My CAS project this term involved organizing a food donation drive and providing academic support to students at a local underprivileged school. Having grown up in a comfortable environment, I have become aware of my privilege and wanted to give back to others less fortunate. For this activity, I volunteered my time to help students at a nearby underfunded primary school with academics and also donated them food.

On the service days, I worked one-on-one and in small groups with students, focusing on English, math, and other subjects they found challenging.(Learning outcome 3)

I am proud of my commitment to this long-term project over the course of the school term (Learning Outcome 4). Each week, I made sure to set aside two hours to provide assistance. While initially nervous to work with students so much younger than myself, I quickly felt comfortable and was grateful for the smiles and appreciation they showed me. Seeing their excitement about learning helped push me to persevere with the project.

Through my conversations with the primary students, I gained insight into global issues like poverty and lack of access to education (Learning Outcome 6). While I cannot solve these complex problems alone, I feel empowered to continue small acts of service that make a positive difference, even if on a local scale. Likewise, I ensured my actions respected cultural and religious differences at the school to avoid potential harms (Learning Outcome 7).

Overall, this was a highly rewarding CAS project that allowed me to develop my leadership, collaboration, and empathy skills. I am proud that I was able to make a contribution to my local community, while deepening my own understanding of social responsibility and privilege. The primary students inspired me to keep learning and challenging myself through future CAS activities.