French culture is rich and diverse, and to educate others on the same, the students of French Ab Initio decided to hold an event. There were stalls where the visitors could have fun and gain some knowledge. The French immersion 2023 was purposed to primarily have fun and for the teachers and students to enjoy their day. Secondarily, it was for education and non-french speakers to learn something new. When we started to plan for the occasion, We divided into smaller groups to distribute the work. I was part of the decor team. We started work a week before the deadline given to us. We came up with numerous ideas together, then subdivided ourselves again to work efficiently. Some of the decor items included decorative banners and flags of Francophonic countries and direction boards. We worked collaboratively to ease the work and share the responsibilities. 

During the whole experience, the following Learning Outcomes were catered:-

LO1 – (Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth)

Being in the decor team meant that u had to be creative. Through this experience, I learned about my strengths in creativity and coming up with new ideas. I could work on both of them as areas of growth. I have always been creative since childhood, although through this experience I gained a lot more. Being at one of the stalls and talking to the visitors also required communication skills as they needed to explain the information. Through this event, I found out that I am a good communicator and can improve my skills in that field.

LO2 – (Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills)

The decor team had numerous challenges to take. Coming up with ideas was not a concern. Executing them was troublesome. We were working with a short deadline, so first of all, we divided ourselves into groups to work on different things. A couple of my friends and I were working to make banners for the roof. There were others making flags, and direction boards and some compiling music for the event. 

We had to decorate the venue on the day so it was also a challenge.  I developed new skills in being creative with the shapes of the banners and cutting them efficiently without any waste. 

LO4 – (Show perseverance and commitment in CAS experience)

Every day, we came for ‘early ins’ meaning coming earlier than the usual school time to work on the project for the whole week. We also worked any time we got some free time. For example: during the french classes and free slots. We did not waste any time while we worked. All the time was used efficiently. Perseverance and commitment were essential as our audience was not educated in the french language, hence doing the best we could was necessary for a smooth experience. 

LO5 – (Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively.)

Teamwork was one of our strengths. We helped each other a lot, during and before the event for the preparation. The decor team was assigned stalls to help others explain and help the audience have a pleasant experience. When one of the groups was done doing their decor things, they would help out other groups complete theirs as well. After my group and I were done making the banners, we helped cut the cardboard for the direction boards and helped the music team select the songs. This helped us immensely to be done by the day of the event. The extra people in the stalls helped to keep a smooth experience for the audience.

Conclusively, this was a great event and experience that helped me learn more about my strengths and get some idea about what I’m good at. This also made me realise that teamwork is great for an event to go splendidly and have no issues. Working hard every day and some motivation along the way can help you do the task quicker and time flies by.