I took part as a volunteer in this program under the sports and fitness club volunteering. I always wanted to do something meaningful for the society and this program provided me with an opportunity. I have always been taking action for the children in under-resourced communities but I never focused upon helping them with education and learning. Since I have been naturally interested in sports I took part in the sports and fitness volunteering club where we planned numerous activities which we will be playing or teaching the students.
LO4: Show perseverance and commitment in CAS experience.
Teaching sports and at the same time engaging with the students who are full of energy isn’t bread and butter. There were some visits when plans went south due to weather conditions and we had to come up with something entirely new at the spot. Which led us to make back up plans for later visits in order to ensure that that doesn’t happen again. That is when I realized that consistency is the key. Whether it is school work or the extracurriculars everything needs time until results show up on their own. That is what happened with me and as I realised that I also had become more disciplined about time, communicative and also since I learned to interact with the kids. Some visit also clashed with other important events which had to be taken care off along side this where I also learned about how to plan and manage my time more effectively.
LO5: Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively.
Teaching sports and interacting with kids isn’t really a solo task. Hence being in a group I collaborated with other volunteers while planning activities, backups and coordinated with them on the filed to ensure that our main purpose is fulfilled.
On the field the collaboration became even more important since the situations often changed too quickly, sometime shte children lost focus, the activities did not result in the desired outcomes or the equipment was limited. In such cases the team realized on constant coordination and adaptability. I worked closely with the other volunteers from planning the activities, discussing backup options and ensured that the session ran smoothly. I realised that successful and constant communication is not just about division of tasks bust also actively supporting one another and staying aligned with the main aim.
This experience has helped me develop key interpersonal skills such as effective communication, leadership and adaptability. This program also helped me understand that teamwork leads to better outcomes even in dynamic environments.
LO6:Engagement with issues of global significance.
Education has become one of the main priorities since through it anyone can have a better standard of living but the underprivileged children face numerous problem during this process. However there are many children who still face barriers such as lack of resources, limited guidance and insufficient exposure to structured learning environments.
This experience made me reflect on the broader inequalities that exist in access to education and development opportunities. I reinforced my understanding of taking small and consistent steps at a local level which can contribute to addressing the global challenges. I also realised a better and structured way to contribute by such initiatives in the future which expands the scope of the activities and te integration of educational elements wiht sports.
Reflection:
In order to conclude, being a part of this program was a really great and inspiring experience. I did not only feel inspired but I also learned about myself as a person which resulted in a shift in my perspective and how I react. Apart from this I also enjoyed interacting with the kids and through them I also learned one of the most important thing which is being optimistic.
