Flor's Senior Project.: Independent Component 2

Literal

(a) Statement saying: “I, Flor Peralta, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”

(b) My independent component was putting together the first annual Denim Day in Pomona. This is an event to raise sexual assault awareness to the public. Also, since I got certified to be a crisis intervention counselor, I started to work on the PSFS hotline, and I have to complete at least 18 hours every month. It is required for advocates to volunteer in two fairs throughout the year, so I volunteered for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes at Pitzer College and a Carnival at Cal Poly Pomona.

Interpretive

Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.

Denim Day: I had to go to monthly meetings in order to organize the event; we had to add extra meetings because we had more things to do. In the meetings we discussed about the vendors that were going to participate, and where were all the tables were going to be, and the activities that we were going to have. The event was a success! We got good feedback from vendors, and many families went to the event. I really enjoyed working with the teen committee and putting the event together. Knowing that we're doing something for the community is very rewarding.

Hotline: After I got certified, I started working on the PSFS hotline. I got calls from people asking for information, and I even got to work one on one with survivors. I have to complete at least 18 every month and go to a monthly advocate meeting at the Red Cross at Cal Poly Pomona. This meetings are to discuss about future events coming up and talk about our calls and accompaniments.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: This is a walk to support sexual assault survivors, and in this walk many guys walk a mile in heels to support this cause. I worked on the PSFS booth giving information and I also walked the mile. I really enjoyed this event because it's a great way to show survivors that there's people out there that really care about this issue.

Carnival at Cal Poly: This event was put together by a fraternity at Cal Poly Pomona, and they envited PSFS to participate on the event. I went in behalf of PSFS. I worked on a booth and gave people information about the services that we offer.

Applied

How did it help you answer your EQ? Be specific and use examples.

I think that being able to work in all this events with PSFS has really helped me understand how society perceives sexual assault, and how important it is to educate the public. Being able to put Denim Day together, being part of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, and represent PSFS at Cal Poly's Carnival helped to come up with one of my answers, which is educating survivor's loved ones about sexual assault. The reason why this helped me was because many people approached to the booth asking questions, and I realized that they weren't really aware of what sexual assault really is and how it can affect a person. If someone doesn't really understand what sexual assault victims go through in order to become a survivor, then they won't know how to support them. I talked to my supervisor about this, and she helped me to build up my answer.

Working on the hotline has been incredibly gratifying. This has given me the opportunity to talk to different people and deal with different personalities and different needs. This helped me to come up with another answer, which is knowing how to gain the survivor's trust. When working with survivors I really don't know what to expect; every case is different, but it is quite important to let them know that you're there to help them, that you won't judge them, and that you will guide them through the process. They have already taken the first step which is calling the hotline, and that is a huge step to take, so now it is my turn to show them that I care and I want to help them. If they don't feel supported, they're not likely to trust you.

Grading Criteria

LOG=57hrs

Activities!