my schedule before, but I just found out last night I will be in Richmond Hill all day tomorrow – unable to attend the interview. I sent off a quick apologetic email to Horizons for Youth, saying that I will reschedule as soon as I can. This is unfortunate because it sets me back. Today I was driving near the Horizons for Youth shelter so I stopped by to reschedule an interview and look around. I also took some footage of the outside of the shelter, but it was hard because there were some teenagers hanging around the front. The shelter is nicer than I thought it would be and it is in a residential neighborhood which was also quite unexpected. I hit another dilemma though and couldn’t set up an interview because the people who deal with that kind of thing were not there. They told me to call back and ask for specific people so I will need to do that sometime soon. I am starting to feel some pressure for time, especially because I have had a lot of other things going on besides completing my personal project. Today I stopped by Future Shop to go over the features of my video camera again and pick up some new DVD disks. The video camera has been frustrating to work with sometimes because it takes some getting used to. The man at Future Shop was pretty helpful and told me to finalize the disks and use quick start filming. Then to test it out and make sure I knew how to do everything, we (my mom and I) drove around the nearby area and took footage of driving and the streets in search of anything interesting. In terms of composing a piece with guitar and piano to play in the background of my film, it seems unlikely at this point. I have been really busy lately and don’t know if that is another extra thing I can accomplish. It would be nice, but not necessary since I could just use songs from iTunes instead. I am still not sure though and time is flying by. I worked on finding out more about youth homelessness and homelessness in general today. I feel like I need to have a greater understanding of the issues for interviews and things to come. I looked at a bunch of websites like BBC and Covenant House for more information, and what I found was very interesting. I read some personal stories of homeless youth who had overcome homelessness and improved their lives. This was really helpful in visualizing my finished film and what I wanted it to portray. For the most part it was easy to find information on homelessness and Toronto, but things like death rates were harder. I feel more prepared to put together my film now that I know what I want to resonate with the audience (personal, moving stories, giving hope, how hard the situations of these youth really are). Today I visited the Covenant House youth shelter in downtown Toronto. I didn’t go inside, but I took some footage of the outside and surrounding area (garbage spilling over in dumpsters, nearby alleyway, surrounding shops) to get a better bearing of the street. I also saw one kid walking into the shelter that you would have never been able to tell was homeless. It was a worthwhile trip because it is the largest shelter in Toronto and really helpful to check it out. I plan on including all the footage I took today in the video. The weather is also dreary and rainy which I think is good for the mood of the film. I still feel a bit stressed for time since I don’t even have an interview set up yet and I am really busy with personal things (my brother’s Bar Mitzvah is on September 26th and is taking a lot of preparation). School is also starting soon which will take up my weekdays – leaving only weekends available for working on the film. Having said this, I think that after the 26th I will have a lot more time to work on my project. Also, clearly, I don’t think that the schedule I made for myself in the planning stage is realistic. I am really behind on that time table, so from here I am just going to take things at my own pace. That schedule would have worked out really well if I had started earlier and worked more consistently, but when I wrote it I didn’t consider conflicting events (school, brother’s event, going to my cottage). ** September 10th, 2009 ** This afternoon I decided to get a friend of mine to help me with a few shots and clips for the film. Since it would be extremely difficult and unlikely to get footage of a real homeless youth, I got my friend to dress in what I thought a fifteen year old homeless youth might wear. I then directed her in a few shots, explaining to her the exact motions to go through. One shot was of her walking along a deserted pathway for a minute or so and then sitting down defeated-looking under a big tree. The second shot was of her walking into a phone booth. She picked up the phone and made it look like she was about to make a call when she hesitated, searching her pockets for coins. Once she realized she has none, she slams the phone down and slumps onto the floor. I also took some photographs of her in a subway booth, in front of a doorway and in an alleyway. This was a lot of fun for me and allowed me to be really creative, directing, filming and taking photographs. There were no real challenges and I will later insert these clips and pictures into the film. I had a personal project meeting at school today and feel that I am quite a bit behind schedule. I really need to start working more consistently on the film because I have a lot of raw footage and knowledge – just no interview! I am also extremely busy these days with a number of things so it is hard to fit in a definite time for an interview. For now I have to plan on stepping it up right after the 26th (after my brother’s bar mitzvah). I am also having some difficulties with posting my 1 through 3 stages on the wikispace. I don’t remember my password and will need to have everything up by my next individual personal project meeting with Ms. Verkouille. ** September 19th, 2009 ** An unexpected opportunity for my film came to me today! I feel a lot better about being tight for time because I think that taking time on my film will be beneficial later on. I went to Synagogue today for a Jewish holiday (one of the two times that I go each year) and a moving sermon was given. A man named Avram spoke about his experiences living on the streets of Toronto for three days – it was so interesting and relevant to my film because he talked about personal experiences and stories. If I could capture that same sincerity of Avram’s sermon in my film…that would be incredible and really have a lasting effect on people. Also not only does he have that experience to talk about but he is the founder of a humanitarian and relief organization! He seems like the perfect person for me to interview he also seems to have a hectic schedule. I will email him sometime in the coming week to try and set something up. For the actual filming, I think it would be best for another person to do it during the interview. I am going to be busy reading my questions and thinking of more questions so I will need to bring along someone else (probably my mom). This way she can focus all of her attention on filming him – I will not be in the shot. I also think it is best for Avram (or whoever else I end up interviewing) to be facing and talking to the camera and not me. I will be off the side during filming. Today I decided to contact Avram and set something up. I found his contact information through the synagogue. I sent him a quick email explaining how I had heard his sermon and felt that it really related to my project. I asked him if we could meet sometime over the next week or so for an interview, and talk about the organization. I will save writing up the questions until I know for sure that we have a meeting. I am a lot less busy now since my brother’s event is over and can now focus all of my attention on my personal project. I still feel a little stressed for time but I know that if I work hard between now and October 16th I will be alright. Today was very productive for me. With the help of my mom, I have set up an amazing outing that will help immensely with my film on October 8th. While viewing the Ve’ahavta website (Avram’s relief and humanitarian organization), I came across a program called MJRH (Mobile Jewish Response to Homelessness). This is a program where you volunteer for a day, prepare and distribute sandwiches and clothing to the homeless. There will be a van supervisor named Perry, and he will guide the volunteers in the experience. I believe that I have even heard of this program through other people, and I have heard that it is an unforgettable experience. My mom and I emailed Perry and we are set to go on the van later this week! I am planning on bringing along my video camera and my digital camera to take footage/photographs. I want to interview Perry as well. This immediately struck me as a great opportunity to look at homelessness firsthand. I will be distributing various items to these people myself, giving me a chance to talk to them. Although I know it will be unlikely to interview or photograph a homeless person who I meet, I still want to talk to them and see their points of view. I have a finalized meeting and interview with Avram two days from now on Wednesday (the 7th). He didn’t respond to my first email, so my mom found his phone number and gave him a call. I am really happy that it all worked out and that I will be able to capture Avram’s experiences on camera. I am hoping that he will talk about the three days that he spent on the streets of Toronto among the homeless and how it has changed his outlook on life. As much as I want my film to be informative and raise awareness, I also want it to tell stories. Having different points of view (Avram’s, Perry’s, mine) in the film will be interesting too because it gives the audience different ways of looking at the issue of homelessness. I have written the interview questions for Avram for my interview with him tomorrow. I have nine questions right now, but I may come up with more during the interview. I found it easy to come up with these questions because I am simply asking what I personally want to know. I know that Avram has lots of answers and insights into homelessness and life on the streets. I would love to get his views on the issue. I am also asking some questions that will help the audience learn more about homelessness as they will not have done all the prior research that I have before watching the film. I believe I have selected questions that will give me interesting, insightful and informative answers. Below is a copy of the questions: Haley Steinberg  1. Can you please tell me a little bit about your organization and what you personally do?  2. Do you have any experience with youth who are homeless?  3. From your experience, what do you find are the most common causes of homelessness and youth homelessness in Toronto?  4. Do you think that it is likely that youth who are homeless can get a fresh start in life? What factors have you seen that have been most effective?  5. What hazards are homeless youth exposed to on a daily basis and is there anything shocking that you have seen or heard of?  6. What personal experiences have you been through with the homeless that have changed your outlook on life?  7. Are there any personal stories of individual people you have met that you find particularly moving or interesting while on the streets?  8. What are some ways that students can get involved and help improve homelessness in Toronto?  9. If people could walk away from this with one thing, what do you think it should be? This afternoon after school I had my interview with Avram! I think it went very well and I got some great answers – the kind that I was looking for. Avram answered all my questions well and gave lots of background information. It was longer than I had expected so I know have about thirty minutes of interview footage from the interview to work with. This is good because I will need to do a lot of editing and cutting out, so the more material the more I can be creative with. As for the recording, my mom did it. She held the video camera directly in front of Avram while I sat off to the side to ask the questions. I had him looking into the camera during the entire interview. This way it will give the audience a better sense of connection to Avram, and they will feel more engaged in what he is saying. I also tried to capture a bit of the room on camera to give a taste of the atmosphere. Avram struck me as a free sprit so I also tried to get a bit of that by showing his office too. Overall I think that the interview went better than expected and gave me some great material to work with. Since I am off on the van tomorrow morning (6 a.m. start) I decided to jot down a few questions for Perry the van supervisor. He distributes food and clothing to the homeless about three times a week so I know that he will have some interesting experiences and stories to tell. These questions are mostly prompting him to share personal experience and stories of homeless people that he knows. I found these easy to write because they are similar to Avram’s interview questions. Below is a copy of the questions:  1. What is the objective of the MJRH (Mobile Jewish Response to Homelessness) and how many times each year does it go out?  2. On an average day, approximately how many homeless people does the van reach and aid? How do most homeless people react to it?  3. Do you come across many youth who are homeless and if so, how do they respond to the volunteers?  4. Do you have any personal stories of people you have met on the streets through this MJRH program?  5. Where do the majority of homeless people sleep at night (what areas of Toronto?)  