Yanet Govea Final Research Paper Soc 176

 

Yanet Govea

Final Research Paper

Soc 176 Dr. Kubal M.W @11:00AM

Introduction

My research consisted of an observation on a after school organization in the central valley, where I observed the staff members and how they interacted with each other. My observation ran for about 5 days. The first day of my observation was only and hour and the rest of the days were about 3-5 hours. My observations took place at the club and attended one public event to get good understanding on how they work with each other. I noticed that each staff member has a different role based on my observations.  After my observations I was able to interview all 5 staff members. Each interview was about 10 minutes long. You could tell that some were nervous, but after awhile you can tell that they were able to get comfortable with me. I feel like each individual was completely honest with me as soon as I presented the consent form and told them that everything is confidential. Based on my observations and my interviews all these staff members know how to interact well and really care about what they do. Their organizations come together in their community and love to help. This organization is located all across the U.S. Their goal is to be able to provide a good future to the young and especially the ones in need.

Literature Review

Georg Simmel in "The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory," his work focused on stratification, social differentiation, group formation and conflict. Simmel introduced the first sociology courses and wrote two major books, The Philosophy of Money and Sociology. There were two major concepts to Simmel's theory and that was interaction and lived experience (Ryan, 2011). Through interaction it is the meaning we give to our social actions. The concept of lived experience is the understanding of self and the world in which we engage through social activity. Simmel created a theory on cultural and culture change. There is objective and subjective culture.

Objective culture is the objects around us, such as technology and products. This type of objective culture is more dominant and refined. This type of culture is created by an individual. There is no connection and it is a visible characteristic. An example of objective culture would be someone's habits or religion. However, subjective culture is something that can be embraced and the way in which we interact and express culture. An example of subjective culture for me will be lighting a candle for someone that has passed away. Subjective culture allows you to feel connected with an individual.   

Simmel describes some issues on subjectivity culture. Someone that has a subjective view or culture have a hard time changing to a objective culture and have a hard time to maintain a sense of freedom and worth. As modern society is changing and adapting to new things, we compete to these new lifestyles. It is mentioned that resistance is way to political and social movements (Ryan, 2011). Simmel extended the idea of resistance to women. In an experiment he made a hypothesis that objective culture is not exclusively just male. So he asked, if males broke traditional roles would women create their own culture? So he answered with, women might just create their own culture or make changes in the dominant culture (Ryan, 2011).

In chapter four "Nature and Significance of Self" states that being yourself actually means being different in different situations. There has been debate on what is the "self" between social psychologist, psychologist, and symbolic interactionist. In a psychological view the self comes from your personality, values, beliefs, and motives (Sandstorm, 2010 p. 96). They view the self as coming from the inside and shaping a person's behavior. In a sociological view they believe that the self is social in nature and our "self" changes when we encounter different social relationships. They also truly believe that our "self" changes over time and when in different situations (Sandstorm, 2010 p.96). Symbolic interactionist reference the self as coming from a person's subjective consciousness and moral being.

           Erving Goffman brings the idea of front stage back stage. Goffman relates us as actors and we engage into a performance every time we interact with different people. We basically want people to like us, so to avoid judgement we act in ways where we seem more likable. If we are nice to others we are more likely to get a positive response. We try to succeed in impression management, so we will act in certain ways depending on the situation. Impression management is a process of self-presentation. Goffman points out that we set up a personal front that is set up in our type of setting, our appearance, and manner (Sandstorm, 2010 p.110). The setting being the type of place, our appearance is how we appear towards others, and our manner refers to or behavior.

Goffman stress the idea of self-presentation manipulating the front and back stage. We are a different person while being on a front stage setting. In a front stage setting we have an appropriate appearance, while in the back stage setting we have a more relaxed appearance. In a back stage setting we can reveal how we really feel and can release some type of stress from the front stage act.

In chapter five "Role Taking, Role Making, and the Coordination of Action," explains to us that we all take part in defining the situation. By interacting with others we learn the situation and definitions. We learn through observation and enacting these situations. For example, if I go to a restaurant I establish a role as a guest and the person who attends me has the role of a waitress. In defining the situation, we all define differently. We also have the ability to redefine the situation and coordinate with other people. If we are in an environment where we feel uncomfortable, we have the option to either leave or coordinate with others.

           As we all know we need roles to classify people. Roles is our expectations during our situation. So for me I have a role of a sibling, a student, an employee, and the list can go on. Since the day we are born we are exposed of the idea of roles, so we feel obligated to follow roles. When we break a role it is considered a sanction. We also involve ourselves in role taking. Role taking helps us act in certain situations. Role taking gives us the ability to adjust ourselves to fit in a type of expectation. In other situations we may break the expectation through role making. Role making helps us avoid negative role expectations. The idea of role making is also seen as a rough draft, also role making helps us distant ourselves from our roles.

           Through alignment actions we often find ourselves explaining our actions to other. The reason behind that is because we don't want others to judge us for our actions. In contrast, when we make an inappropriate act we tend to find an excuse for it or we justify it.

           Chapter eight from Dillon "Symbolic Interactionism," George Herbert Mead stress on the idea of the "I" and "Me" an interaction that goes on with the self. The "I" is the acting of self as for the "Me" is seen as the object. In the "I" state we know ourselves, we know how to act around others because we learn from others, and we are aware of the situation. Mead explains how we give meaning to in how we communicate. Gestures are strong symbols that we can read off from people.

Charles Horton Cooley brings up the idea of the looking-glass self, in which we are what other people think of us. The insecurity we display in any social interaction is determined by how we think the other person thinks of us. So this concept does not illustrate that we believe to come from who we really are, but instead from how we believe others see us. Socialization helps learn how to interact with others.

Herbert Blumer states that we follow cues from social environments (Dillon, 2013 p.280). Bulmer's three main concepts is meaning, language, and thought. In the concept of meaning we act upon meanings that people give us. Language gives us the ability to negotiate meaning through symbols. The idea of thought comes from how we come to interpretation to those symbols. Because of the different meanings we are given from people, we act accordingly to those meanings. Erving Goffman points us out as performers. We perform differently and take on roles depending in our setting.

Methods

In order to do an ethnographic research, it consists of talking and interacting with individuals of a certain group that you are researching. To choose your setting as a student it is best to choose a public setting. Having a public setting is easy access vs. a private setting it might be difficult to research. In choosing a good setting to research you also must look at the access of the setting, and geographical settings like transportation, interest, and cost, for example money or emotional discomfort (Warren and Karner, 2014). Choose a group that is accessible and that might interest you. Since you are not a member of the group you will have to present yourself as a researcher. First impression is very important if you want to gain access to a certain group. If you want to take part of the group you're going to want to be able to dress like them and be like one of the members of the group. You of course can't change your gender or skin color, but you can present yourself as one of them.

