Independent Component 2

I, Eustacio Rodriguez affirm that I have completed my independent component two which represented 30 hours of work. 


LITERAL
The source which really helped me complete my independent component was Rebecca Gifford, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing for my 4th interview. She was able to affirm all of the research I've done up to this point in time, and I've enjoyed conversing with her not only in a formal setting.

Here you will find my independent component two log in which I have recorded the activities I performed during every volunteer session.

For my independent component two, I decided to dip into my mentorship hours (which are gathered by volunteering at the Uncommon Good office) and use those to fulfill the 30 hours required. In those 30 hours, I've been able to learn some important things about public image, connections, patience, and progressive techniques.

INTERPRETATIVE
For the most part, my time spent volunteering at Uncommon Good has been consumed by a variety of office tasks. The most prominent involves calling, emailing, and mailing students which are part of the program and reminding them about upcoming meetings. This entailed drafting documents to send, cross referencing contact information, working with spreadsheets, etc.. Sometimes, I got the opportunity to help some of the staff members with whatever it was they were doing that day: things like sorting through emails and responding to the appropriate ones, setting up for meetings, going to the post office to drop off documents, etc.. From this section of my volunteer experience, I was able to take away that internal order must be maintained at all times. This in mind, I think of my peers and I, and fear for our success, seeing as how many of us are pretty scatter-brained and disorganized.

Nancy Dufford (left) and Shelly Randles (right)
Staff members

Carlos Carrillo
My mentor

Apart from office work, I had two opportunities to partake in things other than sorting through papers. The first was the "farm program" which I will talk more about later, but basically, Uncommon Good has planted a vegetable garden in my front yard. I helped prepare the land for the planting. The following pictures show what it looks like now (after about a month and a half).

A view of the garden from my roof.

Another view of the garden.

The other activity which I took part in was Uncommon Good's trip to LA for the celebration of "El Dia Del Nino." Because most of the families who are involved are Latinos or of Latino descent, it was decided that this would be an appropriate trip to take. We took a bus to Olvera Street and stopped at La Plaza de Culturas y Artes, where we toured a little museum which was dedicated to Mexican American culture. I feel like this was a very good way for Uncommon Good to promote community and closeness.

Some traditional hats used by Mexican American
field workers back in the day. 

A very old record player

APPLIED 
My essential question is: "What is the best way for an educational nonprofit organization to raise funds for resources to encourage underprivileged students attend college?"
This individual component has greatly helped me solidify some of my answers which include: progressive business practices, and good public image.

One thing I was able to observe was that Uncommon Good does a very good job of keeping up a healthy and attractive public image. First of all, Uncommon Good's founder (Nancy Mintie, who I interviewed a while back) is also founder of the Inner City Law Center created in 1980. She comes from a successful altruistic background. This appeals to the public because it is easier to trust someone who is experienced than someone who isn't. Furthermore, apart from Uncommon Good's mission to help underprivileged students, they are also a green organization. Their newly constructed whole earth office building is among the most eco-friendly designs out there. It adds substance to Uncommon Good's we-will-make-a-change image has attracted the attention of many potential donors/grant writers.

Uncommon Good is also making an effort to move in the direction of progression by creating a farming program which earns them a small amount of revenue (instead of just writing grant proposals and hoping for the best). What is especially resolute about this program is that it combines environmental awareness, social awareness, health awareness, and all while making a profit. Through the farming program, families of the students who are in the Uncommon Good program which would like to participate are able to sign up, and if they are eligible, hired workers will be given the go ahead to plant a serious vegetable garden on the family's property. The vegetables are grown organic without the use of pesticides or genetic modifications. At the end of their season, the vegetables are cultivated and then sold at a farmers market. The profits go towards Uncommon Good, who puts the profits back into the community). The vegetable comes at no cost to the family, and the family also gets a portion of the vegetables. All this encourages healthy eating, community awareness, sustainability, and independence. And Uncommon Good gets a bit of a profit. The goal is to establish a network of these vegetable gardens and expand in order to make more profit and have the community eating healthier and locally.