6. What is the most shocking thing you have seen or learned while out in the van among the homeless? Today my mom and I volunteered for the MJRH program. We got an early start right at six a.m. and met Perry. He was great and seemed to know so much about homelessness; he had a real friendship like connection to some of the people that the van reached today. First thing in the morning we went to a small grocery store to pick up ingredients for basic sandwiches, coffee and pastries (these we did not make, we bought them). The three of us then headed back to the offices and prepared over forty sandwiches. After that we had picked out clothing from the storage room to take and distribute that day (mostly sweaters, gloves, hats, shirts). Next was loading the van! There were coolers of food, a coffee dispenser, bags of danishes and pastries and bags of second hand clothing to load. Following this Perry gave a little “pep talk” about what to expect from the day and how to approach the homeless people. I caught this on film thankfully, because it was quite interesting. As soon as we started driving around (and while we were caught in morning traffic) I started asking Perry my questions on camera. He answered them extremely thoroughly and even gave me extra information. He has been doing the MJRH program for a whole year now, so he has had his fair share of personal experiences as van supervisor. We helped about thirteen or fourteen individuals today and it was amazing. Everyone was so thankful and appreciative. I got to hand out coffee, water bottles, sandwiches, desserts and clothing to the homeless too, which was really rewarding. Every person who I met on the street was a real character and had something different to teach me. I met ex crack addicts, people who lived under fancy apartment buildings, a man who had a university degree in philosophy, a man who had recently purchased a small place to live and one individual who more or less chose to live on the street. I spent an especially long time talking to two people in particular and they were both fascinating guys (I spent about 1 hour talking to each). I couldn’t have asked for a better experience to have while making my film. Even though I did not get footage of individual homeless people who I met (they refused to be on camera), I felt that it was an enlightening experience. I got so many personal stories of people, which was just what I was looking for. It is something that has helped me understand homelessness better than any website ever could – no matter how informative! ** October 12th, 2009 ** -drove around Regent Park Tomorrow I will be going to my first editing appointment with Media Magic (a company that helps with editing projects) so today is my last day to gather the raw material. I was driven around the Regent Park area and surrounding neighborhoods to take some snapshots and video footage. The main goal of today was just to get a feel for the rougher area compared to where my audience would be used to, and how diverse the city is. I took some artistic photographs of murals, construction sites, crowded streets and one shot of the homeless shelter The Good Sheppard. I also got a good video clip of under a bridge near the waterfront which is artistic and unique. The best footage I got though was of a homeless man downtown living under a tarp with pylons all around. I enjoyed everything I did today, again, it gives me the opportunity to call the shots and be extremely creative! The only challenge was keeping the camera steady while taking footage since I was in the car and it was fairly bumpy. This effect could work to my advantage though because it shows me personally exploring the issue as opposed to just making it look professional. ** October 13th, 2009 ** I spent two hours today editing my raw footage into a film at Media Magic. The purpose of meeting with this company was to guide me through the editing process, but I dictate how I want things done and do a lot of it myself. Things went amazingly though because I got half the film finished all in these two hours. It was a lot easier than I thought, although loading the footage from the DVD disks onto the Mac took about thirty minutes. Once we got started though it went smoothly and I used my time very efficiently. I picked up on so many editing skills already today, using the program Final Cut to edit and eventually build the final product into. Having the helper with me was definitely a good choice because without him, I would not know how to get started. Once everything was loaded, I started with making all of the title pages and information slides as this was simple. From here, I received help going in order of my storyboard, picking out the clips needed. I cut out the parts that were not needed and it was easy to import the wanted section into the timeline layout of Final Cut. The film is also looking great for time and at halfway done is about ten minutes long. Everything went really well today and I will be coming in tomorrow to finish everything. This is the edited storyboard that I came up with, which is more detailed then my original scripts. It is also great because I made it after all the raw material was collected, so I know what I have and what should go where. The first scripts were made before I knew what footage I would end up with, and this one blends ideas from all three scripts. This one includes all of the pros and none of the cons of the other scripts. I also added a quote to end of the film, something thought provoking that should leave the audience curious yet satisfied. Final Storyboard:  1. “When the Streets have No Name” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 2. A reflection on youth homelessness in Toronto <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 3. Opens with scene of driving downtown <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Length: approx. 40 seconds <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> b.   Words appear on screen “This is our City…The City of Toronto” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> c.   Music playing: Atlantic City by Bruce Springsteen <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> d.   Words appear on screen “What’s wrong with it?” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 4. Picture of homeless youth appears on screen abruptly <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Words appear on screen “There are approximately 11000 homeless youth on our streets each year” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> b.   Music stops <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 5. Black background on screen <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Words appear “homeless youth are people between the ages of 16 and 24, the majority do not receive education past grade 11 <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> b.   Music starts: The Rain Song, Led Zeppelin <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 6. Footage of alley, garbage bins <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Words appear on screen “why does this happen?” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 7. Footage of Avram Rosensweig (founder), Ve’ahavta: Canadian humanitarian and relief organization - interview – describing how most youth become homeless <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Describes where they stay/live <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> b.   Pictures of alleys, doorways, benches, parks go by in slideshow format <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> c.   Covenant House shelter <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> d.   Music: The Rain Song continued <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 8. Avram shares personal story of living on streets for 3 days - David (kid dropped by his parents at age 10) <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Music playing softly in background: Guaranteed, Eddie Vedder <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 9. Footage of homeless youth sleeping on bench <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Music still playing <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> b.   Words appear “What are the hazards of living on the streets?” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 10. Avram talking about hazards of youth homelessness <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 11. Black background on screen <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Words appear “This was all shocking to me. I wanted to take an opportunity to see these people myself, so I hopped on a van that distributes clothing and food to the homeless in hopes that I could better my understanding of the issue. I couldn’t have asked for a more interesting and insightful way to meet and talk to some of the people who live on Toronto’s streets.” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 12. Footage of Perry pep talk before heading out in van <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Words appear “Meet Perry, our van supervisor” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 13. Pictures of preparing sandwiches, loading van appear in slideshow manner <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Words appear “The Preparation” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> b.   Pictures of fully loaded van appear <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> c.   Music playing: Sweet Child of Mine, GNR <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 14. Footage of Perry talking about his experiences, personal stories of people – fades out, continues below <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 15. Footage of driving around downtown Toronto <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Music playing loudly <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 16. Footage of Perry talking about most shocking thing he has seen on the streets <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 17. Black background appears on screen <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Words appear “In order to protect the privacy of the people that we met that day on the van, there will be no footage of the actual people. They were all fascinating and intriguing people who gave me a different perspective on our world and their situations. I learned things that I couldn’t have learned from anyone else.” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> b.   No music during this <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 18. My voice over – talking about Syd and Edward <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Pictures/footage of different areas of Toronto on screen <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 19. section of interview talking about how youth can overcome homelessness <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 20. Words appear “What can you do to help?” <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 21. Footage of Avram talking about ways to help, what he would like people to take away from the film <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   At end, music: There She Goes, The La’s <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> 22. Credits – mention websites to visit By: Haley Steinberg Thanks to Avram Rosensweig and Perry Syd and Edward Media Magic Thanks for watching! For additional information visit: covenanthouse.com, evasinitiatives.com, horizonsforyouth.com <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> -   Two pictures of murals <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; msoansilanguage: EN-US; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msofareastfontfamily: Calibri; msolist: Ignore;"> a.   Music still playing Quote to put in: “People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes.” – Sheila McKechnie ** October 14th, 2009 ** Today I officially finished creating my film on youth homelessness, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment. I spent another two hours at Media Magic today to finish the second half, going by my edited storyboard. I am so pleased with how everything turned out, but I do not pick up the finished DVD until tomorrow because it still needs to be finalized (this takes a long time, it could be several hours). For the most part things went smoothly with editing, except for a few little challenges. The first is that the songs being used in the film needed to be transferred from my laptop to the Mac. This turned out being extremely difficult and it would have taken over thirty minutes to transfer them, so we needed to re download all of them which took up a lot of time. The other issue was that we needed to re do my voiceover (that I had already recorded) because the Audacity files couldn’t transfer properly into Final Cut. I did get to use their professional recording equipment though, which ended up sounding better anyways. Like yesterday, I learned so much about film editing. With Final Cut, I would be able to edit another film independently if I needed to. The whole editing process has been really helpful and since I enjoyed it so much, I will definitely put these new skills to good use in the future. ** October 15th, 2009 ** I picked up my finished DVD today from Media Magic after school. I watched it there on one of the flat screen TVs for the first time and it was really exciting. The title “When the Streets Have No Names” is right on the DVD, and there is a fitting case as well. Watching the film for the first time was amazing, all of the hard work put into it by not only me but so many others was evident. I was thrilled to see how smooth it all turned out, and that I had pulled it off the day before the due date! I am also shocked to see how professional the film looks. It is informative as well as being a story of my personal journey exploring homelessness in the city of Toronto. There are definitely a few things that were left out, like the footage of my friend as a homeless youth, but in the end I did not feel that I needed those clips. The only little thing is that some of the clips of interviews are a little on the long side, but it is nonetheless interesting. The quote added last minute was a great addition too, as it is true in my opinion. Overall I am happy with the finished product and proud that all the effort put into it was worth it. ** October 16th, 2009 ** Having reflected on this whole process, I notice now that the original vision and main topic of the film has shifted for the better. Originally, the film was to be solely centered on youth homelessness. Every single fact, clip and experience was all supposed to be targeted towards specifically youth. Now, watching my film, I see that it took on a life of its own and shifted to homelessness in general. This wasn’t particularly avoided or encouraged throughout the process, but it just happened by itself. I find it interesting how this happened without me even realizing. I am also happy that my personal journey is evident in the film, and including the voiceover where I talk about the people I met on the van is a great personal touch. I did not make the film as artistic as I had originally planned, but it is still unique. The selectively chosen music is another artistic touch, because I chose songs that in my mind, give an atmosphere that compliments the clip it goes over. The songs are also quite instrumental for the most part, so they are closer to my original idea or recording my guitar and piano playing as the soundtrack. Despite the challenges throughout this process, I am thankful I stuck with doing a film. Having the DVD is something that I can always look to and watch. My interest in both homelessness and film has grown through the personal project. I look forward to getting feedback (besides my family, who enjoyed it) from my audience at the showcase.
 * Date || Thoughts/plans/challenges/decisions/accomplishments || Materials/Sources consulted ||
 * // Personal Project – Process Journals  //**
 * August 3rd, 2009 **
 * August 5th, 2009 **
 * August 7th, 2009 **
 * August 8th, 2009 **
 * August 11th, 2009 **
 * August 13th, 2009 **
 * August 17th, 2009 **
 * August 23nd, 2009 **
 * August 28th, 2009 **
 * September 6th, 2009 **
 * September 14th, 2009 **
 * September 29th, 2009 **
 * October 3rd, 2009 **
 * October 5th, 2009 **
 * October 6th, 2009 **
 * // Interview Questions for Avram  //**
 * October 7th, 2009 **
 * October 7th, 2009 – Continued… **
 * // Interview Questions – Perry  //**
 * October 8th, 2009 **