Before you start your ethnography research it must be approved by IRB, but in our case, it must be approved by our professor. In approaching the setting so you can be part of a group is simply sending an email or physically asking. Also try and be friends with the gatekeeper, once approved by the gatekeeper be punctual to the date and time given (Warren and Karner, 2014). You may also be assigned to a key informant by the gatekeeper and they can introduce you to different situations or connections. Instead of just doing observations of the group try and do some shadowing if possible. Shadowing can give you an insight of what the members of the organization do on an everyday basis.

The interview process comes after the ethnography research. Interviewing is a way in getting to know the interviewee a little bit more. We interview people for different situations, for example job interview someone is trying to find an individual for a certain position vs a research interview (Warren and Karner, 2014). There are different forms of interviewing individuals, such as telephone interviews, online, and face-to-face. We do interviews because we are interested in an issue or a problem. Your interview questions should be based on your research question. Start with questions that might seem easy to answer. Ask questions with little context we want the respondent to tell a story. Before starting your interview, you must have consent from the respondent and a signed consent form. You must ensure confidentiality, for example letting them know you won't mention any names nor the name of the organization. Also, you must avoid harm, no conversations that are psychological or that will bring traumatizing events to the respondent (Warren and Karner, 2014). In our class research if a question makes the respondent uncomfortable continue to another question.

You may also do interviews as a group or couples. An interview that consists of two people would be good for a husband and wife. A group interview know as focus group can consist of four to twelve people and it can provide you with a large amount of data in a short amount of time (Warren and Karner, 2014). You can also use Skype or use video chats for interviews as well. To choose how many respondents just depends on how much time you have in doing that research, as a student we had to be limited. To find respondents, you have to make sure, you can get to them in order to interview them. Once respondent has agreed to the interview you must set a time and place where the interview must take place and it must be convenient for them. Make sure it is a safe place for both and free of distractions. Also make sure your recording device is fully charged and working before interview begins. After all of your interviews you must transcribe them all word for word in your research. Exclude any names if any were said for confidentiality purposes.

Research also takes place in the visual and context aspect. The group that is being studied look for newspaper articles or any websites they might have. Media and Internet are a big part of our lives now so whatever audiences this group might have is good data for your research. Culture is a big part in research and how the organization is being portrayed by the media. Look for historical documents if your research has any. Images can also be used as research, pictures that have been taken a long time ago look different from today's photos. Photos in research can be used as means of perception of social life (Warren and Karner, 2014). The Internet is a great source in getting good information, but it is hard to tell what real information is and what is fake information. Dairies are a good source to get information if any, but of course you would have to get permission in order to use them for research.

The Internet can also provide you with any social media the organization has, you can collect data based on the comments people have provided on their page. It can link you to any videos or photos that can help you with your research. This type of context research is an easy and fast way to get information from the group you want to study because it does not require interaction. Having contact with the group is also good because they might have context information that you may want to see. They might have old articles or artifacts that weren't shared to public. Overall any information is good and useful information any comments, videos, pictures, interviews and observations are good for any research that you are working on.  

I did my observations through participating at a public event and writing field notes while at the club. The first two days of observation was at the club which started October 23 and the 24th, 2018. I did some participatory observation and field notes. On October 25th, 2018 I was at the club for only an hour and after I attended to a Halloween festival that the club organized. It was a public event for all the community to attend to. It ended at 8pm but I stayed a little longer to help the staff members clean up. I did a lot of participatory and memory observation that day. I went back to the club on October 29th, 2018 and I finished my last day of observation.

During my observations I did a lot of note taking and some memorization observation. The director's assistant let me shadow her and let me follow her around and explained to me all the programs they run at the club. When I was alone and just observing, watching over the staff members I was able to focus on some of the theories as well as thick description. A lot of my data consisted of thick description because I was trying to be as detailed as I could with my observations. The theories that I was able to focus on for my observations was status and roles, front stage/backstage, alienation, definition of the situation and meaningful action. During my interview process I used status and roles, front stage/backstage, alienation, role exit and emotion rule. For my context research I was able to focus on agency frame, symbolic frame, diagnostic frame, prognostic frame, and motivational frame.

Before I started my interviews, I had to present everyone a consent form, which they all signed. They were able to keep a copy of the consent form. I interviewed each staff member at the club in the director's office. I recorded all my interviews through my recording app on my phone. The director was nice enough to let me interview everyone including himself in one day. I did not interview any volunteers only staff members. I didn't have any problems with my interviews, but there were a few distractions of some kids accidentally walking in the office during some interviews.

To analyze all my data, I used a qualitative research software called NVivo. With this software I was able to run queries and create nodes based on my findings. I created 5 nodes for my observations, interviews and context research. I was able to run two queries to find the most used word based on my observations. I also was able to code all my nodes and organize them as well. For my interviews I uploaded and saved all my recordings onto my computer. I used a website called "transcript one" to transcribe all my recordings. I had to convert all my recordings into mp4 to upload them to transcript one. Once I transcribed my recordings I had to go back and fill in what wasn't transcribed. Each of my interviews were about over 9 minutes close to 10. I interviewed 5 staff members in total. They also have their own Facebook account, Twitter account, and YouTube account, as well as some articles. The articles are based on what they have done to help the kids and the community. I was also able to find articles on how the organization started and the history of the organization. I found good information about my organization but didn't get 30 sources. I had to use NCapture for any websites, like Facebook or Twitter. This process of collecting data and analysis went very well. Using NVivo helped me organize everything and ran pretty smoothly.

Analysis

• Thick Description

My first day of observation was on October 23, 2018 at the club. On this day I came in on the last hour, they were getting ready to leave. I can see the members in different locations of the workplace. I see one at the gym and the other two in the game room.

I did only an hour of observation this day. I came in at 5pm during this time the staff is getting ready to clean up and wait for the kids to get picked up since they only work till 6pm. During this hour we have one staff member "sports guy" at the gym. Instead of watching the kids I noticed him playing basketball. There is two more staff members in the other room which where they run programs for the kids. So there is two members but they are running their own programs.

For this next node I explain on how stressed some staff members looked. I also mention how the director was in the office for most of the time I was there. I also talk a little bit about his office and how big of a mess it was at the time of the observation.

When I walked in there it was pretty hectic. Some of the staff members look stressed most of time and the "sports guy" seemed stress free. The "boss man" was in the office most of time I was there if he came out I would see him go up to a staff member and would tell them something and he would go back into his office. I noticed his office has a big front window and he could see everything from outside the window. The window is a little tinted. I was able to go into his office and I noticed a lot of handy tools everywhere, almost hazardous. There is only one desk in there, one computer and 3 chairs. It is not spacious at all. To me the office looked disorganized. I got the impression that the "boss man" is a handy man because of all the tools that were in the office. I wish I could have taken pictures.

