Design Club Party

The Design Club party went really well. I was a little worried when only 2 parents were there at 5:30, but soon pretty much all of the kids who attended arrived with their parents. The movie went really well, after working out a few glitches with sound and I think that the parents and kids enjoyed watching their accomplishments over the semester. I think that the kids had a really good time explaining their designs to their parents and they seemed proud of their accomplishments. The prizes added some excitement to the night and the kids seemed to really enjoy their target and Barnes and Noble gift cards. I think that the Party was a perfect wrap up for the end of design club. It was cool to see all of our semesters teachings and progress. Even though at times I felt like the kids were not interested, from their designs and excitement I now know they took a lot from design club. I only hope that they will now teach their friends and parents about sustainability, and that they themselves are more eco-conscious in their everyday lives.

-Kaley

Final Thoughts

Well, it was quite a semester. We experienced good days, and bad days. While the bad days seem to stick out in our minds, the Design Club overall seemed to be a success. Per the students' surveys and just the individual-type interviews we completed, it was obvious that basically every Casey student who stuck around till the end basically loved it and would do it again. One thing that certainly seems obvious upon looking back is the varying success of the different activities. The two that seemed to be the most popular, based on how everyone spent the bulk of their time on one or the other, were the sustainable communities and the green roofs. From this it seems clear that to everyone, the best activities are those that are hands on and involve everyone from start to finish. The other activities, like the carbon calculator and activity packets, were obviously less interesting and exciting. Also, when the architect came and essentially gave a lecture concerning the new school, it was quite obvious that it was not quite as successful, and the only part that the students seemed to enjoy was getting to see the designs for the new school. I think these were important lessons to learn about working with middle schoolers, which certainly helped us near the end, and will help the CU students and the future of the class to find success in future participatory work. As I said, the Casey Design Club was truly a successful program, despites its flaws and problems along the way. While there are things to improve for the future, everyone learned something valuable and EVERYONE can take something away from this great experience; I was glad to be a part of it.

Casey Design Club Final Evaluation

It is not the end of our semester with the Casey Middle School students and our Design Club. Despite the rough start and the doubt that I had that it would actually result in any positive outcomes, seeing all the kids at the presentation tonight showing off their models to their parents and friends shows just how strong working with the community can be despite all odds. We presented our final projects of video evaluations of design club, papers of the benefits of participatory processes, and manuals that would help future participatory projects succeed, tonight at the presentation. I think getting the parents reactions to what we did and how we tired to work with the kids as opposed to using them really turned me around on the whole process. At first I wasn’t sure that an entire community would want to get involved or would understand thee importance of a project like ours, but I heard that one of the fathers offered to help next time we created a design club by donating materials, time or whatever we needed at the time.
I think all in all the Design Club was a success. We definitely made an impact on the kids and I think they learned why sustainability is so important in design and lifestyles these days. I think one of the most successful parts of the club was the relationship that we developed with the kids. They really started to open up to us and I think that the relationship made the experience a much more positive one and hopefully the kids will be willing to be more involved in the future. I think in a participatory project that is what keeps it alive is teaching the students how to be involved and eventually they might begin to start their own community project an eventually the movement will become much greater.
I feel that the activities we did for the most part were good with the students, those who did them remembered them and felt that they did learn something from it. The most successful was the model building which I think was so popular because it was really a chance for them to express themselves and drive the activity as opposed to be taught it. They really liked the hands on experience and I feel that we were just there to facilitate things and observe their work. However, I feel that the project would have been more successful if we had created a bigger recruitment strategy. We didn’t have many students and the CU students still outnumbered them. So in the future I think early recruitment would benefit in the long run.
I loved working with the kids and I think I came away from the experience a better designer. I look at a design in a totally different way than I did before. I look at how it fits in with the surrounding environment much more both in appearance and in how it might obstruct their activities or enhance their activities. What do they use the building for and how does that differ or relate to that of the owner of the building. I think about all of the stakeholders now and not just the primary use of the building. For example, how do the parents use the building as opposed to the teachers? How does a janitor use the building as opposed to a gym teacher? There is a lot more to look at and incorporating all of that into a design is what makes it truly sustainable due to it’s efficiency and the connection made with it.

-Brittany

What a Great Finish!

Today we had our final celebration for our Design Club, and what a great success it was! I arrived early to help a few kids finish up with their projects. They all finished earlier than expected so they helped us by designing the layout of the room so that all of the work could be viewed in the best way possible. It was like taking the participatory process to that final step and having them help out with every last detail. As the starting time for the party rolled around, there weren't very many people at the party yet. It was a little worrying until a surge of parents and teachers showed up! It was great that almost every design club member was present! The kids seemed to really enjoy showing their projects off and telling what they had learned about in the past seven weeks. The adults seemed to be very impressed with what we all accomplished. I was thanked multiple times by parents for having been apart of the club. The prizes that we handed out were a great success as well! Everyone got a bunch of things with the explanation that they had worked very hard so thats why they were getting extras. It was a great gathering and I think that everyone enjoyed it. Even the siblings looked like they were having a good time. It was strange when I felt sad saying good bye to the club members, but they were such a great group of kids that it was hard not to get attached.
I think that our participatory process experience was a great success. Everyone learned something that we will be able to use in our day-to-day lives. I'm really happy with the whole process and am glad that I was able to be a part of it.
Chelsea
30 April 2008

