Duration : 5th August to 20th August

The community service program involves students from various schools around FS, visiting our school on weekends and spending time with us by participating in different activities such as dance, arts and crafts, science projects, ICT, etc.

As a volunteer for arts and crafts we were divided into different groups and a few sets of students were assigned to us, every weekend we taught them different crafts such as paper snakes, leaf art, marble bookmark, etc. The first weekend was a little bit chaotic considering that we (fs volunteers) and well as the guest students were new to each other. Personally, I was a little worried about the communication gap and was wondering if I would be able to teach them properly or not. In order to ensure that this is avoided, before the session I referred to the procedure of making the art multiple times so that I am clear with the flow and can guide the students accordingly. I communicated with them in Hindi and lowered my pace a little bit so that they could cope up. I wanted to make it a point that they enjoy the process of craft and that they do not get bored, for the same reason instead of directing them with each and everything, I rather provided them with creative freedom such as letting them decide what colors they want for their marble bookmark, what they want to create for leaf art, etc. During the second week, the students who were a part of my group last weekend upon arrival immediately recognised me and with a huge smile on their faces they came to greet me and ask me what we were going to do that day. Their beautiful smiles made me very happy and energized me to teach them the new craft. Sometimes we did face time constraints considering that every student worked at different speeds on the craft, however because we had managed to divide 2-3 students amongst ourselves in the group, we were able to ensure that everyone was able to complete their art and were happy by the end of the process.

LO 3 – Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

While I was not responsible for planning the entire event, I made it a point to be well prepared for arts activities by taking time to view the reference videos shared in order to ensure that I can guide the students confidently. During the sessions, before the students joined us I always used to organise resources and place them appropriately, this helped avoid mess and reduced cleaning efforts post the sessions. There were multiple volunteers in one group who were teaching arts and hence I actively communicated with them to ensure that all students had a fun time learning. Overall, these organisation strategies helped me lead my group and set of students smoothly. 

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 the craft, 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 (fs 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 decide that we will split the students amongst ourselves (fs 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 crafts such as origami rather than dividing students amongst ourselves, all of us set together as one and created origami pieces 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.