The Indian culture and its festivals have always been fascinating to me since childhood, whether its diwali, holi or navratri. Among many of the festivals navratri has a special place in my heart where there is vibrant gujurati music and dance known as garba. One of the most celebrated events in my school is the yearly garba fest where students immerse themeselves in the rythm of garba after the academic routines. Being passionate about art and craft, I was excited to be part of the Garba Fest decor team, as it provided a wonderful opportunity to give my inputs in the festival and its decorations.

LO1: Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.

As a part of the decor team, I reflected in how I could contribute well whether in making creative hangings or arranging the event space. After careful consideration, I decided to create something unique that had never been featured at the event before.I decided to create a sculpture that would make a great wow factor of the event.I opted to create a ball like structure out of paper glasses.This experience not only allowed me to test my skills but also helped me to develop my communication, teamwork and patience skills while working in a group settings.

LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.Collaborating with a team that had different perspectives and ideas was a challenge as we often had different opinions on themes, woek distribution and the styles of decorations. However, we recognized the importance of hearing everyone and ensure to have a smooth workflow to have a good outcome on the big day. Futhermore a challenge for me was coming school early for the decorations work. Over the time this became a habit that improved my time management skills and allowed me to adjust all my daily activities effectively. This experience improved my abilities to work in a team and manage time effectively which are skills that will be important and beneficiary to me in future.

LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.

Dedication in work played a important role in completing the decorations as I went through multiple setbacks like the ball structure breaking down 3 4 times or it noe taking the shape after hanging. Despite these challenges I remained calm and patient and tried again and again. I took some feedbacks from peers and teachers and continued my work.Eventually it worked out and the ball structure stayed in place and also had a good round shape.

LO5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.

Different opinions sometimes led to problems and delays but we coperated later and though that teamwork is essential for success. To have a better work enviorment, we gave more importance to patience, respect and polite conversations. We heard to each others ideas and valued their opinions which helped us have better workflow. This experience have taught me that empathy, adaptability, and cooperation are key to effective teamwork. Afterwards our collabration led to a very nice event reflecting both creativity and dedication.

Being a part of the garba fest decor team was a very nice experience where I improved many skills and had a personal growth.It improved my ability to manage time, work collaboratively, and communicate effectively.The learning will help me in future challenges and hardwork will always be meaningfully remembered.