=Guiding Question (Big Idea)=

=I. Investigation=

**Part I: Brainstorming:**

[|Investigate_Brainstorming.pdf]

**Part II: Some questions to consider**

Is there anything that you want to learn more about? That you’ve always wondered about? Are fascinated by? Is there anything that you’ve always wanted to learn to do? What are you interested in finding out about yourself? What challenge would you be willing to take? Have you traveled anywhere that changed your view of life? Where did you go? Have you ever experienced anything that changed your view of life? What was that experience? If you could go anywhere (country, city, building, behind the scenes) where would it be? If you could meet anyone, who would it be? Is there any deceased person that you wish that you had met? Who and why? Is there something in your culture/heritage to investigate, bring attention to, celebrate?

Do you have future aspirations? Describe them. Do you have any hobbies? What are they? Do you play any sports? Which ones? Do you participate in any competitive activities? What are they? Do you play any musical instruments? Which ones? If you don’t play any musical instruments, would you like to play any? Which ones? Have you developed any skills that you could use in your personal project? What are they? What are your major personal accomplishments? Why do you consider them accomplishments? Do you belong to any clubs, community organizations etc. that could be incorporated into your personal project? Which ones?
 * Part III:** **Questions to consider**

**NOW READ ALL THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN AND SEE IF YOU CAN MAKE MORE PROGRESS IN FINDING A SPECIFIC TOPIC FOR YOUR PERSONAL PROJECT. YOU MAY WANT TO DO THIS BY:

1. USING A MIND MAP VIA INSPIRATION OR BY HAND. YOUR MIND MAP** **WILL NEED TO BE SCANNED AND INSERTED INTO YOUR WIKI.**
 * 2. WRITE OUT ANSWERS ON LAPTOP OR BY HAND.**

1. Eliminate (cross out) any repetitive ideas 2. Eliminate any ideas that you really are NOT interested in pursuing 3. Put together any similar ideas 4. How can you relate your ideas to an Area of Interaction? Which one? Or two 5. Consider how relevant the ideas are to real life (are they doable?) 6. Consider the ideas most meaningful to you. Consider what, of yourself, you can bring to your ideas. 7. Can you formulate any questions about your ideas? Take a point of view? 8. Is your idea “researchable, interesting, realistic?


 * BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE A MORE DIRECTED TOPIC FOR YOUR PERSONAL PROJECT. DO YOU HAVE ONE? WHAT IS IT?**

1b) Areas of interaction [[image:tyspersonalproject:AoI.png caption="AoI.png"]]
[|Areas of interaction as lenses.doc]

1c) Focusing to a guiding question
**WRITING THE GUIDING QUESTION**

A good guiding question is characterized by the following:

i) that prompts students to ask more questions ii) has multiple answers iii) ensures students learn content and do research iv) promotes deep thinking about an area of interaction v) not easily answered

Examples:


 * **Topic** || **Guiding Question** ||
 * Safety || ‘How can I better design traffic flow around my school?’ ||
 * Poverty || ‘How can I help reduce poverty in my city?’ ||
 * Sport Violence || ‘How can I bring awareness to soccer violence and how can this be reduced?’ ||
 * THROUGH YOUR PERSONAL PROJECT YOU MUST ANSWER THE GUIDING QUESTION YOU CHOOSE ****.**

__ ** MYP PERSONAL PROJECT 2009 PROPOSED TOPIC ** __ ** THIS MUST BE COMPLETED BY Feb 25th **

1. My topic/area of interest is:

2. Briefly explain what inspired you to choose this topic.

3. Highlight applicable AOI

Environment Health and Social Education Community and Service Human Ingenuity

4. My guiding question is: (be as clear as possible).

5. Briefly explain how the above AOI(s) will be the focus of your project and how your guiding question is connected.

Ask yourself the following questions: 1. What kind of information do I need to research? 2. Who has information about my topic? How do I contact people? 3. Where do I find the necessary material? 4. Do I need to interview individuals? 5. Do I have to carry out my own experiments? 6. Do I need to prepare, circulate and analyze surveys/questionnaires? 7. Do I need to visit a museum? Gallery? Gathering the Necessary Material and Research ** When you have found a source of information and/or inspiration, you will have to decide how useful it is. The list of sources in your report should only include those you have actually used. Write an annotated bibliography for each resource in the section below. Remember to keep your personal project goal in mind. This will help you to select what is useful and relevant.
 * A book, journal, internet site: see **Bibliographic Resource tab** to the left.
 * An interview: record date of interview, name, address, title of person
 * A work of art: record name, artist, location of gallery/museum
 * An experiment: apparatus, circumstances

__1d) COLLECTING RESOURCES__ Fill out this table below as you go... (at least 1 print source, 1 website, 1 interview) //List below:// || || ||
 * **Questions:** || **Y/N** || **Which resource addresses my guiding question, AoI,** ||
 * Have I collected a variety of resources?
 * Are the resources enough to answer my question? || || ||
 * Do the resources support the area of interaction(s) || || ||
 * What changes could I make in my design(planning) and research to attain better results? || || ||

=II. Design=

**STAGE 2 DESIGNING THE PERSONAL PROJECT** After collecting and analyzing resources you are now in a position to make decisions about the best way to carry out your personal project.

Consider a table weighing out the different options you could take evaluating the pros and cons of each design option.

