I got the chance to operate a food stall with my friends during Global Odyssey 4.0, a fun event organized by our Business and Economics students. We planned and ran the stall together, ensuring an efficient operation and interacting with the school community. This experience helped me achieve several IB CAS learning outcomes, particularly by demonstrating the skills and benefits of working collaboratively and taking initiative in planning and executing a CAS experience.
LO 3 – Initiate and plan a CAS experience
The planning for Global Odyssey 4.0 began a few months earlier with careful planning and coordination. The team would sit together regularly to think of ideas, set goals, and create a systematic social media plan to increase engagement. Our aim was to create engaging content that not only informed our colleagues about the event but also piqued their interest and curiosity.
Each member contributed individual knowledge to the project to facilitate a combined effort. While I was engaged in coordinating content creation and timelines, the other members contributed to the development of graphics, creating engaging captions, and collecting information on global issues to integrate into our posts. With proper distribution of tasks and effective coordination, we managed to establish a thorough and engaging promotion campaign. The activity relates to Learning Outcome 3—Initiate and Plan a CAS experience—owing to the need for planning, collaboration, and active decision-making to bring our vision of Global Odyssey 4.0 into existence.
LO 4 – Show perseverance and commitment
Working with my peers was the most fulfilling aspect of this process. The variation of our ideas and opinions created a platform where all of us felt comfortable contributing, hence making the process enjoyable and productive.
In order to keep our food stall running smoothly, we had regular check-ins to stay organized, address any issues, and improve our strategies. I learned from this experience that good communication and flexibility to change were essential to keeping a smooth flow of work and a healthy team culture.
Managing the food stall required a tremendous amount of effort and dedication, especially in working on supply control, customers’ expectations, and keeping up service quality. Working there taught me fundamental organizational skills, problem-solving abilities, and cooperation. Additionally, I obtained critical knowledge regarding budgeting, relationship with the customer, and managing time—a set of abilities to be developed further in the future. This taught me to work with much determination and resolve to achieve one’s and common goals.
LO5 – Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively.
The whole project entailed a lot of teamwork and understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which was much crucial in the smooth running of our food stall at the event. Right from the beginning, we divided the work among ourselves based on our own capabilities, and it was easy to work and save time.
Through collaboration, we managed to organize and operate the food stall successfully, despite setbacks such as food quality and dealing with a large number of customers. In spite of these setbacks, our combined dedication and determination ensured that our motivation was sustained. This exercise not only emphasized the value of collaboration but also made the process enjoyable, demonstrating that collaboration can lead to efficiency and enjoyment.
