I have been actively volunteering for the community service since the past two years at Fountainhead and i’ve learnt through this experience that service is not only about giving, it’s about gaining knowledge, growing, learning, and working together to bring a change. Through CS, I was able to understand the 4th UNSDG: Quality Education in a better manner. Moreover, I was the incharge for ‘Fun With Maths’ along with a classmate, we were expected to initiate new ideas for activities and things which we can make the students of Government schools can engage with. The course lasted for over 3 weeks with 6 sessions and each session was filled with different schedules, we included dance, arts, and ICT with mathematics.

LO 1: Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.

Through this service I was able to understand my strengths and weaknesses to a greater extent. I was able to connect with the students because of my social and communicating skills, they enjoyed conversing with me as I ensured to make everything fun and that was my major strength. I was also able to cater to the doubts of majority of the students, they were always keen to know more and I always provided them with specific information which was required for maths. This also made me realise that I am capable of handling around 30 students with my peers and that shows my leadership qualities. However, the major issue which I faced was adaptation and problem solving. At times, there were a few hiccups that occurred such as lack of resources, low volunteer participation, and language barriers. Initially, it was a little tough for me to manage and get used to the situation but as I started gaining more experience, I was able to cover up and work upon my weaknesses.

LO 3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

I was able to successfully execute the ideas and plan which were planned for this CAS experience, I had already been a volunteer for the previous year. Hence, it was not tough for me to arrange everything and ensure a smooth event. We came up with creative ideas such as including dance with maths and we also introduced the children to ICT which they might have never used. All the kids were very curious about using chromebooks and we saw that they enjoyed that the most. The main goal was to improve their math skills using different methods and teach them about the IB way of learning.

LO 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

This experience lasted for 3 weeks and there were in total 6 sessions (Every Saturday and Sunday), we had to wake up early and reach school before the students would and prepare everything beforehand. This clearly showcases commitment and perseverance to the service and my responsibilities. This experience taught me how to stay consistent with certain tasks because I was able to come up with ideas for six sessions and keep the students engaged, which did develop my momentum over the task but could still further improve my commitment to a specific task where I can keep my productivity constant throughout without losing motivation to complete the task.

LO 6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

As I mentioned above, I was able to rightly identify and work upon the fourth UNSDG which is quality education. The lack of quality education with the rightful resources, rights, and guidance is a global issue, our school has been trying to cater to that since a long time and I am glad to be a part of that initiative. Since the students are from government schools, they have limited access to resources and they aren’t exposed to gaining knowledge like how we at Fountainhead are, they suffer from financial issues as well and this experience would allow them to get an exposure to how other people perceive knowledge.

LO 7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

I was also very mindful throughout the entire experience as the ethical issues should also be considered, I ensured that I was respecting the student background at all times while trying to make a place for safe and encouraging learning, where no student would feel as if they’re different or are being judged. Our class included students from different schools and we also had to ensure fairness between all of them in order to avoid any conflicts between them. The age category for all the attendees was also very diverse and I ensured that all of them were treated without any biases and I also understood that some might not be able to understand like the others, everyone is different and hence, we ensured that no students feels left out and each of them are equally participating regardless of any concerns.

Overall, the entire experience was a blast, I was able to connect more with children and interact with them using different methods through maths. The attendees also enjoyed a lot and we managed to bring smiles on their faces. I developed my leadership skills during this experience and understood how to deal with the situation when it gets tough. This experience help me build a sense of gratification and contemplation as I was able to interact with children who showed so much excitement and energy which made me grateful for my effort and how I am able to impact them as individuals as well.