__** CHOOSING and APPLYING TECHNIQUES **__ Decide which design/technique you will use and write an explanation why you chose it.
 * Design/Technique || Pros || Cons ||
 * 1 || || ||
 * 2 || || ||
 * 3 || || ||

What will my ideal Personal Project look like/be when it is completed?

= =

=III. Planning=

**STAGE 3 Planning the Personal Project **

After your research you are ready to plan how you will carry out your Personal Project.


 * Step 1:** Make a chronological list of steps you will take


 * Step 2:** Prepare a list of materials/resources needed and where and how you attain them (consider associated costs, people to consult and scheduling challenges if applicable).


 * Step 3:** Prepare a time line showing what you will do at each step (ie. A calendar or table itemizing action plans/anticipated results).


 * Step 4:** Include back up plans/alternatives should changes need to be made.

Planning and Development Worksheet:
__Due Date:__ April 29

//This is the first step of your project – to plan and to make a goal. Your goals and timelines may change throughout the project somewhat, but it is important to state and explain clearly the reasons for the changes in your process journal.//
 * You must complete this worksheet and share it with your supervisor at the your first meeting. At the end of the meeting both you and your supervisor will sign this sheet.**

Topic:

Focused Guiding Question/goal:

Area of Interaction (AoI): Justify and explain how your chosen personal project fits into the above stated AoI and guiding question. D escribe the process you will carry out to address your personal project guiding question Outline a detailed plan and timeline of what you hope to achieve. (Recognize plans can change, but only if there is a plan). You will want to take into account the deadlines that have already been set by the school (see page 2 of this guide)
 * Plans || Approximate Deadline ||

List __all__ the resources needed to carry out your personal project (this includes print sources, people, organizations, community services).

= = = = = =

= = = = =IV. Creation= **STAGE 4 CREATING the PERSONAL PROJECT**

After research, choosing the best technique and planning you are now ready to create your personal project.

Ask yourself the following:

Have I written in my process journal regularly? Have I taken photographs (if applicable) at various steps? Have I attained all the materials that I need?

= = Personal Project STAGE 1 INVESTIGATE

<span style="color: navy; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">MYP PERSONAL PROJECT 2009 PROPOSED TOPIC <span style="color: navy; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; text-decoration: none;"> THIS MUST BE COMPLETED AND TURNED IN TO YOUR HOMEROOM TEACHER BY Feb 25th <span style="color: navy; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">

<span style="color: navy; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Name: Haley Steinberg HR class: 9B Approval / Revisions needed <span style="color: navy; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> 1. My topic/area of interest is:

Filmmaking, interviewing and incorporating other artistic areas into the film (like film technique and learning a new instrument: guitar)

2. Briefly explain what inspired you to choose this topic. I chose this topic because filmmaking and the artistic, individual touches you can incorporate into your art has always really interested me. I have also always been inspired by Andy Warhol because he is my favourite artist in terms of individuality and the way he shook America with his films, paintings and distinct style. This aspect of film combined with an important social issue in Toronto (which is a huge part of my life since I have lived here all my life) struck me as an ideal project to undertake. It combines filmmaking (and learning guitar to play in background of film) and learning how to produce my own artistic piece of work with an issue (Youth Homelessness in Toronto) that I feel passionately about is exactly what appealed to me most. This is an idea for Personal Project that I care about on several different levels and will allow me to grow tremendously. I also want to focus on homeless teens that are around my age but living in entirely different conditions (will help me to understand what they are going through, will also have some things in common with kids my age).

3. Check applicable AOI <span style="color: navy; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msobidifontsize: 10.0pt; msotabcount: 1;"> <span style="color: navy; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> Environment  Health and Social Education Community and Service    Human Ingenuity

4. My guiding question is: (be as clear as possible).

How can I address the issue of youth homelessness in Toronto through film while adding a personal artistic touch and incorporating music of my own?

5. Briefly explain how the above AOI(s) will be the focus of your project and how your guiding question is connected.

Community and Service will be one of the main focuses of my project because I will be dealing with youth homelessness in Toronto. This is a major social issue that I know little about, but want to learn more about through doing this film. It affects us all and homelessness in general becomes an issue for the entire surrounding community. Hopefully, by doing this film, I will be raising awareness about youth homelessness in our city, how it affects us all and how people can help. By following through with the project, I will be doing a small service to youth homelessness shelters and kids my age who live in situations that most people cannot imagine dealing with. My personal project also relates to Health and Social Education because I will be educating people on a very prominent social issue that is still (despite action throughout the years) affecting Toronto and the people who call it home. However, the film will not be strictly educational because I believe it will be more effective in more ways than one if an artistic approach is taken. This way it will leave a lasting impression on people who see it, sticking in their minds so that they too can spread the word.

