Over the two year IB course, I have been involved in many different and various activities, and I believe I ahve met all the criteria, which are as followings:
Eight Criteria
- increased their awareness of their strengths and areas for growth
- undertaken new challenges
- planned and initiated activities
- worked collaboratively with others
- shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
- engaged with issues of global improtance
- considered the ethical implication of their actions
- developed new skills
I have been involved in many activities for the last two years, and Prison Babies would be the one which, I feel, is the most meaningful or rather unforgett-able activity. I have been involved in this community service project since my first year at OSC(2007) and from 2008, I've been fortunate to hold the leadership of this project (5. perseverance and commitment). As an English learner student, leading this project was a big challenge for me and even getting involved in such activity costed me a lot of courage (2. undertaken new challenges). Later on, I could gain more confidence speaking to others and to get involved in other activities as well. I had to plan and organise activities to do with children from the prison every week as well as to organise and tell other members of the group what to do (3. plan/initiate activity. 4. collaboration with others). In the beginning, I did not do so well to organise activities or people to carry out things; I believe my natural personality, being shy to talk to others, was the main reason for not doing so well. As time goes, I developed new skills, improved in them and could get along with others better (8. developed new skills). When I joined the School Track team, this really helped me since I was the co-captain of the team as the eldest athlete. Also, as I started getting to know more people in the campus, there were some people who asked me for help. This was how I started tutoring younger students in math as well. I believe due to Prison Babies, I could start and get involved in more activities than I would have if I did not join this service. I started participating in many different sports activities such as basketball, football, Track and Field, badminton, and so on. I also started getting more active with music such as playing bass in the church band and with other classmates and writing lyrics for songs. I only thought I was doing them only because I liked to do, but as I did more, I felt more confident and realised that I improved (1. awareness of strengths and areas for growth).
During 4 years of Prison Babies, I could find the significance of this project which made me have so much affections towards this service and stay. It has already been acknowledged nationally to take care of the children whose mothers are in jail and educate them. I believe it has a global significance too. I participated in the Colombo-MUN on 2010 where the main topic was on the human trafficking. Before I was not well aware of the problem before, but as I researched about the topic for debate, I realised that the service project has surely significant impact on the world (6. global importance). I felt many of children's mothers are the victims of human trafficking; they were accused for prostitution. However, I believe they had no choice, but they were forced to do so, so that they could earn some money to raise their children. I believe our society is responsible for some attributes. Here comes the ethical responsibility. In my opinion, we, as members of the global society, should take our responsibilities and help each other out. Not necessarily someone who's less fortunate or has experienced tragic accidents, but anyone who is in needs of help. I started tutoring younger students in math, also because I, as an older student and their friend, felt responsible to help them out. Also, I've been involved in many of the service activities since I was younger (back in 5-6th grade in Korea). However, I was rather forced to do them or did them for service hours. But I realised that that is not the point of doing any service. Thinking in terms of ethics, that's not right either. So I started considering about the ethical implication of any of my actions. For example, all the service members as well as I did Prison Babies with pleasure and pride, and I believe that is how/why it worked out really well for the last four years (7. ethical implication).
See 'End of the semester reflection' posted on Dec. 13, 2010. for more/detailed info.
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