Before I Die

Sofia Romero Campbell

Hansen
Passages II

I. Introduction
 During a trip to New Orleans Louisiana, I learned about a famous art installation called
the Before I Die wall. Although I wasnt able to visit it myself I watched a TED talk on the
artist Candy Chang and became fascinated by her work. In the TED talk, Candy Chang discussed
her life as an artist living in New Orleans and how she wanted to create a meaningful way to
recognize the death of a loved one. Since the initial creation, the wall has received national and
international acclaim for its inventiveness and the for the opportunity it gives people to reflect on
the words before I die
After returning home from my trip to New Orleans, I did some research and found an
online platform Candy Chang had created that both promoted and supplied the creation of
Before I Die walls all over the world. From that point on I was inspired to create my own wall
in the Denver community to give a chance for others to experience the same level of reflection
and inspiration I experienced.
For the creation of this wall as a Passage I plan on using the Before I Die website as a
guide for materials and production of the wall. Additionally I plan on drawing community
organizations I am involved with such as the Blossom Project to help me organize, build, and
maintain it. I am committed to sharing this art piece with more than just the Denver community,
and for that reason I will also be updating pictures of the wall onto social media as well as
notifying the Before I Die website so that they may also have artifacts for their online blog
shared around the world. Lastly, I will be taking an intercultural look at the varying responses
that come from the different organizations I put in the wall in order to understand the human
connection everyone shares regardless of their location.

II. GPS Domains

This Passage will address three of the four Domains of Global Competence, Taking action,
Recognizing perspectives, and Communicating ideas.

Taking Action:
I will be identifying organizations in the community, specifically the Blossom Project to help me
organize and build the Before I Diewall. In addition, I also want to create and maintain
connections with the city so that I can communicate my plan to build the wall and have the
proper paperwork to do so. As a result of the Before I Die wall organization I also need to
contribute to their online blog by being active and updating their website with progress on the
wall.

Recognizing Perspectives:
This Passage will not only be a reflection of my ideas, but also a an exploration of other peoples
thoughts in the community. Even though the wall will be in Denver, there will be other cultural
ideas and perspectives shared that follow individual experiences. Whether it be age, sexual
orientation, race, or class the wall will give understanding and exposure to interpreting and
communicating the situations and events in peoples life.

Communicating Ideas:
Through pictures and social media updates I will share the Before I Die wall with a diverse
population in the city and abroad. These updates will mostly likely be shared on my own
personal media page and the Before I Die website. In addition to the communication of the
final project, I also need to prepare myself to speak with other organizations and government
officials to prepare and find support to both approve and build the wall. Lastly, with the pictures I
will write a reflection about the responses and the feedback I received after building the wall.

III. Form
The final product for the completion of this Passage involved four completed components:

1. Completed Before I Die wall

2. Documentation of the wall through pictures
3. Written reflection of my experience making the wall as well as the responses I
saw
4. Sharing the wall on the Before I Die website and other media outlets.

IV. Learning Objectives

A. Become comfortable filling out legal paperwork
B. Broaden my connections with organizations and city officials
C. Express my Passages meaning and importance professionally
D. To learn how to build a successful Before I Die wall
E. To improve my ability to share my Passage on social media and other media outlets
effectively and professionally.
F. To improve my budgeting skills to acquire the proper materials.
 V. Timeline

Activities/Work/ Task: Date: Documentation:

Contact Blossom Project and Email

ask if theyre interested in 2/13/16
partnering with me.

Contact the city and fill out Email

paperwork for proper zoning 2/17/16
and permission.

Secure a location in Paperwork/Email

downtown Denver for wall. 3/4/16

Budget and buy materials to Budget outline/Receipts

build the wall. 3/11/16

Secure a date to build the Email/Paperwork

wall. 3/18/16

Organize ribbon-cutting Flyers/Social

ceremony for wall. 3/24/16

Check up on wall and take Pictures/Quotes

pictures. 4/11/16

Contact media outlets News Articles

(9News, and Denver Post) to 4/22/16
cover story

Contact Liz from Before I Email

Die group. 4/29/16

Create mini-website for Mini-website created

Before I Die main website. 5/6/16

Check up on wall and take Pictures

pictures. 5/13/16

Update media outlets and 5/14/16 New Updates

mini-website.
Check up on wall and take Pictures
pictures. 5/20/16

Write a reflection about my Written Reflection

experiences. 5/21/16

Close down wall. Last Pictures

5/28/16

Recycle materials clean area. Email/Receipt

5/29/16

VI. Preparations
Items needed for Passage:
-Written approval for zoning and construction of wall
-Computer
-Access to WiFi
-Camera
-Before I Die Stencil
-Spray paint
-Paint brushes
-Paint Tray
-Tarp
-Chalk
-Wood panels
-Equipment to build wall
-Transportation

Committee Members:

Teachers:
-Dobberstein
-Finnegan-Doyon
Students:
-David Olivas
-Ricardo Silva

VII. Anticipated Challenges and Personal Growth

One potential external challenge I see is not getting the location I want for my wall. It is
crucial that the location of the wall is in a public place where it can be updated frequently. I am
worried that a potential obstacle is that the city wont approve of certain zones, and therefore the
wall may not be updated as often, or abused. To meet this challenge I plan to advocate for the
importance of particular zones and ask adults to help me speed up the process and understand
how to do the paperwork correctly so everything goes along properly.

In addition to overcoming obstacles a personal obstacle I am wary of is the stress of

building the Before I Die wall swiftly and smoothly. I am an extremely structured person when
it comes to meeting deadlines and I know that I may get anxious, worried, and upset if
everything is not moving at the pace I want it to. However, through my personal support systems
and the support of organizations I am partnering with, I will met this challenge by staying calm
and focused on my Passages. objectives.

The first step in starting my Passage is to ask permission of the city and the Blossom
organization for their help and support to my cause. I need to make sure everything is squared
away legally and then I can start with the physical construction and updating of my social media
outlets.