Student signature __MYP faculty signature__ <span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; msobidifontsize: 10.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; msoansilanguage: EN-GB;">RESEARCH How many youth in Toronto are currently homeless (2009)? Who are these youth? On average on any given night, there are about 33000 Canadians who are homeless. About 11000 of them are youth. In Toronto, an estimate suggests that there are at least 10000 different youth who are homeless at any one point in any given year – and anywhere from 1500 – 2000 on a given night. Homeless youth are people under the age of 25 or sometimes defined as youth between the ages of 19 and 25. Young Men – 64% of homeless youth (under 25) male. 91% of those men are between the ages of 19 and 25. Studies show these youth generally leave home around age 15. Young Women – 36% of homeless youth (under 25) female. 72% of females are between the ages of 19 and 25. Studies show these youth generally leave home around age 15. (Covenant House study, 2004) What are some of the largest and most effective youth homeless shelters in Toronto? What do they do/provide? Three large and effective shelters/organizations for homeless youth in Toronto are Covenant House, Eva’s Initiatives and Horizons for Youth. Each has at least one (some have even more locations) operating shelter that house youth with no where else to go. Covenant House offers simple love, care and support for kids – not just somewhere to sleep. Their mission is to help youth’s mind, body and spirit, to make a covenant or agreement with every youth to stand behind their efforts with unconditional love and respect. Provide programs like Outreach, Crisis Care and Rights of Passage – our longer term housing. Many youth shelters in Toronto also offer to educate, mentor, heal and inspire young people. Covenant House even offers these services to kids not staying with them but who still need extra support. Many of these shelters work hard to spare youth dangers of running to the street without knowing consequences or possibilities. List of programs at Covenant House are: education, health care, employment assistance, community support, runaway prevention, life skills and pastoral support. (Covenant House). Eva’s Initiatives works with homeless at risk youth (16-24) to get them off the streets permanently. Have 3 shelters in GTA that house 122 youth each night. Provide youth with emergency and transitional housing, harm reduction services (addressing drug and alcohol use), counselling, employment and training programs, housing support and services to reconnect youth with their families. Mission is to rebuild futures for the children. (Eva’s Initiatives). Horizons for Youth tries to reach to homeless youth before they turn to prostitution, selling drugs, or even worse (in their point of view) to make it on the streets. Try and give more than just housing and food, Horizons provides hope most of all. Hope of finding a job, securing housing so that they can become more independent and true members of the community and most importantly hope of a positive future (new outlook on life). Youth come not knowing anything about how to live on their own, but walk away from the shelter with knowledge of how to get started on their own. Each youth is also assigned a one on one Case Worker to support them every single step of the way. (Horizons for Youth). What are some of the main reasons that youth become homeless? Many reasons why people become homeless – loss of job, marital breakdown, mental illness, alcohol and drug addiction. Different in terms of homeless youth though. Most causes for homeless youth revolve around family. Missing child reports: 2003 in Canada, record of 53,459 runaway children reports. Keeping in mind these are reports and not individual homeless children, figure still represents shocking 24% increase over past decade. Abuse in the home: Experts say majority of youth or children rarely leave happy homes for lives in the streets. Several studies conclude that 70% of youth have experienced some form of sexual, physical or emotional abuse at home. Many of remaining children just felt neglected. Shortage of good jobs and affordable housing: Recent study by Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CAS) discovered that in 2000, housing was factor in 1/5 cases where children were taken into care by CAS – huge 60% increase from similar study done in 1992. (Covenant House study, 2004) How many youth homeless shelters are there in Toronto? Currently in Toronto there are 12 youth shelters, offer up to 522 beds. 1979, only 2 youth shelters in city that offered total of 95 beds. In past 25 years there has been a 450% increase in youth shelter beds. (Covenant House study, 2004) What are some hazards of Homelessness? Living on the streets at such young ages (or any age) is definitely not easy. True that some youth seek streets for adventure – mockingly labelled “weekend warriors” or “twinkies” but eventually return home. However most street youth are there because they have simply no other place to go. Living on the streets there is a constant threat of violence, exploitation, drugs, and illness. 2002 Study resulted in the following: 45.7% of street youth reported being attacked in the past year, compared to 6.3% for their non homeless peers (shows tremendously greater risk for homeless youth) 52.8% reported being threatened with an attack 42% had been sexually assaulted or threatened with sexual assault (Covenant House study, 2004) Would it be possible to interview someone who works with homeless youth (at a shelter) about their experiences working with youth/teens? Yes. After thoroughly looking over several websites for organizations focusing on homelessness among youth, all of them have email addresses that you can contact them through. If you explain you concern, request (for an interview in my case), question or situation in the email, they should get back to you shortly with a reasonable answer. Requesting an interview politely by email or phone is an ideal way to set up a meeting with someone from one of Toronto’s youth homelessness organizations/shelters. Since you are taking up some of their valuable time, you should definitely arrive prepared with questions and be ready to talk. What level of education does the majority of homeless youth achieve? Most homeless youth poorly educated (not all however). Average of most men – 56% have grade 11 or less, 31% have grade 12, 12% have university or college or technical school. Average of most women – 60% have grade 11 or less, 33% have grade 12, 6% have university or college or technical school. Out of homeless youth who attended school and were assessed by counsellors: 25.6% diagnosed with anger management issues, 19.1% with ADD, 15.2% with hyperactivity and 4.5% with dyslexia. (Covenant House study, 2004) Where do homeless youth sleep and live? Homeless youth do not all automatically end up sleeping on street grates or in doorways. In truth, end up staying in variety of places. 60% of street youth staying in one of Toronto’s youth shelters 25% staying in an apartment (92% were staying with friends, ‘couch surfing’) 15% staying on street, of which 4% were living in squats, 9% living in parks, alleys, doorways (Covenant House study, 2004) How do homeless youth earn money? 1999 study (most comprehensive) conducted by Shout Clinic which offers health care to homeless youth found out about how street kids make their money. Findings are as follows: 36% of street youth earn money by panhandling, “squeegeeing” 19% do break and enters or sell drugs 18% receive social assistance 17% have paid employment 10% work in sex trade In fact, most have worked in sex trade at some point. 31% including men and women reported engaging in street prostitution, phone or internet sex, massage/stripping at least once in lives. (Covenant House study, 2004) Are street children more likely to become ill or die? Street youth definitely more likely to get sick and even die on streets. Recent study examined mortality rate among homeless youth, was carried out in Montreal between 1995 and 2000. Study looked at 1013 young people between ages of 14 and 25. Originally study set out to examine rates of HIV and Hepatitis infection among youth. Slowly researchers began to realize that some of their subjects were disappearing though. They began checking coroner’s records and discovered shocking, alarming rate of deaths – mostly caused by suicide and drug overdose. June 2001, 26 of 1013 participants in study, 22 boys and 4 girls had died (mortality rate of 89% per 100 person years). Note: total figure of deaths was really 29 but 3 not included in results because they had not been on the street for two or more years. __Homeless youth mortality rate was 11 times higher than rate of general population of Quebec.__ Street youth pregnancies: 1997-98 study by Hospital for Sick Children and Shout Clinic (among 93 street involved females) discovered that startling number of street children have pregnancies. Total of 118 pregnancies among the women. Study found that: 59% reported having been or currently were pregnant Average age of first pregnancy was 16.7 years At time of first pregnancy: 29% of youth living on the streets, 27% in shelters, 43% with friends or family 32% of all pregnancies were miscarried: 22% terminated electively, 34% delivered, 12% still pregnant Female street youth far more likely to get pregnant than women who are not homeless at rate of 2 -3 times greater. Younger that someone became homeless and longer they stayed on the street, greater probability they would become pregnant. Miscarriages: 2-4 times higher among street youth than general population. Credited to poor nutrition, increased rates of substance abuse and sexually transmitted disease. Study found that reasons for higher rates of pregnancy among street youth is connected to socio economic status, self esteem as well. Many felt it may bring dramatic change to hopeless situation, giving them access to more emotional, financial support, more sense of empowerment by responsibility of caring for a child, sense of family where otherwise there is none and hope to be treated with more respect. (Covenant House study, 2004) Is there a way that I could interview or somehow attain personal stories of homeless teens to better understand how people are put in their circumstances and what they think about it? After looking over many websites focusing on youth homelessness in Toronto, I have discovered that many of them have “success stories” or “personal stories” sections. In these pages, many teens and young adults voice their own personal stories with homelessness and how they were put in that situation. Some of them even talk about their dangerous experiences living on the streets. Fortunately, most of them end positively and with some form of hope from overcoming obstacles. These are great to read if you are looking to better understand the individual stories of these youth and to see things through their eyes. It is also possible to request meeting with a kid from one of the shelters who wouldn’t mind discussing their experience. What are the best (in terms of easy to use, reliable, effective) computer programs to edit a film with? Adobe, the first of 3 major players is a great film editing software available to PCs. The program is called “Adobe Premier Elements 4” and is very efficient software. It is perfect for people new to editing and extremely easy to use. Price: $99.00. The more advanced version of this program is “Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium”. Even some film producers for the Sundance Film festival use this program. The special effects on both software are excellent and often used in the film industry. Sony editing software is also an easy to use program that is cheaper than the other leading ones. You definitely do not need to be an expert in film to use it and is a great program to start with when learning the ropes of film editing. The basic program is called “Sony Vegas Movie Studio” and is easier to pick up than Adobe. Price: $74.95. This software is popular among entertaining artists (Shania Twain, Rod Stewart, Sheryl Crow), used in post production work. What program is best for recording sounds (guitar, piano, and other instruments) that are going to be added to the background of a film? Audacity is a very basic recording software but it does not have a professional sound quality to it that some of the more expensive ones do. It does let you record several layers of music though, which is the main thing that is needed. Something easy to operate is key because you don’t want to spend lots of money for a complicated software that you can’t even use. Price: FREE. Mixcraft 4 is another great software that is more advanced than Audacity. It comes with virtual instrument support and a professional instrument collection. This would prove very helpful when adding in other instruments that I do not know how to play. Instead of having only guitar and piano (which I can play), I will be able to compose and add many other instruments and sounds. It is also very simple to use. Having said this it also meets the criteria for a professional that wants a powerful and clean sound. Price: $64.95. (at least 1 print source, 1 website, 1 interview) // List: // Multiple effective internet sources (websites), 1 informative interview, several pictures, informative videos – youtube || Y || All of them. Each resource that I have used is relevant to my topic/guiding question. They all focus on either youth homelessness, film editing or recording software. || Not yet. The actual filming of my film and talking to more people about youth homelessness will help me learn even more about what I have set out to do. People learn best through experience so the editing of the movie will definitely improve my skills in video production. Also, if I find that the sources I have collected are not enough to carry me through the project I will go back and find more. I can arrange another interview with a second youth homelessness organization. If the editing software for the film is not easy for me to use I will definitely seek help at a tech store. It is always important as I have learned from other projects to keep collecting and gathering information that may be useful all through the project. || Y || Pictures from the internet will address community and service because it will show the issues and problems we need to address right here in our community. The filmmaking would go more with Homo Faber because I will be creating something original that should have a positive effect and a strong impact on my own community. || All of my resources so far support the areas of interaction that I set out to focus on (Health and Social Education and Community and Service). I have even addressed some other areas of interaction through research like Homo Faber. || Y || Same as top box in this column. || I can review more sources online to make sure all information found on the selected websites is accurate. I can also make my film more informative (as well as artistic) to show my newfound knowledge of youth homelessness (which I will plan in the coming stages). Otherwise the information I have gathered will be a great force in helping me produce my finished product. I also want to make my film original, so I can look at youth homelessness from an insiders view (not on the outside looking in). Since I am around the same age as a lot of the youth I am learning about it should be easier for me to really capture their points of view. I can plan this out in more detail during the design stages. || N/A || Same as top box in this column. || STAGE 2 DESIGN CHOOSING and APPLYING TECHNIQUES DESIGN 1 Scene 1 – opens with video clips of Toronto from unique/artistic angles (ex. From person walking point of view), showing CN Tower, sky scrapers, business people, busy shops (all in fast forward time), acoustic music playing in background – image freezes when done and words “THIS IS OUR CITY” appear on screen Scene 2 – shows film clips of poorer areas (lots of garbage, not many people), dark doorways, alleys, parks, deserted streets. Footage/pictures of homeless youth – going about everyday activities, showing contrast of how most people see Toronto and how these kids see it Scene 3 – Fact flashes across black background covered in lightning (will say how many homeless youth there are on any given night, who these youth are)- music that I will compose (with guitar and piano) playing in background Scene 4 – words “WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?” appear on screen – background is video clip of every day streets in Toronto, people rushing around, blindly going through their day like zombies – music that I will compose (with guitar and piano) playing in background Scene 5 – Interview footage (with person who works with kids or at homeless youth shelter) of person explaining why kids are put into these tough situations where they have to leave home, chose to leave home, how home is dangerous for some youth right here in Toronto – discusses main causes of youth homelessness. Artistic technique: shot from interesting angle, edit to make room appear darker, edit effect of making film look old fashioned (made to look like projector screen clip) Scene 6 - *IF POSSIBLE – footage of one of homeless youth sharing their own personal story. Artistic technique: focus on youth’s face for 30 seconds (showing pure emotion of person, what they have been through, Ex. Andy Warhol films where he focused on single person laughing, chatting, and staring for hours) Scene 7 – words “WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU CAN’T GO HOME” flash across perfect looking house (white picket fence type home) – acoustic guitar music playing in background Scene 8 – Footage of Eva’s Initiatives, Horizons for Youth and Covenant House shelters, ideally getting clips/pictures of some homeless/troubled youth and try to capture real essence of the homes, while footage still rolling, info about how many youth shelters there are in Toronto flash across screen – include names of most well known/largest 3 stated above Scene 9 – more footage from first interview about what services the youth shelters offer, different programs, hospitality (beds, food), how many people they can house per night, what their own specific mission/objective is as a youth homelessness organization Scene 10 – words “WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?” flash across screen depicting hope of some kind, smiling youth who are homeless, footage/pictures of kids getting paying jobs, finding places to live, starting over and rebuilding their lives. List of things that any body can do to help the cause (donate, volunteer, RAISE AWARENESS) – music that I will compose (with guitar and piano) playing throughout until “THANK YOU” appears on screen. Credits roll – more cheerful, upbeat, inspiring song plays DESIGN 2 Scene 1 – Film opens with view of person walking downtown through the streets (see all business people, sky scrapers, person seems invisible to others *must be clear) – everything is in haze of purple (shows person can’t see things clearly, that they are