Learning is an important part of everyone’s life, and it is our basic right to learn, whether in academics or sports. As part of community service, I decided to teach impoverished children from various neighborhoods in my city new things through activities and games. Volunteering at an NGO provided me with an excellent opportunity to share my skills and assist impoverished children in learning. It provided me with a great chance to expand my creativity by teaching and playing games with underprivileged children. The event consisted of six programs scheduled on the weekend for 6 weeks in order to avoid missing out on classroom studies. I choose to participate in this event by teaching activities and contributing by donating clothes and food. It was a delight to be among those students who were so passionate about learning something they could only imagine.
LO1 (Identify own strengths and areas for growth): It was difficult for me to discover my limitation, which was mentoring. Since I’d never considered teaching others my strengths in a creative manner. To improve my weaknesses, I chose to participate in activities wherein I excel and tutor students. It is necessary that we identify our weaknesses and improve on them using our skills. Eventually, I understood that tutoring was something I had learned via volunteer activities, and it had helped me develop courage while interacting with a huge number of children. Addressing my weakness helped me, and this experience may benefit me in the future.
LO2 (Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process): Finding time for something I wasn’t particularly interested in was first difficult. But when I began to find fulfilment in supporting others in need, I found myself devoting more time to this activity. As I connected with other volunteers to help the less fortunate, I was able to improve my communication and social skills. I also improved my time management skills by juggling volunteering with my tough academic schedule and approaching deadlines.
LO3 (Initiate and plan a CAS experience): To prepare for this drive, we initiated the process of organizing the games and various activities that would take place during the event. I began recruiting volunteers to support the event, and as more individuals joined in, our chances of success increased. Many of my friends enthusiastically joined the volunteer effort. Additionally, part of the planning involved selecting a suitable venue, and we took the necessary steps to kick-start the preparations by visiting the NGO and making the necessary arrangements.
LO4 (Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences): As previously stated, the event consisted of six sessions, and participation was essential in order to acquire a certificate. Although I had to manage my academics as well, community service was an excellent chance for me to demonstrate my activities in a unique manner and instruct the children by providing them with time. Fortunately, I was able to attend all six sessions enthusiastically without interfering with my academic work. I had to cancel another event one weekend in order to volunteer to instruct underprivileged children. Eventually, I realized that my persistence in community service stemmed from my desire to teach underprivileged children something new that they had never learned before.
LO5 (Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively): As there were many underprivileged children studying the sport, community service demanded communication and collaboration skills while working in groups. We had to show collaborative abilities in separating the groups and doing the task, and even though our group members were engaged, they all had opposing thoughts and viewpoints to present. I demonstrated communication abilities between my group members and the children as it was essential in order to teach them football, but the most difficult aspect was that the children were not familiar with the language “English.” Working together has the advantage of allowing us to come up with many approaches and drills in a more interesting way.
LO6 (Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance): This scenario is linked to the global issue of injustice. Children with Down syndrome are frequently treated differently than their classmates. The goal of this gathering was to encourage more justice in society. It addresses bigger global problems since inequality is a major issue, and this is a small attempt to address it.
LO7 (Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions): While teaching underprivileged children, ethical decisions and deeds were taken into account because they helped them develop their holistic abilities. It is quite ethical to teach academics or extracurricular activities to such disadvantaged children. There was no waste of resources when coaching the sport due to the ethical component of the environment. I believe that my decision to participate in community service was a significant accomplishment and a source of delight for us. When I observed children playing with such energy and enthusiasm, I became emotional.
In conclusion, this experience aided in the development of my teamwork and communication abilities. Throughout this experience, I am also developing my learner profile of being kind and communicative. This community work provided me with the chance to teach and have fun with children from many backgrounds and ways of life.
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