As a part of the CAS project, we a group of friends decided to give back to the society and in order to do so, we planned a donation drive where we distribute the items baked by us to the needy people. Each of us individually learned how to make different desserts and we made chocolate cake and chocolate bombs which we distributed to the children living in our nearby slum. I personally learnt how to make oreo cake and chocolate brownies. During the course of this project there were some learning outcomes achieved like LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 and LO7.
LO1 : Identify your own strengths and develop areas for growth.
I have always been fascinated by baking and although I did not spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this project allowed me to learn different things. I learned the basics by watching the cooking videos on youtube and in the end with a lot of trial, i learnt to bake a handful of easy recipes. After learning the recipes when all of my friends and I cooked on the last day, I realized that cooperation and synergy were key to making this a success. To maintain this good teamwork, we used our strength in building strategies and taking into account individual strengths and weaknesses divided the work so that we could do a lot of things and that too efficiently. This allowed us to complete the relevant task on time and successfully.
LO2 : Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
During this project, one of the biggest challenges was teamwork. It was quite difficult to make unanimous decisions with such a large group, but with patience we managed to overcome this challenge as we had all researched different recipes. It was a challenge to decide what to put on the menu for the final layout. Taking logistics into account, we strategically select the simplest and tastiest recipe in order to be able to produce it promptly. Another challenge was that we didn’t know how many children we would find. Hence, it was difficult to decide how much dessert to bake.
LO3 : Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.
From getting started learning to bake, to using trial and error cakes and cookies, learning from the mistakes I made, to baking the cake and bombs with my team to package the products and distribute them to the disadvantaged community, I demonstrated how to start a CAS project.
LO4 : Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.
Since we knew that the end result of this project would be to put a smile on the children’s faces, we were all very excited, committed and demonstrated perseverance. In order to show commitment we all collectively came up with a schedule to follow and this way we kept each other accountable and were persistent throughout. Even when we got distracted while baking, over a period of 1 month we learned to bake a few things and then bake different things together and give them to the underprivileged.
LO5 : Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.
Baking for 30 to 35 children is not an individual’s job and so it is obvious that this would not be possible without the constant help of others, an experience that required some collaboration between the team as we had to finalize the menu, bake, pack and distribute. Since all team members had different strengths and weaknesses, we strategically divided the tasks, which made our work easier, more problem-free and more effective. Working in a team has also enabled me to learn from everyone’s mistakes and not repeat them on the last day.Being a team has also given us a sense of responsibility that has motivated us all to work better, more efficiently and in a timely manner.
LO6 : Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.
By helping the most disadvantaged people, we are committed to this project for global problems such as poverty, poor hygiene and hunger. Interacting with these children who do not have access to basic sanitation and food and distributing sweets to them was a step towards eradicating hunger.
LO7 : Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.
We also made ethical decisions and actions with regard to safety and hygiene. First of all, we used to sanitize our hands before and after baking. In addition, we also sanitized ourselves before and after distributing the baked products. Looking at the current Covid situation, we all made sure that we were wearing masks to make sure that no one gets the virus and to maximize safety. We made ethics our top priority.
In conclusion, during this project I have illustrated various acts of being social, communicating with everyone, and successfully planning this project. During this project I learned a lot about time management and teamwork. This was a very successful and satisfying project and it gave me the opportunity to bring smiles to other children. It was a very satisfying experience and something I’d surely like to do more often.
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