overwhelmed, done with adding special effects) Scene 2 – words “THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY I HAD TO LEAVE HOME” appear onscreen – then reasons/causes for youth homelessness list on screen (effects used on words so that they appear very abruptly and violently) – background is still of walking in downtown Toronto Scene 3 – View of downtown vanishes, pictures of dark doorways, overflowing garbage, rough areas of Toronto, dark alleys, deserted parks quickly appear one after the other in slide show format – going fast, music goes to something composed by me with piano and guitar (slow, dark song) Scene 4 – words “ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ON THE STREETS” appears and stays on screen so audience can let it sink in – during these words, footage of person walking down streets in rough, unsafe area of Toronto, slumped over in dark hoodie Scene 5 – Hazards of youth living on the streets all appear on black screen one by one (word effects are abrupt, violent – ex. Selling drugs, sex trade, higher pregnancy rates (include some facts here) Scene 6 – One by one, pictures of homeless youth appear on white screen (camera effect is made to look like old film on projector, film cracking, adds to atmosphere). Once all space on screen is filled up with individual squares of different youth – more upbeat music starts Scene 7 – words “WHERE DO I GO WHEN I CAN’T GO BACK HOME?” appear on screen – scene cuts to interview with worker/volunteer at homeless youth shelter or organization talking about their own organization, what they do, what services they provide for kids, how many youth they care for per year (happier music starts playing, audience should feel hopeful) Scene 8 – Pictures of Eva’s Initiatives, Horizons for Youth, Covenant House (ones in focus, more footage of shelters appear on screen) Scene 9 – Interviewer talks about individual stories – specific youth who have come to shelters seeking help and guidance, their own personal story and experiences on the street, most importantly: how they have overcome their obstacles (acoustic music with piano playing quietly in background) Scene 10 – words “I REPRESENT THE HOMELESS YOUTH IN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 25 WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS.” – Statistics of how many homeless youth there are in one night also stated. On same background, words “HOW CAN YOU HELP?” appear on screen and ways like volunteering, donating is listed. “HOPE FOR CHANGE” is only thing on screen for a few seconds, then CREDITS: listed down the screen while upbeat music plays loudly in background DESIGN 3 Scene 1 – Film starts similar to other two designs (minor differences). Screen is of person walking (from their point of view – can’t actually see the person, just seeing what they would see walking around) in different areas of Toronto – downtown, nice neighbourhoods, poorer areas, busy stores – edited to fast forward so things pass by in a blur Scene 2 – Gives an overview of Toronto to prepare for following scenes. Words “THIS IS OUR CITY. HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW IT?” appear on screen (background is snapshots of Toronto neighbourhoods/areas flashing by in slideshow format – Chinatown, Little Italy, Kensington Market, Forest Hill etc. Scene 3 – Footage of me (or another person) on streets of Toronto stopping people to ask “How many homeless youth between the ages of 16 and 24 are there each night in our city?” – Answers of various people asked will be shown Scene 4 – Text appears describing how many homeless youth there are (other statistics about the causes of homelessness) – background is footage of young kids, families, teens Scene 5 – Footage/clips of me (or another person) asking passers-by on the street how old they think the average homeless youth is when they leave home – show clips of various answers from random people, shows how unaware people are about youth homelessness issues in Toronto Scene 6 – Text appears showing actual average age that youth who end up homeless leave home at, displaying other statistics like what average level of education is that these youth achieve – background is footage of poorer areas of Toronto, dark alleys, dark doorways Scene 7 – words “WHERE DO THESE YOUTH TURN TO?” appear on black screen. Words fade and statistics of places homeless youth end up staying appears on screen – synced to pictures of what words are talking about (ex. Some youth crash on friend’s couches “couch surfing”, picture of couch on screen)- moving song playing in background Scene 8 – Footage of interview with worker/volunteer at youth homeless shelter/organization, (introduces self, organization and what their mission is) hazards of homelessness being discussed, pregnancy rates, info from Covenant House Study being talked about as well Scene 9 – Pictures of most well known youth shelters in Toronto (Eva’s Initiatives, Horizons for Youth and Covenant House) flash on screen – as well as some footage – words “HOW CAN YOU HELP?” appear and ways like volunteering, donating, RAISING AWARENESS are listed – more upbeat, happy music is playing in background Scene 10 – Words “GIVE HOPE” stay on screen until credits appear – background is footage of smiling children – after words disintegrate and credits roll down screen (thank you to audience for watching) Decide which design/technique you will use and write an explanation why you chose it. After a lot of thought and consideration, I have decided to go with Design #2. This design is much more effective and most achieves the objective of the film. The other two designs only achieve bits and parts of what I wanted the overall film to capture. Although all three designs have lots of similarities (they all start in a similar fashion, all address the same topics about youth homelessness and all have similar headings), design 2 looks at youth homelessness from a youth’s point of view – or an insider’s point of view. I really wanted to look at the topics from this angle originally because it gives the audience (who will be all different ages) a chance to see things from another perspective. Learning about homelessness in the experiences I have at school and in other films, you are always just being fed statistics and information. Design 2 does include several statistics in some of the scenes, but there is footage, pictures and individual stories of youth to back them up. Another thing I really wanted to focus on was composing music with guitar and piano in the film. This is going to be challenging but I felt it would be a good idea since I would be setting the atmosphere for the scenes. Design 2 has lots of good opportunities for a diverse range of music styles. It provides lots of good opportunities for me to experiment with different styles and ranges of music. One of my favourite things about design 2 is also the artistic techniques that are used in some of the scenes. I am looking forward to putting together the squares of pictures (inspired by the Andy Warhol still films) or even footage if possible. This makes the film more abstract and moving in a sense. People will be able to interpret it in different ways, however they feel it makes sense. I also believe that the first person point of view throughout the film gives the viewers a better understanding of what it is really like to go through something as life changing as homelessness. I know that I can’t imagine it, and I am even the same age as many homeless youth – if not older. As all of my designs do, design 2 has clips from an informative interview with someone who works with homeless youth. This person will be able to share their own personal experiences with working with these youth, and even share some individual stories of kids. If I could speak to an adult who has experienced homelessness as a youth, that would be even better. My second design ends in a message of hope as well. Leaving people with a positive message is always the best option, and in the last scene of the film it lists ways to help. The fact that people can easily volunteer, donate or raise awareness (as it will suggest at the end of the film) will be fresh in their minds and hopefully prompt them to do so. The only downside to the design that I have chosen, is that it will take a lot more editing than the other two. There is lots of footage and special effects needed for my chosen design, which will take a lot longer and may be difficult to do. I will really need to familiarize myself with the film production program that I purchase and work efficiently. Lastly, design 2 is the one that answers my guiding question the best. It addresses film editing, composing music and of course the main topic of youth homelessness in our city of Toronto. What will my ideal Personal Project look like/be when it is completed? When my film is completed, it should have answered my guiding question “How can I capture the issue of youth homelessness in Toronto through film while adding a personal artistic touch and incorporating music of my own?” It should follow my design specification exactly too, since those criteria would make for the best way to answer the guiding question. I want people to take away from the film a sense of understanding of youth homelessness. It will have lots of information, statistics, footage, video clips, pictures and text in it. Using a variety of different media should help enhance the message I am trying to convey. The finished product should also have appropriate music to accompany most of the scenes (pieces that I have written and some already existing songs). From every experience I have with film, I know that music also enhances certain points and can give the whole thing more meaning. My personal project will be in DVD format and should be at least ten minutes long. It should also be good quality and clear in terms of pictures and sound. Since I will be filming with a new Canon video camera, this should not be an issue. The ideal finished film should also look professional and well put together. I can accomplish this using the editing software I plan to buy. Overall the completed personal project should reflect a lot of hard work and help people to see a sometimes overlooked issue like youth homelessness in a new light. STAGE 3 Planning the Personal Project Part 1 – Chronological List of Steps to be Taken
 * Questions: || Y/N || Which resource addresses my guiding question, AoI, ||
 * Have I collected a variety of resources?
 * Are the resources enough to answer my question?
 * Do the resources support the area of interaction(s)
 * What changes could I make in my design(planning) and research to attain better results?
 * Pros || Cons ||
 * Addresses all points of youth homelessness (who they are, causes, what you can do to help, shelters, what they provide/services || Not from youth’s point of view (insider), but more of an outsider learning about youth homelessness – not preferable set up ||
 * Includes different media – pictures, at least 1 interview, video clips (all taken by me), sound clips, music || Not enough unique artistic techniques used – more special effects, capturing raw emotion, interesting angles, etc. ||
 * Contrasting video clips – some of nice downtown Toronto (busy businesspeople), some of dingy, rougher areas (dark doorways, garbage, alleys) || Doesn’t focus enough on individual homeless kids and their own personal stories (more effective this way because audience then leaves feeling they personally know kids who have been touched by effects of homelessness) ||
 * Ends with message of hope – leave people with knowledge that they can make a difference on their own || No narration voice, facts just appearing onscreen – more effective to hear and see facts at once ||
 * Large focus on services provided by shelters (how they don’t only give you somewhere to sleep, but they give you hope, stability, help finding jobs/apartments, all around support – for anyone, not just kids staying in shelter) || Only suggests 3 shelters/organizations for youth homelessness, there are 12 in Toronto ||
 * Music playing is at appropriate times that enhance the mood/emotions of audience and don’t take away from it (some songs composed by me, others chosen by me) || Too fact oriented, more footage of youth in Toronto affected by homelessness, areas of Toronto that people don’t see ||
 * Does not require too much editing, special effects since it is mostly just footage and photographs mixed together – saves time, still strong message || Should include “Hazards of Youth on the Streets” section so people can see how dangerous it really is – more focus on Covenant House study numbers ||
 * Pros || Cons ||
 * Almost entirely from point of view of homeless youth – more realistic approach, gives audience better understanding of topic || Very serious, hope only introduced at very end of film ||
 * Starts with footage in “haze” (using editing) so things appear blurred, tinted – displays how overwhelming and scary situation young people put into each day (unique, artistic) || All the editing and special effects will be difficult to add in, not easy for someone with little production experience ||
 * Focuses a bit on personal stories/experiences of youth from specific organization or shelter – all ending positively to give sense of hope || Finding snapshots of homeless youth (for scene 6) will be difficult to find, taking them myself may not be an option ||
 * Fast pictures, abrupt words add to atmosphere of danger, instability, darkness that youth experience || Film is a bit stereotypical, would need to edit and adjust some scenes to make it seem less like that – need to show that these are just regular kids, put in dangerous situations at young ages ||
 * More artistic techniques used – squares of kid’s pictures (in style of Andy Warhol’s “still” movies), leaves lasting impression || Should include info about level of education the average youth in these situations receives, shows audience how important education is and how it can affect your future dramatically ||
 * Ends in hope for change, optimistic. Leaves audience feeling that they can make a difference themselves || A lot of plain black backgrounds in scenes where writing appears – does not make it that interesting to look at ||
 * Discusses hazards for youth on the streets – unpleasant but necessary to know to understand lives of homeless || Songs are not specific enough, will have to spend lots of time testing possible songs with film to see which ones go with what scene the best ||
 * Pros || Cons ||
 * Lots of footage of interesting pictures/media to set mood for each scene (footage of youth out and about in Toronto, busy streets, shops) || Little music to set the mood/atmosphere, doesn’t allow me to compose that much music ||
 * Gives you strong feel for Toronto – shows large cultural neighbourhoods like China Town, Little Italy, Kensington Market etc. || Doesn’t show you youth homelessness from insiders point of view – teen’s point of view ||
 * Has a different angle with asking passers-by questions about youth homelessness, shows how little people know about the subject, how blind they are || Would have to stand around for long time asking different passers-by questions, take lots of patience since most people will ignore questions ||
 * Lots of dialogue in general, information with interview, many opinions of the public being shared on camera, I will also be talking to the passers-by || Lots of editing, will be lots of dialogue and extra words to cut out of footage during scenes where questions being asked to passers-by ||
 * Includes many statistics that are very interesting and shocking, seems more dramatic when they appear on a plain black screen – informative || No artistic touches to this design, few unique techniques used to enhance impact on audience ||
 * Film ends in feeling of hope and faith in each other to help raise awareness, leaves audience with lasting impact of the issues needing to be resolved and not overlooked || Doesn’t focus on personal stories of individual homeless youth – their experiences, struggles, how they overcame them ||
 * Lots of text, easy to put together these scenes – will not take up a lot of time to create the couple of scenes that are just text and a blank background || Only one scene with interviewer from shelter/organization, will have to cram lots of information into that one segment ||
 * 1) Purchase all necessary equipment to take footage, take pictures, edit footage and sound and learn how to operate it all. (Ex. Production software, recording software, DVD disks to film using video camera)
 * 2) Print out official copies of design specification and chosen design, easy to refer to as personal project product progresses.
 * 3) Plan out order of steps to be taken in process of filming.
 * 4) Email, call or visit some youth homelessness shelters/organizations to ask about conducting an interview with a volunteer sometime over the coming weeks. Set up an appointment to walk around, film the insides of shelters
 * 5) Start taking lots of raw footage of different areas in Toronto (start with downtown areas near Union Station, Kensington Market, China Town, nice neighborhoods, capturing diverse areas of the city)
 * 6) Next, film outsides (and insides if permitted) of homeless youth shelters. Three to film in total, also capture neighborhood/area that shelters are in to give better idea of the places to audience
 * 7) Take single shots of grungy places in Toronto, like dark alleys, doorways, parks (get many of these because they will be flashing very quickly across the screen)
 * 8) Get footage of teen/youth walking around in unsafe areas of Toronto – will not be real homeless youth, just giving idea that it is – wearing a dark jacket and slumped over
 * 9) Now, conduct the interview set up earlier with a worker or volunteer from a youth homelessness shelter. Have a friend film interview (if okay with interviewee).
 * 10) In various ways, get several pictures of homeless youth (can take them myself of willing kids, get them on shelter websites, find them on the internet). Make sure they are all relatively the same size and are good quality. Get enough to fill screen with tile style pictures, each of a different homeless youth
 * 11) Gather and revise all needed statistics for certain scenes (pregnancy rates, levels of education, how many homeless youth there are)
 * 12) Start working and experimenting with guitar, piano duet to find a sound/rhythm/song that could be used in the film. Spend time figuring guitar out better (using teach yourself guitar book) and work on pieces(s) that would enhance the atmosphere of the film. Once done, record it with recording software purchased earlier
 * 13) Find and purchase any other already written music that I wish to be included in the film as well. Make sure it is appropriate and does not take away from the film, but adds to the emotion
 * 14) Once all raw footage is gathered and music is collected, edit it and put it all together using film production software purchased earlier. Complete film, adding in all sound, pictures, words and effects. (This will take a long time)
 * 15) Try and get film played – if good enough) in busy downtown area where lots of people will see it.