In all, independent component number two has greatly helped me move forward in my topic by providing me with real world examples of some of the techniques which I've been researching. It's reassuring to actually be in the middle of something and not just stick to reading about it.

Independent Component 2 Approval

1. For my next 30 hours, I plan on working at the Uncommon Good office directly with the staff, helping with professional business activities of the organization. 
2. To meet the 30 hour requirement, I plan on going in to the office at least once a week for two hours. In order to prove that I will have completed 30 hours, I will keep a log as well as pictures of whatever I'm allowed to photograph.
3. My second component will help me better understand my answer by giving me first hand experience with the inner workings of a non-profit organization. My first component helped me realize the importance of non-profit organizations, and my second component will help me understand how they work. 
4. Independent Component 2 Log

Independent Component 1

• LITERAL
• I, Eustacio Rodriguez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
• The sources that have best helped me better understand my topic thus far have been: Peter D. Hall's "Historical Perspectives on Non Profit Organizations in the United States (Hall, Peter D. "Historical Perspectives on Non Profit Organizations in the United States." Diss. Harvard, n.d. Hks.harvard.edu. Http://www.hks.harvard.edu/. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.) and Heather M. Grant et al's "Creating High-Impact Non Profits" (Grant, Heather M., and Leslie R. Crutchfield. "Creating High-Impact Nonprofits." Stanford Social Innovation Review. Ssireview.org, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.). Hall's piece gave presented a very well written history of non-profit organizations in general, as well as their establishment and development here in the US. Heather M. Grant et al's piece led me to, so far, my most viable answer. After reading that article, I came to realize that the only way (or at least the best way) a non profit organization can be successful and fruitful is through aggressive and traditional profit oriented business practices.
• Independent Component Log
• For the 30 hours required of me to fulfill independent component, I volunteered with Teen Green. Teen Green is a branch of Uncommon Good, a non profit organization. Though Teen Green I, along with other the other members of the effort, were able to participate in various activities promoting environmental awareness and the importance of community.
• INTERPRETATIVE
• What follows are some of the most important components included in my individual component...
• Beach Cleanup
• Tending to Community Garden
• Farm Cleanup
• Environmental Awareness Presentations
  (Each of these activities reinforced my belief that educational non profit organizations are extremely beneficial for the community.)

What follows is evidence of my participation with Teen Green and my completion of the 30 hours required for individual component one.

• APPLIED
• My individual component helped me better understand my topic by allowing me to witness how important a non profit organization's efforts really are. During the hours I completed, I was able to observe how we were able to make a difference by working together and helping each other. For example, one of our tasks consisted of cleaning out and re-planting a local farm. With thoughtful planning, a volunteer day was organized weeks before the date, and people were aggressively encouraged to come in and help out. This resulted in a substantial turnout, and we were able to complete the work in less than four hours. These types of activities helped me realize that non-profits do matter and that we need more of them. Personally, I would like to create (later on in life) a non profit organization with the goal of helping kids my age find their calling. This independent component has helped me come to this realization, and what this senior project is helping me do is discover the skills needed to establish a high-impact non-profit oraganization. 

Independent Component 1 Approval

Here's what I plan to do...

1. For my thirty hours, I plan to volunteer at Uncommon Good, a non-profit organization. Most likely, I'll help with typical office stuff as well as organizing events such as cleaning a local park. I'll also help contact members of the Uncommon Good program and remind them of appointments and important dates.
   
2. I will show evidence of the completion of my thirty hours by taking pictures and photocopying any non-sensitive documents. As for proving that I actually did 30 hours, I'll draft a form for my mentor (he works there) to sign.
   
3. This will help me explore my topic by further allowing me to develop the working habits needed to be a successful employee at a non-profit organization as well as learning how to plan events necessary for the accomplishment of a non-profit's goal. Also, just by hanging around a professional non-profit, workplace I'll be able to pick up on certain important skills.