On one of my days of observation I was able to attend a Halloween festival that was provided to the public and the organization I was observing, setup and planned the whole festival. Almost everyone was dressed up in costumes. What caught my eye mostly was the bikers in which I talk about in this node.

The director of the club went to the festival and the sports guy went with him so he can run a booth. While I was at the club observing until it was time to go I noticed the only two staff members that were working that day were very relaxed. She expressed to me that it was an easy day at work for them. It wasn't as stressful as other days. I helped them clean and close the club down. After we closed the club down I went with the assistant to the Halloween festival. I was around 6:30pm when we arrived at the festival. The first thing I noticed when we arrived was a group of bikers. The street was closed down for the festival. The bikers had their leather jackets on and were older. They seemed to be in their late 40s early 50s. They had nice motorcycles very clean, I'm not sure if they were there for some kind of sponsorship or just to show off their motorcycles. I noticed State Farm sponsoring their insurance company. Everyone in that festival was wearing some kind of costume except for me. It was pretty chilly that night. There was a bounce house and a lot of booths of the different clubs around the community. Some of the booths had games for everyone who wanted to play. Every booth was passing out candy. I decided to participate and the director let me pass out candy. The parents would come with their children to get candy.

All of these quotes show some thick description from my observations. They explain some detailed areas from what I saw while observing.

• Status and roles (both ethnography & interviews)

The director's assistant showed me around the organization and explained to be what programs they run for the kids. She talked about a few programs that she runs. She was able to introduce me to the staff and I was able to see some of the programs they ran as well. I was able to see their roles and status of each staff member.

I was talking to one of the staff members and she explained to me the programs she runs. She is in charge of four programs, Jr staff, unicorn squad, my future (teens), career launch (teens). She explained to me that Jr staff the age group is 9-11, they help her prep for snack time and plans activities that help them prep for the future, for example like high school. I was shadowing her during snack time. She has to keep count of the boxes that are opened and counts the snacks that are passed out. I was helping her count out the snacks and after she is done passing out the snacks she has to text the person who brings the boxes of snacks the number of snacks that were passed out and the boxes that are left. The unicorn squad she does little fun activities like spa days, painting nails and such. Career launch is a program for the teens, they run this program once a week for an hour. The teens learn how to work on resumes and head start of what is expected after high school.  My future also a program for the teens, they learn about technology and learn how to use different programs to better their skills for the future.

These are some of the roles she does here. My next quote is about the receptionist and a few things that I saw and believe that are some of her roles.

Then I noticed the receptionist, I can see that she is in charge of all the phone calls that come through or if a kid is being bad she calls their parents. She sits in the front desk and waits till the parents come to pick up their kids. I noticed that she has to make sure the parents check their kids out before they leave and to obviously make sure it is not a stranger. She makes sure that no random strangers come in and out of the building.

This next quote is about another staff member I noticed. He does alot of healthy activities for the kids.

The sports guy he only runs a few programs which is sports and healthy habits. He plays sports with the kids in the gym. I do noticed a lot that he doesn't really pay much attention to the kids when he's in the gym because he plays basketball with the teens. The healthy habits program he talks about nutrition and healthy foods.

These references that I just listed shows a few descriptions of status and roles of some of the staff members.

For each individual that I interviewed I asked them what was there status and role in their workplace. In my interviews you will be able to see each person's responsibility and  they're position. Each person has a different role and responsibility.

Interviewer: Alright. What is your status and roles at your workplace?  

Respondent: Umm, I am the unit director. Umm and my role is to um oversee all the day-to-day operations. uh of our organization.

Here this respondent is straightforward and tells me that he is the director of that specific unit, meaning that specific location. Where he mentions "day-to-day operations" he means making sure everything is running the way it should. I feel like I should of asked for him to be more specific on his roles, but I didn't. Here is another individual with a different position and role. She was a lot more specific and detailed about her responsibilities at this organization.

Me: Alright. So what is your status and roles in your workplace?

Interviewee: So I just recently, I've got moved up into the program specialist so I was a sub for about 3 months up until now and um my status as a.. would mean as in status?

Me: As for you what you do.

Interviewee: Oh ok yeah, so I was a team specialist and the jobs that I had to do, that contained with that are umm just making sure that the kids are you know following the rules, um get helping them with their homework um you know kind of mentoring them through any problems with they might have at home at school whatever the the scenario is um sometimes you know the kids can be a little challenging, but thats one of them.

She describes how she started as a substitute and moved her way up and is becoming a program specialist. She also mentions some of her duties as a program specialist. She talks about how she helps the kids and she describes herself as a mentor to the kids. She also mentions how the kids can be a little challenging. There is another program specialist that I interviewed and he kind of mentioned a different role.

Interviewer: Alright, So what is your status and roles here at your workplace?

Respondent: Ok so starting off with my status I would say that, well I'm the program person so what I do, my status is sort of like in the middle. So I'm not on the bottom of the like employee food chain I guess, but I'm not on the top um and then my role. One of my roles I believe for this job there's multiple roles but one of them is to um, I would say to give the kids a better future. Um that's educationally, that's mentally, that's um you know like all that stuff combined us just to give him a better life away from all the negativity that surround them. Um and another role, my specific role is for thee, I try to get them as active as I can so they grow really healthy and um yeah.

Interviewer: Kind of like a sports coordinator, a little bit?

Respondent: yeah pretty much

This respondent is a program specialist as well. He describes himself as being in the middle, not being at the top and not being at the bottom. He mentions different responsibilities, one of them being, giving the kids a better future.  He says that his specific role is basically in the healthy department, keeping the kids active. So you can see that I kind of asked being "like a sports coordinator" and he agreed with that. This next respondent does a very amazing job explaining her responsibilities. She is very detailed and very specific.

Interviewer: I'm going to leave this here. What is your status and roles in your workplace?

Respondent: Umm, so that would be like my position?

Interviewer: Mhmm.

Respondent: I am uh office receptionist, however my tag says I'm a program specialist because I do interact with kids. Umm what else were you asking?

Interviewer: And the roles, what are your roles?

Respondent: And the roles, the roles is I'm the one in charge for checking in the kids, checking them out, make sure they're going with the parents, make sure if their walkers they walk, make sure if they need to be picked up and make sure that they don't try to walk because we have some kids that they'll try to just run out. Um I am also help out with staff when they need me to get them a break, when they need to use the restroom I'm there um if they need paperwork done, if they need Flyers done, I do the reports um I do the money reports, finances um I do um our attendance see how many attendants we have. Um whatever our staff needs I'm there so let's say they need "hey miss I need you to make me a flyer for this or I need you to make me a sign in sheet for this," I do all the sign in sheets and everything.
Interviewer: So you so a lot!

