Recently, our school hosted the ISSO under 19 and under 14 girls football tournament and I was met with a golden opportunity to be a part of this event as a volunteer from our school. IB Schools from all across the country were a part of this tournament. Our role was basically to ensure that the teams that we had been allotted, reach the venues on time and we basically had to ensure that the guests felt most welcomed to our school. This task also helped me in portraying my efficient communication skills and it also helped me put my critical thinking skills to work.

LO 2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process 

Volunteering as a student help was not the most easy task to do, since we had to portray our communication skills and help our respective teams have a smooth transition and a smooth tournament by assisting them throughout the event and making sure that they reach their respective venues on time and that they do not have any issues with the structure of how the event goes. There were a lot of visible challenges that were encountered during the event, such as teams arriving late, lack of communication between the management team and also last-minute changes in schedules due to teams not showing up, and I had to use my critical thinking skills along with my communication skills to counter these issues and make adjustments accordingly. For instance, the team that I had been working with had brought 2 teams and since they only had one coach, it was hard for the coach to transit from one venue to the other and to tackle with this issue, I communicated with the management and with the coaches to give them a 10 minute break so that the coach could arrive at the venue in time for their match. 

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

The tournament was supposed to take place just one week prior to our term 1 examinations and due to this, many student volunteers had backed out in order to ensure that they had sufficient time in their hands to prepare for the exams. Now, since I was a part of the volunteering committee, it meant that I would have to miss almost most of the slots in the week and it was guaranteed that it would result in learning loss, in some or the other way. Hence, to tackle this problem, I made a timetable for myself in which I started to prioritize studying in most of my free time. By doing this, I ensured that I had a crisp and clear CAS experience, without having any academic loss. By making a timetable, I made sure that I was able to give my 100% to this event and I was able to make sure to have a great learning experience as well. 

LO 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

To give my full effort and passion towards this task required me to support the team throughout the entirety of the week, it was important for me to be diligent towards this task. On some days, we had early arrivals and on some occasions, we even had late departures just to ensure that this would be a seamless experience for the team that we had been working with and I made sure that I gave my full commitment, perseverance and willingness towards this opportunity. Moreover, this activity was throughout a span of 5 days, and I ensured that I was consistent and determined throughout the experience. 

LO 5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Working with the team allotted to me was a seemingless experience and there was not much that I had to worry about during this process. I demonstrated my teamwork and effective communication skills because of how I was able to communicate effectively with the team. I needed to coordinate with the team at all times and be with them whenever they were on the school campus and this led me to acknowledge the benefits of working together. This collaborative approach was something that not only helped make the event more successful, it also helped me to bond with the team and the coaches altogether. Furthermore, this task also required me to be in touch with the other volunteers at all times to keep track of the schedule and to make sure that everything was in sync. 

Conclusion: 

Being a volunteer at the ISSO event was a great experience that allowed me to develop and enhance my communication skills alongside a lot of different skills such as critical thinking, teamwork and many more. It was a very fulfilling experience which allowed me to have a great sense of responsibility and it also made me realize why it is important to work together as a team to have a seamless and successful event. I learned about adaptability and decision making and I will make sure to take these virtues with me in the future. If I had to change something in this activity, it would probably be to have a balance between academics and the CAS experience altogether.