As mentioned within my CAS goals, due to the ongoing pandemic my hopes for acquiring the position of service leader for the ‘temple school’ service group is now temporarily on hold. In this change, I have made myself more open-minded and flexible by transferring my efforts towards a new service group that I feel a similar passion for – ‘girls for girls’. This service revolves around spending time with young women who are victims of abuse, and creating a positive, welcoming, and safe atmosphere for them on the OSC campus and in their lives going further. Again, the pandemic has shifted the location and usual routine the service group follows, implying that we cannot see the young women we work with for some period of time. With that being said, the goals and the overall themes the service radiates does not shift. The group meets every Thursday after school to discuss future plans for events and general activities we can do in order to maintain the strong bonds created with the girls and keep the spirit of the service alive. Thus far, we have had two service meetings over zoom in which we assigned positions for each of the members of the group and brainstormed possible ideas to promote female empowerment and girls supporting girls. Within both of these meetings, I contributed towards things that I have personal experience with that I feel I could bring a new unique perspective to. I offered to take on the position of Instagram creator for the girls for girls account, a role which implies that I discover and share new content with OSC/our following to continue to spread the message of female empowerment. Along with this, each member of the service is expected to create a piece of content for the girls for girls website. To do this, I decided to utilise my L&L skills (which is a field I feel creatively free within) and decided to create some poetry in relation to the themes of our service.

Screenshot from our first service meeting via Zoom

Personal service goals I have for the year:

1. Involve myself in events and fundraisers e.g. contribute new, unique ideas that serve as a way to educated others on our personal mission as a service group, as well as to raise money for the young women we work with
2. Create useful and relevant content that further promotes the ‘brand’ / themes of the service e.g. quotes, articles via Instagram to connect more with the students of OSC (connect our service to the generation of social media to increase awareness and be more accessible to pupils)
3. Utilise skills from other classes that can be adapted to cater to the needs of the service e.g. inspirational artwork, article writing, poem writing
4. Connect personally and create close bonds with the young women our service strives to make a change with – provide a welcoming and friendly atmosphere for them to feel comfortable in (once we return to school and service(s) can continue as usual

In involving myself in a group that yields much global and societal benefit, I have in turn demonstrated global engagement (LO6) in these serious and urgent topics i.e. rape, sexual harassment, abuse towards women. Along with this, I feel that my adaptability and flexibility in joining a new service has connected to my ability to persevere and show commitment to the CAS programme (LO4). I feel this is recognisable as I put my efforts and ambition, that initially was intended for my leadership in the Temple School group, into the Girls for Girls group. Despite the course of my CAS service element not going to plan and despite me no longer being a service leader, I have still shown personal growth and commitment by showing dedication and willingness to contribute and participate in the planning and discussing within my new service.