Respondent: Yes I do.

Here she tells me her position being a receptionist and explains why her tag says "program specialist" which it is because she interacts with kids. She talks about all of her roles here at this organization. Starting off with making sure the kids are being checked in and out and making sure they leave with their parents. There are teens that walk to the organization and walk home, so she makes sure they leave at an appropriate time. She covers for the staff members when they need to be covered as well as taking care of finances and money reports. She also takes care of the attendance. So she has a lot of weight on her shoulders and takes care of a lot, based on the things she told me during our interview. This last respondent was kind of timid and I feel like you could kind of hear it on her voice. She talks a little bit about her roles.

Interviewer: Alright. So what is your position?

Respondent: I started off as a um program specialist and then I eventually became an assistant director.

Interviewer: What are some of your responsibilities?
Respondent: I am able to supervise the children, but most importantly um I feel like I'm there to be a role model and be someone who's there to support them. We also are there to provide them with resources and help them as much as we can.

Interviewer: Ok, do you feel like you have a lot of responsibility based on your, I want to say your status?

Respondent: I would have to say that as soon as I became assistant director it became a lot more responsibilities because I had to uh when the director wasn't around I had to take over umm like timesheets and it was just a lot more of the um the paperwork and then I before I was assistant I was also um doing you know passing out the snacks for the kids. running different programs and so that all piled up together as soon as I became assistant.

Here I asked about her position and she mentions how she started as a program specialist and moved up to an assistant director. She explains some of her responsibilities, supervising the children being one of them. She states that they provide resources for these kids and sees herself as a role model. Later during our interview I asked if she felt like she had a lot of responsibilities, so she can describe to be a little bit more of her responsibilities, in which she did. She mentioned how she runs programs on top of her programs there are a lot more paperwork and has to fill in when the director is gone. So I was able to get a good understanding for all of these respondents on their status and roles.

• Front stage/ Back stage (both ethnography and interviews)

During my observation I was able to see a bit of front stage back stage. Here I was able to see the different sides of the staff members and where they hung out when there was down time, away from the kids,

What I noticed about these staff members is that they do not do a lot of interaction and when they do interact they talk about how bad the kids were behaving or how good they behaved.

For this next quote I describe how the staff members are more expressive when not around the kids.

I also noticed that if there is any down time the front desk is where all the staff members gather around to talk. I definitely believe there is front stage back stage because the front desk is where they seem to release their stress and are able to talk about what they want to talk about. They are more expressive with each other. When staff members are around the kids they hold back.

The next quote talks about the director's attitude change when the main director came in. I believe this is an example of front stage back stage because he's more relaxed and feels almost free when she's not around but when she comes in he's more serious and tries to be more professional.

I feel like the director's attitude changed when she came in because he seemed serious and was looking at the staff members to see if they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. When she isn't there he's normally very relaxed and laid back at work.

When the staff members are around together they are able to express themselves in ways where they feel relaxed and say what they want. When around the kids they of course filter themselves.

Front stage/backstage was a little challenging for me on how to ask these questions. So I kind of asked them questions kind of asking them how they present themselves when they are alone based when they are around kids or staff. Here are a few examples from my interviews.

Interviewer: Do you think that you act differently when you're around the kids then when you are alone?

Respondent: yeah definitely I definitely act different then when I'm alone um when I'm alone uh obviously you know conversation content is uh a little more adult friendly uh and then um. I you know uh again I like do adult things rather than you know around the kids you know we don't, I don't really. I won't even bring up like social media or what not but I do have social media so you know I don't I don't even I think around the kids they don't even really think I have a social life.

So here I ask the director if he acts differently when he's alone and around the kids. He responds to yes, that he does. He explains that when he is alone he has conversations that are adult friendly and that he likes to do adult things. When he is around the kids he doesn't mention any social media or anything like that because he doesn't want the kids to know what goes on outside the workplace. I asked the similar question to one of the program specialist.

Me: Umm do you behave differently when around the kids and then when you're alone?

Interviewee: Yes umm I feel like with the kids umm I wouldn't say I treat them like kids kids but I have to censor myself a little bit more. I mean like uhh when I'm off work I'm not going to lie I use a few curse words here and there and you know I might go out and party but I don't tell my kids that. I obviously tell them you know tell him the basics I go to school, I have you know a job..

Me: You set boundaries.

Interviewee: Yes exactly.
Here she mentions how yes she does behave differently because she feels like she has to censor herself when she is around the kids. When she is outside or work she does mention that she uses a few curse words and that she parties. Which I liked that she was honest with that question. She also mentions that she doesn't bring this type of conversations to the kids. I mentioned that she sets boundaries and she agrees to that. When I asked this question to the receptionist I felt like she was also honest with this question. I asked her the similar question as the others,

Interviewer: That's good. Do you behave differently when you're around with the kids, than when you're alone? Like for example when you're around with the kids you kind of have to filiter yourself, rather when you're alone you can be?

Respondent: Honestly around the kids due to respect like you said, I do behave differently because I got a little bit of potty mouth sometimes and I don't want to bring that up to the kids. So out of there a respect for them you know I make sure I'm on my best behavior, but when I am alone if I'm upset or something or just the occasion I do tend to slip a word out there every now and then, so I have to watch what I do you know in front of the kids because then I don't want them you know saying "oh wow Ms. has a mouth on her or oh did you hear what she said" you know I try to act professionally around them.

She also said yes because out of respect for the kids. She mentions how she has a potty mouth and that is something she doesn't want to expose that to the kids. She talks about here how she wouldn't want the kids to talk bad about her if they were to hear that kind of language coming out of her mouth. In her interview she mentioned how she makes sure she is on her best behavior when around the kids, but when she is alone she does slip a few word here and there.

I asked the sports coordinator a question about the staff members and if he behaves differently.

Interviewer: How about with your staff members do you behave differently when you're around them?

Respondent: Hmm yeah I behave different around my staff. Outside of work um both inside, I'm just a little different, here like I I don't, I keep my personal life sort of away from staff.
But for the most part I'm always energetic, I'm always I like to talk to people. I'm always friendly, so I'm not really that different is just the fact like the same conversations aren't the same conversations that I have outside of work.

I like how he pointed out "outside of work," but he did mention that he acts a little different. He talks about how he keeps his personal life outside of work, but that he energetic outside of work and when he's at work. He does a good job in pointing out how he has different conversations when he's at work and when he is outside of work.

• Alienation

The club during the days I went to observe I did witness a little of alienation in certain situations. My first quote explains alienation happening with the front desk staff member.

It also seems that she is alienated by the other staff members because she is the only person that runs the front desk and the front desk can never be left alone. The other staff members they interact with each other in the gym or in the game room.

