Community service is an initiative that our school hosts each year in order to help the children who come from schools where holistic development does not play a role, are given an opportunity to learn and develop their skills in areas other than the classroom. I was part of the dance aspect of the community service where we helped the children learn and perform a few dances. This was a part of my activity and service as dance is an activity that we taught to the children and the service was the learning that we helped them gain though service.

LO2- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

Teaching dance to the underprivileged kids was a challenge that we faced. Communication with them was a challenge that I faced, this was because of the language barrier that we faced. Most of the kids could only understand Gujarati however, I am not able to communicate well in Gujarati hence it was becoming difficult for me to teach them the dances. However, after several sessions, I was able to grasp the language and the team I was a part of, had people who had a grasp on the language and hence we were able to host the event successfully.

LO6- Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

Holistic development through dance can equip children with valuable skills like discipline, teamwork, and self-expression. These skills can empower them to pursue educational and professional opportunities, potentially breaking the cycle of poverty and contributing to a more equitable global society. All of this falls under the sustainable development goal 4 “quality education” of the UN as for a proper quality education, skill development is necessary from more than just the aspect of books. The experience of dance helped them develop skills that were just outside of their books and catered to their growth. 

LO7- Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

Since we have been fortunate enough to receive this type of education, we were never able to value the things we have. Having extracurricular activities had become a norm to us that we didn’t realize that it is a privilege to those who do not have the opportunity to explore such activities. After interacting and teaching those kids, I was able to understand the value of what we are given. 

Takeaway:

Caring:

I developed the learner profile caring for the duration of community service. I had to ensure that the kids were comfortable and open to learn. We talked about their daily life, their activities in school, their favorite games, their hobbies, what games they like to play, etc. This made the kids more comfortable with us.

Open-minded:

I showcased open-mindedness throughout the 3 weekends. The kids were from a different financial background due to which they had a different culture, habits, and language. However, that did not change my attitude or behavior towards them which showcased my open-mindedness throughout the event.