Design Club 4/23

It seems like design club has been going really well recently. Even though we had some rough patches at the beginning, it seems like the club has really taken off. All of the Students seem really excited about the activities we are doing and the club as a whole. When talking to the children you can tell just how much they have learned and how much they truly care about the ideas of sustainability.
They are all really great children, and their ability to build the models like they did was really amazing. They all had a pretty good plan of what they wanted out of the model and how they were going to get there. My group knew they wanted a ‘deer elevator’ from the very beginning and this week they finally built their ‘deer elevator.’ The amount of planning that went into that fairly small addition was amazing. They really got into it and were really excited to see their final result.
My group was also very excited to have this final banquet. They were talking about what they were going to tell their parents. I think it is a great idea to give some sense of closure to the design club. Rather then just ending on the last day and being done with it. It also gives them a chance to show off what they have worked on.
The only problem we had with the green roof, is that our flowers were moldy. I think that if we do a green roof like this again we need to consider how long until the roofs are actually presented before planting. I am not really sure what the flowers are going to look like by the day of the banquet.
Overall, I really feel that design club really made a turn for the better. We were all getting worried that it wasn’t going to workout, but it really ended up turning into a great experience for all of the children and CU students involved.
--Laura

Ideal Communities and Green Roofs Equal a Fun Time

Well for the last two weeks the Casey students have been busy at work making either green roofs or their ideal community. I think that this has defiantly been their favorite activity probably because it allows them to use their imaginations, its hands on, there's a glue gun, and they get to make a huge mess, I mean what could be better than that it even sound like fun to me. Also for the first time this year it seem like all the Casey students are actually fully participating in the design club activities. What even more exciting is that they are all incorporating things that they have learned in design club about green roofs, sustainability, and other green features into their models. I mean they are still coming up with some crazy ideas but at least they have to do with what we have been teaching them. After our low point in design club right before spring break I was beginning to doubt if the students were there for the right reasons but these last few weeks have restored my faith in our design club students. I'm glad things are ending on a good note and am looking forward to seeing all the students present their model on our final day of design club.

Ben

One Last Day

So we had our final day at Casey, and I have to say it was kind of sad to finish up there. Hanging out and building all sorts of cool with the Casey students was a fun and unique situation that we probably will never again get the chance to do. Even though turnout wasn't perfect, I feel like we still had a good number of kids, particularly of the kids who were the most interested in finishing their projects. I felt like the kids accomplished quite a bit, while also learning a lot about sustainability. Overall, for a final day, Thursday went just fine as projects kind of wound down and everyone kind of finished up what they hoped to do. We certainly found success in keeping students entertained until the end, and students certainly seemed to want to continue the process further past that day. By keeping everyone interested, we succeeded not only in our goal of sustaining participation, but it meant that we were able to continue the education process, while continuing to provide entertainment for the Casey students. I certainly hope the Casey students appreciate the experiences, while finding it fun, useful, and educational at the same time.
~Austin~

All finished up!

Our final design club meeting went as quick as it came. In no time the groups continued to work on their green roof designs, and began to consider what they would say when presenting at the final party. I couldn't help but think about the seeds Galen and I planted in the green roof model today as a metaphor for the design club. I really hope that "seeds" were planted in the kids minds that generates a new sustainable generation in the years to come. It is sad to say goodbye, but our work here is done. Can't wait to see their presentations at the final party! (jon bortles 4/29/08)

Last Day: Design Club

The Design Club went really well again today, everyone just touching up and finishing their models. We didn't really have a lot more to do and it seemed like most of the kids were satisfied with their green roof designs. All of the models looked great and I was really impressed with all of the kids knowledge and commitment towards sustainability. I feel like now all of them have the basic elements if green design under their belt after learning about solar panels, wind power, ecological aspects, transportation, and sense of place within communities. Design club is a really cool idea especially in Boulder and after seeing everyones projects the headway that we made toward participatory is beginning to sink in. I really hope that the parents are as impressed with what their children have learned and created in design club as I have been.

-Kaley

The final day at Casey

Our last day at Casey Middle School was bittersweet. It was exciting to see all of the designs the students had made of the green roofs coming together and for the students to have a chance to display and talk about their accomplishments. It was nice and relaxing to a have a day just to complete the designs and gave the CU students more of a chance to talk with the Casey students and to interact on a more personal level. The students all seemed very excited about the green roofs they had created and were eager to share their ideas and knowledge on them. Although the beginning days of our Design Club were not as successful as we had planned, the final weeks displayed how a participatory project can work and how it can really benefit youth participants. The hands-on projects really got the students involved and gave them a chance to display what they had learned through their own creative ways. It was a great experience working with the 6th grade students from Casey Middle School and I hope they had as much fun throughout these last few weeks as I had!!


Stevi