I volunteered for Bal Mela, an event meant for underprivelaged kids to have fun and take part in various activities held in our school. The event was on Saturday, 8th March and there were creative as well as physical activities and even live dancing for the kids — it’s safe to say they had the time of their lives. I was in charge of bracelet making, helping kids create bracelets with beads of their choice. Additionally, I made around 7-12 bracelets for the kids, especially for the younger ones, ensuring they had a memorable experience. Watching them happily make these bracelets was a pleasure and I loved helping and

interacting with all these kids with the help of the school staff, for whom I also made a few bracelets using extra beads. I also personally taught many kids how to make loom band bracelets or rings using small rubber bands. Additionally, after a couple of hours when all the beads were finished and very few people wanted to make bracelets, I started to help out with face painting and live dancing even though I didn’t have to, since I saw fellow volunteers tired or with too much on their plate. I truely enjoyed that as well since I love to paint and dance, and the kids looked so happy with these things, reminding me of similar memories of my childhood.

LO4 Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

Volunteering for Bal Mela required me to show both commitment and perseverance, as I remained dedicated throughout the event. Even when the activity seemed repetitive, I stayed focused on helping the kids enjoy themselves. I took it upon myself to create as many bracelets as I could until they all ran out, particularly for the younger children, ensuring everyone had something to take home. The long hours and continuous interaction with the restless kids even as they sorrounded me completely all asking for bracelets to be made — tested my patience a lot. However, it was rewarding to see their excitement as they completed their bracelets and left with happy faces. Later on, my willingness to step in for face painting and dancing, even when it wasn’t required, showed my dedication to supporting the event and ensuring the kids had a fun experience while helping other volunteers. Overall, this experience demonstrated how perseverance, even in small tasks, can create a meaningful impact for others.

LO5 Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Personally, I feel that the success of Bal Mela was a result of strong collaboration. While I was in charge of the bracelet-making station, I worked closely with the school staff and fellow volunteers, supporting each other to ensuring all the kids could get some string and whichever beads they preferred, suggesting different patterns and tying the knots for every child. Other than working with the support staff and volunteers, I felt the more tiring work was collaborating; understanding and communicating with the kids was more difficult since a lot of them were very young and soft-spoken and it was not easy to understand what the other was saying. However, I feel like I overcame that and was able to effeciently cater to everyone’s desires and even teach them loom bands, a very new activitiy for them.

LO7 Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

I was mindful of the ethical considerations in my actions; the event’s purpose was to bring joy to underprivileged children, and I ensured that my actions reflected that goal. I treated every child with respect and care, making sure each one was included, understood, and had an opportunity to create something special. I also considered the ethical responsibility of using resources efficiently, ensuring the materials were shared fairly and there was minimal wastage. Beads kept on dropping everywhere and since I knew at one point there wouldn’t be enough for everyone, I made sure to pick up as many as possible. Though I was at times very frustrated when the slippery string kept on undoing all of my work and sometimes the kids who ask me to tie their bracelet’s work numerous times, I make sure that I try not to get too angry in front of them and always promised to redo it for them if the beads fell because of me.