Every child is entitled to an excellent education. However, due to a variety of factors, including a lack of resources, many kids worldwide miss out on that. They miss out on the opportunity to extend their knowledge and abilities as a result. We can help underprivileged kids who might not have the same educational opportunities and resources as us by performing community service. As part of community service, I volunteered to teach arts and crafts to kids from various government schools using a variety of activities that helped the kids develop their various skills.

1. LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.

Commitment and perseverance were both necessary for this experience. The programme involved three weekends of community service. For me weekends are synonymous to relaxing and time-out from anything demanding, so getting up on time and showing up for the event demanded commitment from me.
I also have a tendency to give up on things I’m not good at after a few tries because I tend to get discouraged easily. But this experience taught me that persistence and devotion are crucial since without them, I would not have been able to connect with the kids and impart my knowledge to them. When I felt inadequate at a task, like folding an origami box, I learned how to accomplish it from my peers and tried again rather than giving up. I didn’t want the kids to miss out on a great activity just because I wasn’t persistent enough to try again.

2. LO5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Collaboration is always challenging for me because I typically keep to myself and do not feel comfortable in voicing my ideas. But through this experience, I learned that collaborating was much easier and more advantageous than I had thought. In order to instruct a small number of kids, we were split into pairs. All of the kids spoke Gujarati, but I didn’t speak it very well. The children gained valuable experience while bridging the language barrier by cooperating in pairs.

3. LO6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.

Through this community service, the issue that I demonstrated an engagement with is inequalities in access to high-quality education. As mentioned above, quality education is a right. Along with academics, quality education entails issues such as skill development, educational resources, teaching force, etc., in addition to academics.

However, not every child has access to the same resources around the world, which frequently impedes the development of skills. This could cause issues in the future as you search for new opportunities. While doing crafts may seem like a waste of time, it actually fosters creativity and fine motor abilities. Additionally, it benefits by enhancing patience and concentration.

Many schools do offer education, but they place a strong emphasis on academics and place little value on extracurricular activities or skill development. It is essential that we act and assist as a result.

Overall, I found this experience to be very rewarding and enlightening. When working with peers, it helped me develop many skills and learner profiles like communicator, and after interacting with the children, I became open-minded, caring, and reflective because I wasn’t the only one who benefited from this experience. Just a handful of the many lessons I took away from this experience are perseverance, commitment, and patience. In conclusion, I’m delighted I was able to gain knowledge while also making a positive impact on society.