Over the past six months, I have been volunteering regularly at government school. The main activity involved coordinating food donations from my school and assisting the students in teaching and playing with them. This experience has helped me meet several important CAS learning outcomes. I was able to observe firsthand the inequality in educational possibilities that exist in the community while attending Hope School. The majority of the children I was helping with lacked basic school supplies like books and stationery. Some also had additional difficulties, such as speaking multiple languages.
A few of them invited me to their homes one weekend to see where they lived. I was shocked by the conditions in some of the apartments and houses. A few families were living in cramped, run-down spaces with very little furniture or basic amenities.Visiting the homes gave me a whole new perspective on the daily challenges and hardships these families faced beyond just lack of food or shelter.
LO1 – Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth Working directly with the children each week allowed me to better understand my strengths in communication, empathy and patience. However, it also highlighted areas for growth, such as remaining calm under pressure and actively listening to others. Seeing firsthand the challenges the families face inspired me to strengthen my advocacy and leadership skills.
LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills Taking on responsibilities like planning lessons required me to face new challenges outside my comfort zone. At first I was hesitant, but over time I gained confidence in taking initiative and problem-solving independently or with the shelter staff. I learned the value of persevering through difficulties to help the children.
LO5 – Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboartively This experience really showed me the benefits of collaboration. From coordinating food drives with my classmates to assisting the children, relying on teamwork was crucial. By openly communicating and sharing tasks, we achieved our goals more effectively. I realized the importance of compromising and bringing different strengths together.
LO6 – Engagement with issues of global significance This long-term volunteer experience over 6 months also helped me meet Learning Outcome 6 by engaging with issues of global significance on a local level. Through regular conversations with the children and shelter staff, I learned more about the systemic challenges facing those without stable housing, like lack of living wages, access to healthcare and education inequalities. Discussing the root causes of poverty and homelessness opened my eyes to how wider social, political and economic factors can impact even small communities. Witnessing firsthand the daily struggles reinforced the importance of addressing global humanitarian issues through compassionate social work. This experience significantly increased my social awareness and determination to use my privileges to advocate for more just, equitable solutions to prevent suffering caused by disadvantages outside people’s control. Going forward, I aim to keep educating myself on interconnected global issues and considering responsible, community-focused actions at all levels of society.
LO7 – Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions Interacting with the children and their families illuminated how privilege and social issues are often deeply intertwined. This pushed me to critically consider the ethics in my choices and actions, and to advocate for challenging injustices respectfully. Seeing life from others’ perspectives will influence me to make decisions keeping wider communities in mind.
To conclude, through regular self-reflection I was able to develop greater self-awareness and new applicable skills to become a more well-rounded, socially responsible person from this enriching CAS experience.