This next quote I see how the volunteer that volunteers for the organization seems be left out by other staff members. She seems to be sort of left out.

I also noticed a new face, I thought maybe a new staff member. I then find out that she is a volunteer. Today was her first day volunteering. What I also noticed is that the two staff members that were there would talk and communicate a lot, but wouldn't communicate with the volunteer. They would sort of leave her out.

This next quote talks about leaving the volunteer out again by the staff members. This situation happened again on a different day of observation.

What I also noticed as the day went on that is that when the staff members got together and chatted they would leave out the volunteer, almost like if she was alienated.

As you can see alienation can happen anywhere. Also the volunteer in my opinion experienced alienation in two different days of observation. The person that works front desk can't obviously leave the front, so she can't get up and whenever she wants to. So it is easy to kind of leave her out at times, unless all the other staff members go to her and talk. The volunteer well I feel like they make it pretty easy to leave her out when staff members gather around to chit-chat because she is only a volunteer and she isn't there everyday.

Alienation is something that I did see while doing my observations. So I kind of asked some of the individuals if they felt like they were treated differently or equally. I also asked about the volunteers and how are they treated. I feel like the most honest person that I interviewed was the receptionist and she gave a good explanation on why she felt kind like she was being treated differently.

Interviewer: Ok so do you feel like your supervisor treats you different from your other staff members or do you feel like he treats you guys equally?

Respondent: I'm going to be honest um at first I, there was a point where I, I thought I was being treated differently um I just seen a lot of favoritism as time went on I noticed that things kind of changed and I had uh I just had a feeling about my supervisor that didn't rub me the right way. So I came to the supervisor and let him know you know what I felt and what not, got to know the supervisor. I would say now I feel he treats us all equally but at one point I did feel that no.

Interviewer: It wasn't.

Respondent: no it wasn't.

So here I asked her if she felt like the supervisor treated her differently or the same from her other staff members. She responded with, there was a time where she felt like she was being treated differently and that she saw a lot of favoritism. It came to the point where she had to speak to the supervisor about it. After her discussion she feels like now he treats everyone equally. Another example, I asked one of the respondents about how were the volunteers treated and she also did explain to me how they are excluded.

Interviewer: Okay and then I'm going to ask you one more question or a few more. Um what about volunteers do you guys act different around volunteers or do you guys make umm have to watch them or how does that work?

Respondent: Umm with volunteers they have to be from what I know they have to kind of like be by a group specialist or a program specialist because they, you know they're kind of like they don't have certain like abilities like uh for example, one volunteer that we have currently she is shadowing but you know like in the gym. Oh yeah so one of the volunteers that we have she is being shadowed you know shadowing one of our coworkers and um she she's allowed to be in there with him and the kids are allowed to be in there with her, but as soon as he steps out she also has to step out and so do the kids because she no longer has that like um you know like.

Interviewer: So she can't be alone?
Respondent: yeah she can't be alone, she has to kind of be with somebody, shadowing somebody always um so yeah that's something kind of sucks for a volunteer but I mean I guess that's good enough or something but um. What was the other part of that question?
Interviewer: I think that was it.. Ok I think that was it with that one
Respondent: oh we do, we treat them differently.

Interviewer: Oh yeah!

Respondent: Yeah yeah like besides letting them shadow I think that uh sometimes I, well I catch myself that I feel like we're kind of like not having them involved in our conversations like when we're like waiting for the kids and I feel like they feel a little bit awkward and so I try to invite them into our conversations. They just feel a little alienated.
Interviewer: left out.

Respondent: yeah and I really try not to do

The respondent explains how volunteers can't be left alone with the kids. They always have to be shadowing a program specialist. One thing that caught my attention is that I didn't ask her if they treated them differently, I asked do they act different around them. So she kind of mentioned how they don't get them involved into any of their conversations and she feels like they feel a little awkward and alienated. When I asked this question about the volunteers to another respondent she mentioned how they are excluded.

Interviewer: Ok, do you feel like volunteers are treated differently than staff members?

Respondent: I really think they do. I feel like they're excluded um we pretty much just want them to be there to supervise, obviously we wanted them to engage. But because they are volunteers the kids aren't they don't know them that well like they know the staff that are there so they're pretty much just there to supervise so they kind of do get excluded.

Here I ask the question do you feel like volunteers are treated differently. The respondent answered that yes she does feel like they are treated differently. She also mentions how they are excluded  and that the kids also somewhat exclude them.

• Definition of the situation

Here I noted a few things that I saw that defines the situation. This next quote describes the definition of the situation of that specific day at work for a staff member.

While I was at the club observing until it was time to go I noticed the only two staff members that were working that day were very relaxed. She expressed to me that it was an easy day at work for them. It wasn't as stressful as other days.

This next quote I attended a Halloween festival and described the definition of the situation of the DJ for that festival. I also talk the type of music he is playing for the festival.

There was a DJ, what I noticed about the DJ is that he was playing kid music. He was also playing music that is being played in today's radio, but would filter out the bad words.

For this next quote I talk about the definition of the situation of the director when an unexpected guest comes in. I mention his attitude and his facial expressions.

I saw that an unexpected guest came in today, it was the head director. The director of the club didn't know she was going to show up. His expression was very surprised. When she came in she said hi to all the staff members and all the kids. She then later on went to the director of the club, he started showing her around the club. It seemed like he was showing her the progress they were doing and the programs they running for the kids. To me is seemed like an unexpected evaluation. I noticed that they sat down at a table and started talking. The conversation seemed serious because of their facial expressions. They weren't laughing nor smiling, they both had a serious face. I feel like the director's attitude changed when she came in because he seemed serious and was looking at the staff members to see if they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. When she isn't there he's normally very relaxed and laid back at work.

All these quotes express different definitions of the situation. Each individual have a different way expressing their own definition of the situation.

• Role Exit

Role exit was also a challenging on for me to come up with questions. The reason being it's because I feel like it sort of similar to the front stage/ back stage. So I did find it a little difficult. I did ask some questions about their behavior when put in different situations. So with this respondent I just asked her how does her behavior change when put in different situations.

Interviewer: Ok so how does your behavior change when you're put in different situations?
Respondent: When it comes to work it's a lot more different than when I would be with my friends. At work I have to you know, keep things professional no oversharing, just pretty much just being there to listen to the kids but whenever I'm with my friends you know I'm more outgoing. I um I can be myself a lot more with the kids, I mean with my friends then when I'm around with people from work.

Here the respondent gives me an example of how when she's at work she keeps it professional and doesn't overshare with the staff or kids. That she is there to basically work. She mentions how when she's around her friends she is a lot more outgoing and can be more of herself.

