1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
5: Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively
6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
As a member of the Art Club, I worked the booth for International Day. This year, my role in the art club was different because I became a leader, unlike last year where I was only a member. There were many challenges that I faced. First, the other leader, Eng, was away for half of the time because she had sports practice. So I was left to be the only leader and it was scary. It was the first time I ever had such a job, and I was clueless because there was no guidance for me.
I also had to manage the attendance, funds, and other things that were going on in the club, and they were things I never did before. But, my solution was to look at leaders from other clubs that I was in and try to mimic them. I learned to actually use spreadsheets for the first time and it turned out to be a very useful tool. Gradually, I got better at managing information for the club. Another skill that was important was organization. It was useful in keeping order during the hectic event. I divided the members into groups that would have different jobs for the booth. I also made shifts for them. I think that was a good idea and made things efficient.
However, an area that I am still lacking in is actually leading people. In the beginning, I found it hard to familiarize myself with many new members of the club, from remembering their names and faces, to talking to them. There were times where I had to present the agenda and I was scared of public speaking in front of people I wasn’t close to. It made me less confident and seem less like a leader I guess, which could have made a bad impression on others. Also, I learned crowd control was a skill I did not have. My voice was pretty quiet and I did not have a bold tone. It was scary and hard to talk to the club as a big group. However, I think I got along with individual members pretty well. Everyone seems to be easygoing and friendly to me, and I can communicate with them easily.
I think a big benefit of working in teams is that it reduces the workload. With a task like making a booth, it was near impossible to work alone. There were many things that had to be done. For example, we had to decorate the booth and prepare the things to sell. As a result, I and other people had to be fully committed to the club and come every week after school. We also had to make a lot of friendship bracelets; I think we made over a hundred of them. It was tedious and repetitive but we also did it in our free time in addition to doing it during club meetings.
Finally, the Art Club donated a portion of their profits to Camillian Home because we placed importance on helping kids. We were driven by the idea that we should give back what we earned to help the world.
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