Breakfree Reflection
Throughout the course of American history the issue of prejudice is not a foreign one. As a nation we have become desensitized to stereotypes, labels, and discrimination. To combat these societal norms my 11th grade class embarked on the Breakfree project. This project allowed us to tackle racial, religious, and gender-based issues that regular adults do not feel comfortable handling. My project was on Islamophobia and spreading a positive depiction of Islam. I wanted to teach people not to be intolerant of Muslims. I felt inspired to encourage people to Breakfree of Muslim stereotypes as Islamophobia is a very relevant issue in today's world.
A challenge of this project was handling the issue of Islamophobia prudently and not perpetuating negative stereotypes. In an attempt to lessen religious intolerance, we conducted interviews with Muslim Americans and non-Muslims alike. Creating this video was difficult because we had to be sure our words couldn't be misconstrued as offensive or intolerant. Rather than coming up with an elaborate social experiment, we simply asked individuals their honest opinions of Islam.
Through this project I have learned that stereotypes wrongfully shape our society. Therefore, to mold society into a more tolerant and understanding culture, we need to educate, not discriminate.
Unfortunately, these issues are timeless and will always permeate in society well into my adulthood. Therefore, there will always be a need to Breakfree of these social misconceptions. I am happy that, as a high school student, this project allowed me to contribute towards a more tolerant society.
A challenge of this project was handling the issue of Islamophobia prudently and not perpetuating negative stereotypes. In an attempt to lessen religious intolerance, we conducted interviews with Muslim Americans and non-Muslims alike. Creating this video was difficult because we had to be sure our words couldn't be misconstrued as offensive or intolerant. Rather than coming up with an elaborate social experiment, we simply asked individuals their honest opinions of Islam.
Through this project I have learned that stereotypes wrongfully shape our society. Therefore, to mold society into a more tolerant and understanding culture, we need to educate, not discriminate.
Unfortunately, these issues are timeless and will always permeate in society well into my adulthood. Therefore, there will always be a need to Breakfree of these social misconceptions. I am happy that, as a high school student, this project allowed me to contribute towards a more tolerant society.
Exhibition Night Photographs
Exhibition Reflection
Queen Bee's is art and cultural center located in North Park San Diego. This was a perfect venue to present Breakfree. Queen Bee's sports a dance floor made of bamboo, and has a huge stage for a variety of spoken word poems and musical performances. Both of which were a tremendous success during our Exhibition night. This has been the best exhibition I have ever participated in during my high school experience thus far. The ambiance of Queen Bee's was superb; with perfect stage lighting and local artwork painted on the walls. People performed poetry, music, and we showcased our Breakfree videos throughout the two hour exhibition. This exhibition was the perfect culmination of all of our hard work. The evening didn't feel like a high school presentation, but rather a sophisticated coffee shop of performers entertaining and educating the masses.
Making Storyboard and Project Proposal
To make the foundation of our video we had to create a storyboard and a project proposal. Through the storyboard we detailed the process of producing the video. Our project proposal was our project pitch detailing the content of our video. This pitch listed details such as the various locations we'd be interviewing and interview questions. My role in the proposal was to write the project summary. The storyboard gave us an outline of our video. This outline began with scene one where we asked fellow students about Islamophobia. Both of these components were the skeleton of our video which was the first step in making the video come to life.
Storyboard
Scene 1 - Interviews with kids around HTHI asking: "What is Islamophobia"
Scene 2 - News clips showing discrimination against Muslims.
Scene 3 - Interview with Taha Hasane the leader of prayer at the ICSD. Asking: "What is Islam?
Scene 4 - Interview with two Muslim boys asking about their experiences with discrimination.
Scene 5 - Interview with the public asking about their experiences with discrimination
Scene 6 - showing public the interview of the Muslim teens. Asking for reaction based off their responses.
Scene 7 - Final Interview with Muslim teens, talking about how since 9/11 being discriminated against has been the norm.
Scene 2 - News clips showing discrimination against Muslims.
Scene 3 - Interview with Taha Hasane the leader of prayer at the ICSD. Asking: "What is Islam?
Scene 4 - Interview with two Muslim boys asking about their experiences with discrimination.
Scene 5 - Interview with the public asking about their experiences with discrimination
Scene 6 - showing public the interview of the Muslim teens. Asking for reaction based off their responses.
Scene 7 - Final Interview with Muslim teens, talking about how since 9/11 being discriminated against has been the norm.
Project Proposal
Presentation
Final Product
Personal Piece
Everyone has felt some form of judgement or discrimination at some point in their life. Because of this, we were tasked to write about our personal struggles with discrimination. Through recounting moments of personal struggles we realized that we are more than the stereotypes others label us as. We broke free of these personal dilemmas by expressing them through writing.