Here for this next one don't pay attention towards my question that I ask, but on the respondents answer.

Respondent: Uhh for the most part I believe everybody I treat everybody equally.
Hum I do have a few uh different type relationship with uh you know with each individual um staff member. But or do you want an example?

Interviewer: Yeah

Respondent: Okay for example I have 2 female or 3 female um 3 female staff members and one a male staff member and I believe that um whenever I um whenever I come.
Interact with uh the females um I like my demeanours a little bit different little more um you know a little less relaxed and then with um with the male staff member we get to talk about like sports and you know we can relate a little more to you know more male stuff, yup exactly.

The respondent explains how, when he is engaging with the females at work he's a little more different. He feels a little less relaxed when around the females. When he is around the male staff member he's able to talk about sports and can talk about something towards his comfort zone. The next question again, isn't the best question, but it's more about her response.

Interviewer: When engaging with the kids do you feel like you are putting on a show for them?

Respondent: Yes and no. Uhh I try to give them you know the best part of me and you know give the best examples anything that I can best advise um and sometimes putting on the best show means like patience um I know that I could act differently with my siblings I'm more harder and more intense with them vs. with these kids I have to be a little bit more softer just because some of them can take it the wrong way or their parents might take it the wrong way or something so you kind of have to find that weird little balance to you know find the perfect um balance.

In this response she mentions how when she's at home with her siblings she can be more strict and harder on them, because they're her siblings. But when she's at work she explains how she has to me more softer on the kids because they can take it the wrong way if she treated them like if they were her siblings. So I think this is a good example because she is put in, in different situations.

• Emotion Rule

For this node I found a few emotional rules during my interview. Here I ask the respondent about what kind of emotions are accepted in her group.

Interviewer: What kind of emotions are not expected in your group or your work area?
Respondent: In my work area I would have to say just not over sharing. Just you know keeping it professional, just limiting what you say.

When I asked her that question she was straight to the point and mentioned that oversharing is something that it is not accepted. As well as always limiting what you say at your work area and always keeping it professional. I asked a respondent if anyone has gotten emotional or mad.

Interviewer: Has someone gotten really mad or emotional in your group?
Respondent: I don't think I ever got to see anybody get really really mad over anything. I mean there's been times where we've disagreed on certain things, but not to the point where we've gotten mad is just miscommunication.
Interviewer: What about emotional?

Respondent: Emotional yes, I have with a coworker just, this is kind of the part where like I mentioned earlier you don't over share, but she over shared a lot of stuff that was going on in her home and just things about her family and she just wasn't good to be at work. It was just a tough day so she had to go home.

She mentions how she has never seen anyone get mad. That they do have disagreements here and there but it has never gotten over hand. I asked about emotional. She did mention how someone over shared about their problems from work and that individual got really emotional that she had to go home.

• Diagnostic Frame  

This node explains how the organization of this area started by accident. It talks about a problem that they had about young kids involved in gangs that would start problems at a coffee house. When the organization started up it kept the boys busy and off the street. Young boys that had nowhere to go would also attend the organization.

Clubs Spread Across the Nation: Some clubs began by accident. One example is the New Haven Club. In 1871, the United Workers of New Haven were concerned. They had organized a coffee house to lure their members away from overindulgence in the local saloons. The coffee house was so inviting that gangs of street boys invaded it, and something had to be done to keep them away. They hired a Midwestern farm boy, John C. Collins, who had dropped out of Yale when he ran out of money. He was given board and paid one dollar a week to deal with the boy problem. Collins found an empty space, and he stuck a sign on the door that said "Boys' Club." This new club was sponsored by local businessmen who were glad to pay to keep those pesky boys off the street. In no time, the club was filled with boys who had nowhere else to go.

The organization was meant for boys when it started, so this next quote it explains when african americans came from the north they faced a lot of poverty. The organization helped a lot of the people that needed help. A lot of their children attended to the organization and young boys in crisis.

Racial Integration: The millions of African-American families that came north during the twenties in search of a good life had a difficult time. They left homes and family members behind. They faced the trauma of poverty and the distrust of new surroundings, especially when the surroundings happened to be crime infested slums. The situation cried out for the support that the Boys' Club Federation could offer. In Northern areas, the African-American community had already begun to form their own groups to help their children. Often, these joined with the Boys' Club Federation to rescue boys in crisis.

This next node explains the great depression and talks about how the so many people lost their jobs and companies going bankrupt. People that were already in poverty it became more desperate and harded. The organization and many more had offered as much help has they could. The organization had to move to another location and instead of getting paid U.S dollars they were being paid with substitute money for credit. All of the workers from the organization accepted this form of pay. During the depression the organization did not lose not a single worker.    

The Great Depression: The events of the 1929 Wall Street crash were startling. Unemployment grew to 25%, jobs were lost at the rate of 12,000 per day, 20,000 companies went bankrupt. The Depression affected all Americans, but for those at the poverty level with no resources, the situation was truly desperate. Nationwide, it was a hard time for families. With unemployment so prevalent, a crisis in domestic life developed. Marriage and childbearing declined. Families lost their homes, some lived on the streets. Others built shanties in parks or even on garbage dumps. These little settlements of shanties were called "Hoovervilles", an ironic reference to President Herbert Hoover. Waves of desperation took many forms. Suicide rates went up. The Bonus Army, consisting of as many as 20,000 World War I veterans, marched in Washington D.C. in 1932. They demanded immediate cash payment redemption for 20-year bonds issued to them as service veterans. Since the bonds were not yet mature, their demands were refused, and U.S. Army troops were sent in to suppress the marchers. Four veterans died and 1,017 were injured.

It was more important than ever that organizations, such as the Boys' Clubs of America, the Salvation Army, and the Red Cross, offer as much help as possible. But these organizations were also low on funds. The BCA's national office in New York City had to move from a fashionable midtown location to less expensive quarters. In Detroit, BCA staffers were paid in surplus food and, instead of U.S. dollars, they were given scrip – a substitute money issued by the city as a form of credit. In addition to the Depression, the Boys' Clubs of America faced another major loss. C.J. Atkinson, the chief professional BCA officer, retired. Without a suitable replacement, President William Hall began to wear two hats and wore them with distinction throughout the1930s, always serving as a volunteer. Hall had this to say: "Everyone pitched in to meet the challenge of the troubled times. Boys' Club workers accepted smaller salaries; some clubs had established reserve funds, which helped them weather the financial breakdown; many benefactors provided additional funds when it was possible. The national Boys' Club movement did not lose a single club affiliate during the Depression.

This next quote talks about how crime rates go up during summer time. In order to help in the community the organization steps up to help out and to help kids stay busy.

