As a student volunteer, I participated in the Global Odyssey event, planned and executed by BM & Eco students and teachers on the 23rd of February, 2023. The objective was to provide students with a first-hand experience of how businesses operate in real life. The event offered a variety of stall categories, from food to games, allowing us to select and explore our areas of interest. My teammates and I chose to participate in the food sector of the event. The experience was a part of the service as we provided the audience with the food we prepared.
LO-1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
I am good at persuasion and communication. I used these strengths for the business to help my team sell and gain more profits. This experience also helped me learn more about accounts and the monetary skills required to run a business, which is an area of growth for me.
LO-2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills.
Up until now, I have only learned about funding and accounting theoretically. But the experience helped me develop an understanding of the same, and also taught me how to financially manage a business.
LO-3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
Attaining a favorable outcome demanded extensive planning and diligent efforts. The entire process spanned over a month, starting from determining the optimal per-person investment, researching and selecting high-quality and sought-after products, negotiating prices by exploring various options, organizing and pricing our products, and culminating in the marketing and selling of our service. Despite the considerable time and effort involved, the process was a valuable learning experience, imparting crucial business concepts and honing our skills in time management, teamwork, communication, and interpersonal relations.
LO-5: Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively.
The event required a lot of teamwork and collaboration from the students. Though there were conflicts of ideas, effective communication played a role in smoothly running the event. We all used our individual strengths to make a strong team and have a successful event.
LO-7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions
The cornerstone of our business was ethical practices, and we prioritized fairness, reasonableness, and impartiality toward all our consumers. Additionally, we ensured that our products were of superior quality and sold at reasonable prices. Furthermore, as a gesture of social responsibility, we pledged 5% of our revenue to be donated to an NGO for a charitable cause, facilitated through our school.
Some learner profile attributes I demonstrated were being knowledgeable and principled. There was major research and critical thinking involved to plan and execute our stall and I was ethical and principled by showing integrity and honesty while running the business.
In summary, the event was a remarkable success, and we ensured that all our business decisions were grounded in ethical principles while also maximizing profits. Personally, I gained a lot of knowledge and comprehended the nuances of running a business. The event was a delightful and captivating experience, leading me to explore new avenues of personal growth.