Part 2 – List of materials/resources needed
 * Interview with worker or volunteer at youth homelessness shelter
 * Consult - Eva’s Initiatives, Horizons for Youth or Covenant House shelters
 * Scheduling – difficult, many shelters do not do interviews because of the large number of people who request them
 * Cost - FREE
 * Film production/editing software
 * Consult – Future Shop specialists on which software is easy to use, good price, effective
 * Scheduling – NONE. Just walk into Future Shop to purchase
 * Cost - $99.00 (expensive, but will be able to use for future projects)
 * Guitar
 * Consult – Long and McQuade on which guitar is good quality, decent price, great for beginners
 * Scheduling – NONE. Just walk into Long and McQuade to purchase
 * Cost – Already purchased
 * Piano
 * PREVIOSLY PURCHASED, able to use it whenever I need it, no consulting or scheduling necessary
 * Recording software
 * Consult – Future Shop specialists as to which software is easy to use, good price/quality, effective
 * Scheduling – NONE. Just walk into Future Shop to purchase
 * Cost - $64.95 (expensive, but will be able to use for future projects)
 * Video camera
 * PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED, able to use it whenever I need it, no consulting or scheduling necessary
 * Standard digital camera
 * PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED, able to use it whenever I need it, no consulting or scheduling necessary
 * DVD disks
 * Consult – Future Shop specialists as to which disks are compatible with my video camera, best quality, decent price, amount of footage time/how many disks per package
 * Scheduling – NONE. Just walk into Future Shop to purchase
 * Cost - $26.00 (for 5 disks)
 * Internet to retrieve and double check all statistics being included in the film
 * Consult – legitimate websites (Covenant House, Horizons for Youth, Eva’s Initiatives, Government Authorized, Government/news station study results)
 * Scheduling – NONE. Just surf internet whenever, wherever
 * Cost - FREE
 * iTunes music
 * PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED/DOWNLOADED, able to use it whenever I need it, no consulting or scheduling necessary