Summer months in the Valley not only usher a spike in heat, but also a spike in crime. According to Tulare County, crime rates during summer peak between 8 p.m. and midnight. That is why in the of summer 2011, the Tulare County Step Up Advisory Committee challenged communities to get involved and to help provide positive, wholesome activities for youth during these critical hours.

All of these quotes state some kind of social problem, whether it be violence or poverty. Both are troubling evidence that needs a solution. The organization had to find a solution for the problem.    

• Motivational frame

For this quote a member from the club is trying his best to inspire the boys. The member read inspirational books to help him, but all the boys wanted to do is play around and have fun. So the member from the club tried a different approach to catch the boys attention. He decided to play games with them and made sure they had rules to follow. The boys learned about following rules and the results were good, the boys benefited from the organization.

Collins tried reading from Horatio Alger and other "inspirational" authors in an attempt to reach the boys that he called "these small atoms of humanity." He tried to lecture them on manners and cleanliness, but this approach didn't suit these lively street kids. They only wanted to "have fun and play games." Collins listened to them and followed their wishes but with an important difference. If games were to be played, rules must be followed. The result was a happy one. Boys learned that following rules made the games more fun to play.  He stayed three years in New Haven. In that time, 2,000 boys enjoyed and had the benefit of his organization. He went on to create club networks throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut.

This next quote talks about how the first African-American to lead the club and served as a superintendent. He was able to extend the club in African-American communities. He was able to provide the club with a gym, reading room, vocational training areas, campsites and swimming pool for the youth.

Boys at the Wissahickon Club

The earliest all African-American club was one of the original 53 – the Wissahickon Boys' Club of Philadelphia, founded in 1903. William T. Coleman, the first African-American to lead a Boys' Club, served this club as superintendent from 1911 to 1926, when he was selected to be the Boys' Club Federation's first field secretary in charge of promoting and extending club work in African-American communities. He left Wissahickon with 1,100 members and a physical plant valued at $40,000 and it continued to thrive. By 1931, the membership had grown to 1,275 and the plant value to $60,000. This highly successful club had a gymnasium, a reading room, vocational training areas, swimming pool and campsites.

For this next quote it talks about goals in providing a safe environment for the youth to attend during summer to keep busy. Because the crime rate is so high during summer this is a good way to get them involved in the community. This also provides summer jobs for people that need it as well.

Goals:

Provide safe recreational opportunities for youth of all ages.

Reduce crimes committed by and against youth during the summer months.

Improve the local economy through jobs, training, and purchasing food and other supplies.

Communities county-wide are stepping up to bring the Summer Night Lights (SNL) program to youth and families throughout the County featuring summer fun activities beginning this June and running through August.

For this next quote it explains how kids that attend this organization do better academically. It shows statistics of kids that attend the organization stay away from alcohol and drugs. It also shows you how kids stay active and healthy. They also report to get good grades in their schools.   

teens who regularly attend a Club do better than their peers. Making a Difference

Club of America's research shows that young people who attend a Club regularly tend to do better than their peers nationally. For instance:

68% of Club 12th graders volunteer at least once per month, while 39% of 12th graders nationally do so.

91% of Club ninth graders report abstaining from alcohol, compared to 77% of ninth graders nationally.

91% of Club ninth graders report abstaining from marijuana use vs. 85% of ninth graders nationally.

27% of Club girls in middle school are physically active each day, compared with 23% of middle-school girls nationally. 42% of Club boys in middle school exercise daily, while 37% of middle-school boys nationally do so. 73% of low-income Club members ages 12 to 17 who attend the Club regularly report receiving mostly As and Bs, compared to 69% of their peers

https://www.bgca.org/about-us/club-impact 1/4

12/7/2018 The Club Impact nationally.

12th-grade Club members are more than twice as likely to express an interest in a STEM career as 12th graders nationally (56% of 12th-grade Club members vs. 25% of 12th graders nationally).

All of these quotes show that something has to be done about some social problems that we have. One of them trying to keep the youth out of trouble and out of crime. This organization has goals they want to meet and it is to improve as an organization and in the community.

• Prognostic Frame

This quote talks about the organization started and how it became about. This organization started to keep young boys off the street. The club's main focus was to improve the young boys behavior and their personal goals.  

The club had its beginnings in 1860 with three women in Hartford, Connecticut - Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin and Elizabeth Hammersley. Believing that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, they organized the Club. With character development as the cornerstone of the experience, the Club focused on capturing boys interests, improving their behavior and increasing their personal expectations and goals. A cause was born.

The organization, as I mentioned before started as a boy's club. As the years passed they initiated young girls as well. This organization has been going on for 100 plus years providing for the youth and the community.  

To recognize the fact that girls are a part of our cause, the national organization's name was changed their in 1990. Accordingly, Congress amended and renewed our charter.

2006 marked the Centennial year of the club of America, as we celebrated 100 years of providing hope and opportunity to young people across the country.

This next quote is about how the organization set up an event to raise money for their organization. In order to keep an organization going you need money to keep it going and be able to provide the youth with materials, games, and other needs.

The money raised at Saturday's event helps cover the cost for children to attend the club. This year's effort will cover the cost of 150 children, ensuring that these kids continue to enjoy the club and everything it offers kids in the way of academic success, good character and citizenship and healthy lifestyles.

The evening sometimes silly, sometimes hammy and always funny was still a serious opportunity for the community to raise money through the live and silent auction bidding and the fabulous dinner catered by Fugazzis. In addition, supporters got to hear from one club member about the difference the Club has made in her life.

"I am so proud of our community, and how we come together to support the youth of the city," Pinto said. "We raised more than $60,000 and I could not be happier!"

Pinto said that over the 10-year life of Comix 4 Kidz, close to $500,000 has been raised for the kids, which equates to helping more than 1,200 children enjoy the benefits of the club.

"That's 1,200 children that we have impacted their lives, and ensured that they have a safe place to learn, play and just be a kid," she said.

This next quote is about getting the communities involved and getting all the programs involved to provide a safe environment for the youth. This also involves the parents, so they can help as well. It is a solution to keep the youth out of trouble and to keep them busy and if they are old enough they can get a job for the summer.  

The Summer Night Lights program is a collaborative initiative that will begin its eighth year in County this summer. Summer Night Lights provides positive programming and a safe environment for youth of all ages. Communities participating in this coordinated effort.  Community partners include the County Board of Supervisors, The Club, County Workforce Investment Department, Family HealthCare Network, CSET, County Office of Education/SEE, United Way, County Probation, Sheriff's Department, cities, local law enforcement, school districts, local churches and more.

Vision of the Summer Night Lights program:

Keep a youth/family centered venue open at least one night in host communities.

Provides full time summer employment and specialized training for 22 County youth.

Provides positive programming for youth and families countywide.

Allows for positive interaction between youth and local law enforcement.

