END OF YEAR ROOM TO READ REFLECTION

The end of the year is near, and consequently, Service for the 2020-2021 school year is coming to a close. I am proud of what we have achieved as a service group so far and the collaboration our group was able to accomplish online. We were able to make a difference in our local community which reflected the hard work and effort all members of the group have put in. Being a part of this group has been rewarding, as we were able to make big steps in our progress towards helping our partner school in building a new library.

ONLINE WEBSITE

This year we were able to publish our live website, which you can visit here. This has allowed us to connect more deeply with our OSC community as we update the website for any events and fundraisers we plan. This was particularly helpful when publicizing the Room to Read online literary afternoon, allowing us to reach our audience more effectively. This website also acts as a progress tracker for our group, as we are constantly able to see the progress we have made through past events, as well as reminds us of our overarching goal. I believe this website reflects our group’s ability to adapt during online school, illustrating our ability to problem solve and think on our feet.

A Screenshot Of Our Online Website

ONLINE LITERARY AFTERNOON

For our largest fundraiser this year, the online literary event was the most impactful for us to approach our long-term goal of raising money for the Vidyaloka Vidyalaya school in Honkandora. Following their letter of financial request, which can be found here or on our website, and with approximately 160 participants on zoom, we raised over 200,000 LKR in total. For more information on the online literary afternoon, see my previous CAS post here. I am very proud of the funds we have obtained through this event, as well as all the positive comments received from the OSC community following the event.

Planning

Following the online literary afternoon, we made many attempts at organizing a final fundraiser and book drive. Unfortunately, due to the shift between online school, face-to-face, and then back to online school, many of our plans were disrupted. We were able to continue our partnership with Mr. Mahinda, in which we donate books from the OSC library and Community, and he distributes them to rural areas in Sri Lanka. This new partnership has allowed us to expand our impact on the local community, reaching past our community. For the end of the year, we attempted to organize a book drive to provide more books for Mr. Mahinda, however, this was not feasible due to the covid situation in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Mahindra Giving Out Donated Books To Rural Areas

Learning Outcomes

I was very proud of this year’s service outcomes, as we have accomplished a lot in order to approach our goal. Being a service leader for this group has been rewarding, especially alongside our service supervisor Mrs. Raina Lockwood. She has allowed me to get a stronger foothold on being a leader and taking action for this service over the course of this year. For the CAS learning outcomes, I believe Room to Read jas allowed me to develop new skills through challenges. For example, this year I found being a leader on DLP very challenging, however, I was able to develop my leadership skills, especially through Zoom calls, in order to engage the group and progress towards our goals. Similarly, service has allowed me to demonstrate planning and initiative, especially for the Literary afternoon which required in-depth planning. Additionally, I was able to show my dedication to room to read, demonstrated by my commitment inside and outside of the devoted service timings to send emails and refine details in planning for the group. Being a service leader, I was also able to recognize the benefits of collaboration, as many of the larger tasks were divided up and assigned to groups in order to take action more effectively and efficiently. This was especially prominent when working alongside my co-service leader, Liam Modder. Working together allowed us to improve the overall outcomes of meetings and events as we brainstormed ideas off of each other to obtain an improved final result. Lastly, I was able to demonstrate my engagement with issues of global significance, providing books and resources to local schools in order to build a facilitated library. An example of this was when we reached out to the Vidyaloka Vidyalaya school Principal to ask questions about students and the school for the purpose of building a better understanding with our partner school. I believe this year’s service has been successful as we have made large steps to help local schools in providing a safe reading space and books for their students. My hopes for next year are to connect more closely to our partner school, not limiting ourselves to their library, and gaining a stronger relationship with the students of the school. I hope we raise more funds for the school next year through book drives and various fundraisers, hopefully in person.

A Zoom Call With The Principal (Mrs. Chandraratna) To Discuss The School.