OVERALL COST: $189.95

Part 3 – Timeline August 20th – Email/call three youth homelessness shelters requesting to set up an interview sometime over the coming weeks August 22nd – Purchase, gather all materials and resources needed to complete personal project August 23rd – Start taking footage of downtown, diverse neighborhoods, insides and outsides of youth homelessness shelters (lots of raw footage taken all over Toronto) August 24th – Finish taking footage of Toronto areas, contrasting neighborhoods, and youth homelessness shelters August 25th – Take single shots of rougher areas, dark alleys, dark doorways, parks, dirty couches, overflowing garbage cans, dumpsters, any homeless youth August 26th – Take footage of homeless teen/youth walking around grungy/dodgy areas of Toronto in dark hoodie (doesn’t have to be actual homeless kid, more than likely I will be filming a friend who is portraying a homeless youth) August 27th – Start collecting many, good quality pictures of real homeless youth. Through shelter’s websites, other internet sites supporting change in issues of youth homelessness, take pictures personally of these teens (if I am walking around and spot a homeless youth, I can offer a small donation and explain my project to them and then ask if they would mind me taking a photo of them) August 28th – Gather and edit wording of all statistics that have been already gathered but will be appearing in the film (double check them all as well to make sure they are correct). Site the websites that they were taken from, year and how they were attained – make sure to credit them all in closing credits of film August 29th – Start composing songs and pieces experimenting with electric guitar and piano – continue this throughout coming weeks until something appropriate for the film is created, something that I am proud of in itself as a work of art. On this day, also start thinking about other songs that have already been written to use during parts of the movie August 30th – START THE FILM EDITING PROCESS – this should take at least two weeks September 1st – Download the songs (if I don’t have them already) that I will import from iTunes to the music of the film September 10th – HAVE ALL SELF COMPOSED MUSIC FINISHED AND RECORDED September 20th – HAVE ALL FILM EDITING, SPECIAL EFFECTS, FINISHING TOUCHES FINISHED September 21st *Or whenever the day after the film is completed falls on – Start looking around and emailing prominent figures in the Government or news stations asking if they will play film September 23rd – Start working on ending report, evaluation of Personal Project October 1st – HAVE ENTIRE PERSONAL PROJECT FINISHED Part 4 – Back-up Plans Since these plans are rough and made without much knowledge of how the filming/editing/recording/ production process will go, back-up plans and alternative options will need to be considered. I have never made a real film before that included me doing the editing and production work all by myself. I do know that it will not be easy, that I will run into endless challenges and that it is likely that this process may take much longer than predicted. I have made my timeline very strict and there is little room to drag things out an extra day or two (most deadlines fall one day after the other). Another downside is that I am starting the Personal Project quite late in the summer so I also cannot be that flexible about having things done. It is crucial that I follow all of the filming dates to the hilt, that way each day I can collect a little more raw footage and start to see the film taking place. In my timeline, I am completing one section of footage almost every day, which is a lot of work to do consistently. It is very likely that I will sometimes put things off until the next day and that things will build up at certain points throughout this challenging process. But most importantly I am really eager to figure this out on my own and to embrace the obstacles that come along with filming a short movie in a limited amount of time. I have always been interested in filmmaking and putting together art (composing music) so I should enjoy most parts of this project. The only part I am worried about is the editing part because it requires so much patience and I will have to figure out the complex software on my own. Due to all these reasons, I have come up with some back-up options. Firstly, I am going to definitely need assistance if things get tight in terms of time. I already will be using someone to act as the homeless youth in my film and to film the interview, so I might need someone to help me edit and produce my film. I want to definitely do the majority of it myself, but it will take endless hours to complete. If there are two people working on it and helping each other out it will go much faster. Also, if time starts running out too soon I may need another musician to compose songs with me. I am already playing two instruments for the pieces, so another person who plays a third instrument and can give me their input would be so helpful. I have many friends who would be willing to help and who have musical experience, I also have a cousin who is an experienced guitar player. Worst comes to worst, I can cut out a scene or two (that the film doesn’t heavily depend on) if things are not working out. Lastly the interview may be tricky not in terms of time, but scheduling. So far I have contacted one shelter that refuses to hold interviews due to the large number of requests they get. I still have another three possible places to try at though. If I cannot find any shelters that offer interviews to students then I will either have to cut that out of the film or just have my voice reading about hazards of youth homelessness (and the other things like personal stories of youth). Only time will tell the outcome of these obstacles, but I am willing to work hard and efficiently at making this film everything that it can be.

= =

= = = = = = =V. Evaluation and Reflection= ** Writing the Personal Project Report FIRST DRAFT DUE DATE: November 6th
 * STAGE 5 EVALUATING and REFLECTING
 * **CONTENTS** || Yes or No ||
 * I have a contents page written with sections labeled introduction, description of research, process, analysis of process, conclusion, bibliography, appendices (if applicable). ||  ||
 * **INTRODUCTION** //Written in future tense approximately 1-1.5 pages// ||  ||
 * I have clearly identified my goal within its context (i.e. WHY it is important), and some background on my inspiration towards the chosen project. || ||
 * I have justified my choice of AoI focus. ||  ||
 * I have written a detailed outline of the steps taken to achieve my guiding questions, this includes a variety of resources (at least 1 print, 1 website, 1 interview). ||  ||
 * **DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS** //Written in past tense approximately 1.5-2 pages// ||  ||
 * I have described the possible techniques suitable to answering my guiding question and have justified my choice/technique. ||  ||
 * I have described my process clearly (all production steps/components) referring to my plan in the introduction. ||  ||
 * **ANALYSIS** //Divide into 2 sections research analysis and process analysis// ||  ||
 * I have reflected on the resources collected (design stage) to attain my project goal and the AoI chosen: emphasizing the value of the resources. ||  ||
 * I have considered if the AoI is well connected to the resources. ||  ||
 * I have supported my arguments thoughtfully with evidence. ||  ||
 * I have reviewed my goal: challenges and achievements. ||  ||
 * I have reviewed the process (plan and doing phase): considered the timelines, ease/challenge of 'doing': reliance upon others/experts, materials/equipment. ||  ||
 * Review if your chosen AoI is effective in your project process. ||  ||
 * //*Analysis is not description which is telling. Rather identifying factors that shaped the idea/point. It can be comparing and contrasting. It may also be understanding the significance.// ||  ||
 * **CONCLUSION** ||  ||
 * I have analysed the outcome: the strengths or weaknesses in my final outcome/project? ||  ||
 * I have considered how to improve upon the project. ||  ||
 * I have shared new insights gained about the project. ||  ||
 * **BIBLIOGRAPHY** ||  ||
 * I have completed an annotated bibliography following a format outlined in the Bibliographic Resources tab. ||  ||
 * I have correctly cited borrowed ideas in the text of my report. ||  ||
 * **PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT** ||  ||
 * I have organized my work logically and clearly. ||  ||
 * I have met deadlines and made use of my process journal. ||  ||
 * I have shown enthusiasm and commitment. ||  ||
 * I have correctly cited borrowed ideas in the text of my report. ||  ||
 * **PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT** ||  ||
 * I have organized my work logically and clearly. ||  ||
 * I have met deadlines and made use of my process journal. ||  ||
 * I have shown enthusiasm and commitment. ||  ||
 * I have shown enthusiasm and commitment. ||  ||

WRITING the SECOND DRAFT and SUBSEQUENT DRAFTS

Do not expect your first written version to suffice. Check your project with the ASSESSMENT CRITERIA and YOUR MENTOR.

Have the first draft read by, for example, a peer, a parent, or your mentor and ask for feedback. After consulting with one or all of the above persons you are ready to edit your draft. Remember that this draft should be as complete as possible and follow the structure outlined in section B of this booklet. The more editing the closer your report will likely meet the assessment rubric. FINAL COPY - DUE DECEMBER 12, 2008

The written piece should not exceed 4000 words.

=Resources and Bibliography=