For one of my CAS experiences, I went to Igatpuri, Maharashtra to accomplish activity and service. THe goals that I set up for myself during this 2-day trip was to identify my strengths and weaknesses and to develop skills that would help me to overcome mental as well as physical challenges, engage with the local people and understand them and the environment. I aimed to understand the needs of the environment and the severity of global issues.
LO1 -Â Identify own strengths and develop areas for growthÂ
Throughout this trip, I was able to identify numerous strengths and weaknesses and was able to set goals for the weaknesses to work upon. I was able to identify that I was very social and had made many new friends, when some of my closest friends did not come through the trek. I also identified that I was not afraid of challenges like trekking and was eager to try on new activities. On the other hand, during the trek, I was able to identify that I was getting tired very easily and that I needed to work on my stamina and fitness. I was also able to identify that I needed to work on my communication skills, because when we went to the local government school to play with the kids, we were struggling a lot to talk to them and socialize with them.
LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills
During the first trek, I was not able to reach the top spot of the trek because I was very tired. It was a challenge for me to complete even the short trek and so I was not looking forward to the bigger trek. But, I wanted to overcome this challenge and wanted to prove myself by developing new skills so that I could complete the trek. So, in the next trek I took help from my peers to help me climb steep slopes and the proper techniques of trekking and I was able to complete the whole trek.
Another skill that I developed was communication through different means. The kids that we interacted with at the local school only spoke marathi. We had to find different and unique ways to communicate with them and interact with them. We used sign language, communicated through other people, and even showed them what to play by playing it ourselves. I was able to develop communication skills through this experience.
LO4 – Show perseverance and commitment in CAS experience
This trip took perseverance and commitment like any other task. This trip was for 2 Full days which meant utilizing my free time for this trek and showing commitment towards this experience. I attended every activity there which showed how committed I was to learning new things and gaining new experiences.
LO6 – Engagement with issues of global significance
For service, we did dam cleaning where we were asked to pick up trash around the dam. We also went to volunteer to spend a few hours with underprivileged kids in the government school. This took into account the Sustainable Development Goals – Good Health and Well-being, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action. By helping to clean the dam, we worked to clean the water and ensure that it is not intoxicated. This also ensured that the land and water are not polluted, hence, working towards climate action.
The skills that I developed/showcased through this experience -Â
- Communicators – since the kids were only speaking marathi, we had to find creative ways to communicate with them.
- Caring – This experience pushed us to care about the kids and the environment.
- Reflective – Seeing that kids were happy with so little, we were forced to reflect on what we have got and need to appreciate. We also reflected on the effect of our actions on the environment.
