Duration : 5th August to 20th August (on weekends)

Community service is a program that involves students from various schools around FS, visiting our school on weekends and spending time with us by participating in different activities such as sports activities, ICT, arts and crafts.

As a volunteer for a sports activity (basketball), we were divided into various groups and assigned some groups of students. Every weekend we taught them different skills like dribbling, shooting, passing etc. The first weekend was a bit chaotic considering that we (volunteers) and the visiting students were new to each other. I was personally a bit worried about the communication gap and wondered if I could teach them properly or not. To avoid a communication gap, we first sat down with each other and introduced each-other and gave a small understanding about basketball before starting the first session. I communicated with them in Hindi and slowed down a bit so they could handle it. I wanted to emphasize that they enjoy learning this sport and will not get bored, for the same reason, instead of guiding them in everything, I gave them freedom, letting them decide for themselves. what games they want to play, such as to improve their passing, i made them play a passing game, where they drop the ball, they get out, etc. In the second week, the students from my group last weekend, when I arrived, they immediately recognized me and came to greet me with a smile and ask what we did that day. Their beautiful smiles made me very happy and encouraged me to teach them new skills. Sometimes we had time constraints because each student worked at a different pace to learn new skills, but because we managed to divide 2-3 students into groups, we were able to ensure that everyone completed the task at their own pace and was satisfied at the end of the process.á¹£

LO 4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experience

The commitment required for this course was showing up every weekend and giving my best in teaching them basketball, it sounded easy however on some weekends, it felt lethargic to go to school especially on sundays and was definitely not easy to be persistent throughout the entire course of the service.What kept me going was the positive feeling that this program and my contribution to it indirectly impacts many lives by providing them a new exposure and break from their regular academics.

LO 5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

The importance of teamwork between people (volunteers) of my group was of extreme importance to ensure that the students who are assigned to us are guided well, in order to ensure the smooth running of our group on the first weekend itself we decided that we will split the students amongst ourselves (volunteers). This worked out great for our team as it ensured that each one of us had the opportunity to interact with the children and that they are guided well. For particular drills such as shooting rather than dividing students amongst ourselves, all of us came together and did the drill together.

LO 7 – Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

Through time I have come to realize that belonging to an privileged background provides me with an access to the best of education, a safe space that helps me grow as an individual, etc however this is not the case for many children around me and the community service program at FS provided just the right opportunity for me to give back joy and a new experience to the children belonging from government schools.