08/11/18

08/11/18
I had a meeting with my mentor and discussed my research and a rough plan on what I want to do for an assembly and the rest of my plastic free week in Sixth Form. I also discussed carrying out a trial run for any games or activities I plan to carry out during the week to troubleshoot and ensure that the activities are effective and informative. I also discussed my meeting with the Student Union who said they will support my project and offered their assistance with my project. This is a useful tool because the project will be more effective if i have different methods of getting my message across.

Research for Assembly Presentation

Over the past month I have collected multiple statements/quotes from multiple sources in order to have material for my plastic free week.

BBC Documentary South Pacific: "In just 40 years fish could be off the market" due to human pollution of the oceans
BBC Documentaries are well known for being reliable and well researched so this is a reliable source for content, along with the fact that the documentaries are produced containing information that is easily accessed by the public.

Sir David Attenborough: "It is surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth"

Plastic Pollution Coalition: "Plastic pollution and climate change are parallel global emergencies. Plastic is a petroleum product; to truly divest from fossil fuels, we must reduce our collective plastic footprint" The Plastic Pollution Collective is made up of individuals, businesses and policy makers trying to fight the creation, use and pollution of plastic products. They encourage people to live plastic free and run events to encourage larger communities such as schools and towns to get involved. They use a Plastic Free Town initiative where they encourage towns to become plastic free. They're "a part of the Plastic Pollution Coalition network of communities around the globe that seek to eliminate disposable plastic and to measurably reduce their overall plastic footprint." The plan includes ideas on how to locate the problems and then ban, prohibit and monitor the plastic use in towns.

The IPCC Report published on the 8th October 2018 has stated that we have 12 years to save the Earth due to climate change.

Research- Drowning in Plastic

Produced by the BBC, wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin visits scientists working in plastic research she works with leading marine biologists and campaigners, aiming to discover the dangers plastic poses to the future of the planet and to us as humans.

This 90 minute programme is produced over 9 months and involves research and visuals that present the current impact that plastic pollution is having on the planet. It is well researched and produced by the BBC which has high standards of production and a history of hard hitting and well researched documentaries such as Blue Planet II. This makes information from this source reliable and easy to digest for the public eye because that is what it's purpose is.
I want to use this source to cut clips from it and present them to students in the Sixth Form as part of a presentation that I aim to create and deliver in an assembly.One of the aims of my project is to use and make content that is easily accessible and has a positive impact upon the audience and this documentary does that effectively.

The main clip I want to use from this documentary is one of a seal trapped in a plastic fishing net that pollutes our oceans. I believe that, although this is a harrowing image, it will be effective at showing people the impacts that their life choices have upon the planet. In addition, the video will help me illustrate the fact that we have to be responsible for our actions and decisions; even though you didn't put the fishing gear in the oceans, you may support the industry that does every time you buy a tin of tuna. This is a hard hitting fact from an angle that people often don't think about.

Skills Audit

Through my EPQ I want to develop skills such as event and time management. However, in order to know I have developed these skills I want to acknowledge the skills I will use and possess.
I have developed many skills such as interpersonal and teamwork skills through my work with younger children as a Young Leader. However, I find it hard to present and organise things that are aimed at an older audience as there is often more pressure to do well so I would like to develop my interpersonal and communication skills in a more formal setting such as a presentation on an important matter to a more educated audience. I would like to develop my tolerance towards people with different opinions on important matters and I intend to do this through research on both sides of my topic. I already have research skills that I have gained through my coursework in other subjects but I would like to develop these further and learn to present my findings in an easily digestible way in order to reach a wider, educated audience. As I have done multiple written assessments I believe this is a strength, so to present my EPQ I want to develop other skills which is why I have chosen to carry out a social action/participation project as I think it will challenge me to develop presentation and communication skills that I will need in order to excel at university.