Gives youth and families a fun and safe environment.

Serves free food to all that attended.

Provides community organizations, including churches, a forum to introduce their services to the community.

Serves more than 27,000 youth and adults (summer 2015).

All of these quotes are conclusions to the problem. The organization is trying to find ways to better themselves and help the youth stay out of trouble. Each year they are trying to come up with activities for them to do during summer and winter breaks.

• Symbolic Frame

I was able to find a few symbolic frames based on some articles that I found. This quote it explains how the organization came out and marched for Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. All of the kids held hands to show equality between each other.

The scene of black, white, Hispanic and Asian children holding hands and banners as they marched side by side on Monday through the streets of the city was organized by the organization of the Sequoias to remember the civil rights leader in observance of his birthday. The march commemorated how Dr. King influenced legions of Americans to fight for the civil rights of African-Americans by organizing marches through city streets across the South.

Kids from every background from the organization in gathered at 10 a.m. at the city location to kick off the march to begin a day-long celebration. They marched down the sidewalks along the where speakers and performers await their arrival.

"Dr. King lived by example, and it was important to him to accelerate the progress of African-Americans using peaceful methods, including marches, and that's what we want children to remember about him," said the Area Director from the club. "By participating in this march, we hope kids will begin to appreciate the ongoing fight for equality.

This quote talks about how directors and staff members of the organization pull an event together to raise awareness about bullying. The kids that attend the organization don't say that they're being bullied, but their personalities show concern. Some of the kids become withdrawn from the program and their attitudes change. A lot of the staff members hear stories about these young kids being bullied.  

Watching the children running about the playground at the first Lights On Afterschool event at the Club, you'd never realize they're dealing with the pressures of bullying in everyday life. But when asked, many of the children in attendance say they have been picked on and teased to the point they've called on teachers and parents to intervene.

The Club's Unit Director said he realizes kids in their program are also coping with this issue. So when the national Lights On Afterschool event was announced, he decided to give their night a theme to raise awareness about bullying.

He's noticed some of the children enrolled in their after-school program becoming withdrawn, their grades dropping and their attitudes changing. He's heard stories about the students being picked on because of their clothing or their shoes and that they were being bullied online.

"They were affected to where it showed in their personalities," one staff member said. "They didn't want to participate in programs and their grades were dropping. We'd have conversations with them and bullying is really big."

For this quote, when the organization started many years ago the members of the organization concentrated on keeping the boys off the street busy. This quote shows the symbolic interaction among  the youth. They don't care about the color of the skin of each individual or any imperfection one must have. All these boys cared about is playing games and playing with each other.

In 1922, the Harlem Boys' House, in New York City, joined the Boys' Club Federation to better serve their youth. Only a year later, the Children's Aid Society reported that this new club had "quieted that whole neighborhood. Eight hundred boys, many of them colored, are enthusiastic members." The mix of black and white boys seemed to present no problem. C.J. Atkinson reported that a Boys' Club boy "seemed to have very little concern as to where his Boys' Club pal and playmates had been born, the color of his skin, the dialect or imperfections of his language, or the church he might attend." What the boys wanted was to play games, enjoy boxing and basketball, and share this fun with other boys.

All of these quotes show some kind of symbol to raise awareness in the community. They show equality among the youth or raise awareness about bullying. Either way this organization helps the youth come together as a whole.

• Agency Frame

For this quote Frontier Communications makes a donation to the organization to access new computers and fast internet. Because school work relies a lot in searching the web we dependent on using the Internet, especially on our generation.

This kid is like most 12 year olds living in a city. He's part of a generation that relies on Internet access for entertainment, directions, spending time with friends, and, most importantly, learning. But unlike many children in the, he doesn't have access to the Internet at home. Instead, he spends his afternoons in the computer lab at the Club searching for information on the Internet, typing up reports and making videos for school projects. And thanks to a recent donation from Frontier Communications, he and the other 150 students who attend the club after school each day he will be using a brand new computer with broadband access this fall.

"An education helps kids like me learn important things by doing school work, homework and working on projects," said the kid, one of the speakers at a press conference at the club on June 22. "The computers and Internet here, it's a really nice thing to do."

This nest quote talks about how a staff member watched a young kid that would attend the organization. This kid made a decision to kill somebody. Was this young individual influenced by outside of the organization or did he do it based on his own free will.

As the kids grow into teenagers, the stakes for making the right decision get higher.

"There was an incident where a former club member killed somebody," a staff member said. "I watched that kid grow up through the program, but at some point he got disconnected and the influences outside of here got involved, and now he's going to spend the next 15 years in jail."

This club employee has been coming to the organization for nine years. He explains how he wants to inspire young kids. This staff member hopes to go to college one day and pursue a career.

A club employee, has been coming to the club for nine years. The people at the club are his role models, he said. Now as a 16-year-old, it's his turn to get a job inspiring kids at the club. He starts with his sister, who he brings to the club with him every day.

"I try my hardest to keep them in here, like most of these kids look up to me so I can show that they can actually become something," he said.

He hopes to go to college and play football or baseball. He wants to study something to do with science, maybe chemistry.

These quotes show independent acts by individuals. Staff members have experienced a lot with these young kids.

Conclusion

In conclusion observing people was fun. I already people watch as it is in public just because it is interesting to me, but observing an organization was a lot more interesting. The reason being is because you get to see the depths of the inside. It is kind of like you get the front row seat at a concert and get to see the details. I also discovered that I enjoyed interviewing people more than I thought I was. I was pretty nervous when I interviewed my first person, but once I got to my second one I felt myself getting more comfortable. I felt like I was able to get a more in depth understanding of each individual's position and what this organization means to them. For the most part I felt like they were pretty honest with each question I asked. Interviewing was a new process for me but I can say that I really enjoyed it. Using the software NVivo was confusing at first because I didn't know about it till I started this class. Once you get the hang of it, it gets easier to use. Overall this organization saw a problem and are trying to help as many youths possible. They started out as just a boy's club and later on including young females. This organization provides good information and technology for the youth. Staff members and directors of the club try their best to set a good explain for these young kids. They help the community and trying to keep the young out of trouble, which it is a good idea. It keeps all of these kids untied including the staff members. Going through these articles I learned even more about the organization.

References

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2. Sandstrom, Kent L. Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality: a Symbolic Interactionist Approach to Social Psychology and Sociology. 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2010.
   
3. Scaff, Lawrence A., and LAWRENCE A. SCAFF. "Simmel, Georg." The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory, edited by Michael Ryan, Wiley, 1st edition, 2011.
   
4. Warren, Carol A. B., and Tracy Xavia Karner. Discovering Qualitative Methods: Ethnography, Interviews, Documents, and Images, . 3rd ed., 2014.