1. Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth:
I think that the activities that really showcase this learning outcome were my action ones, particularly basketball. When i have played and when i have coached, i have learnt a lot about myself as both a leader and as a member of a team. I have learnt to be more assertive and confident, to take control of situations and express my ideas/thought and feelings. This has been an going process of growth for me. At times i can become quite a reserved person and so coaching and captaining basketball teams really pushed me to grow in that regard. They also highlighted areas of strengths within me in terms of my ability to play and also my understanding for the game.
The creative activity of entering photography competitions also increased my awareness of my own strengths and weaknesses. In competition, my works were constantly being compared against those of others and as a result I could see areas i excelled in and also areas that i could work on.
2. Undertaken new challenges:
After moving to Sri Lanka i undertook many new challenges. Entering photography competitions, joining the swim team, founding a new service project at the school, performing in front of an audience and single handily managing a fundraising event were all totally new to me, and in their own right challenging. Swimming was physically challenge, photography and performing were creatively challenging whereas involvement in the service activities has confronted me emotionally at times.
3. Planned and initiated activities:
As a basketball coach and captain, planning and initiating activated was something i had to do on a regular basis, sometimes on the spot. It ranged from preparing entire training sessions to coming up with an on-the-spot offense to try and beat the challenging opposition.
More recently, i feel as if the great shave day is the best example of me fulfilling this outcome. The project was something Jazlin and I planned and initiated all on our own and a CAS project i am particularly proud of. From planning posters to financial logistics, to the program of the day itself, this project reflects this outcome really well.
4. Worked collaboratively with others: and commitment in their activities:
When reflecting on this outcome, the pursuit of happiness project is what straight away comes to mind. It is a project that my team mates and I developed together this year and hope to maintain in the future. We have been meeting weekly for the last year to make sure we are all on then same page in terms of goals and approaches toward this project. At times there have been clashes/conflicts on interest and so working together has been challenging, but at the end of the day i have been able to take away a lot from it.
6. Engaged with issues of global importance:
The Red Shield Appeal, 40 hour famine, Ending Slavery Night and The CCC Great Shave are the four big projects which have helped me to achieve this outcome. The Salvation Army which i the organisation behind the red shield appeal is an international organisation which aims to essentially bring salvation to the poor. The funds raised by this project help to operate shelters for the hopeless, provide disaster relief and provide humanitarian aid to developing nations. Engaging in their door knock appeal pushed me to become involved in these issues which not only effect my local community, but the global one as well. Coordinating the 40 hour famine back at Narrabundah college in Australia particularly engaged me with an issue of global importance; the global hunger crisis. Gong to the training convention really opened my eyes to realities i never had to face in Australia like that 1 in every 8 people in the world suffers from undernourishment, and that poor nutrition causes nearly (45%) of deaths in children under the age under five. The funds from the 2013 famine were specifically raised for projects in Malawi, a country in southeast Africa and so i also learnt about issues particular to that country. At the Ending Slavery Night we watched movies and engaged in discussion about the issue of sex trafficking, particularly (but not only) in Cambodia. We learnt about the causes and the effects of it, and how exactly different organisations are trying to intervene. In my sheltered city back in Australia, this is another reality i never have had to face and so again participating in this activity really opened my eyes. Finally, the Great Shave taught me a lot about the cancer battle that millions of people gear up to face everyday. I learnt about a different side of treatment, the mental one which in many ways is just as important as medical treatment.
7. Considered the ethical implications of their actions:
Ethical issues were particularly evident in all of my service activities. I found it most evident when setting up the infrastructure for the Pursuit of Happiness Project. There were ethical considerations that had to be taken into account in terms of consent for the taking and publishing of photos. Even though we may have had good intentions, we had to respect the privacy of the people we photographed.
8. Develop new skills:
This learning outcome can be seen in almost every activity I have undertaken during my DP program. From door knocking to coaching basketball, swimming to photo journalism, I have learnt so many different things. To name them all would probably take me another 2 more years. So instead, here are some bullet points of big things I have learnt
- Assertiveness... this mostly came through all of the new activities and challenges I undertook (moving across the world and to a new school included). To have my voice and ideas heard I really had to learn to be a little less shy and more assertive. I skill that will no doubt be of benefit to me outside the realm of CAS
- Perseverance... on top of all my studies keeping up with CAS was honestly really challenging. At so many stages it would have been so easy to just neglect it and focus on my academia. However (bless the IB) neglecting CAS was never really a viable option and so perseverance was something I was kind of forced into learning.Coupled with this, my time management skill were also tested and stretched which I think prepares me for when I graduate and being life in big kids will. It will certainly help me get trough college at least.
- The art of reflection... most of all (credits to this blog and my CAS supervisor) I have learnt to reflect. And I hated it at first, and for the good majority of the time during DP as well, but now as I write my final CAS reflection and my academic reflections and my year book page and what not, I am starting to realising just how beneficial reflecting can be. To pause and reflect on things that have and haven't worked, on what I am good at and not so good at, is really really cool. I mean if you never reflect, how do you ever grow? There's a lot of self discovery to be made during reflection which is also, really really cool.
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