Final CAS Reflection

CAS Individual Student Completion Form

NAME OF STUDENT: Avindhya Koralagamage

IB CANDIDATE NUMBER: 000245-018

CAS COORDINATOR: Ian Lockwood

SCHOOL YEARS: 2010-2012

Learning Outcomes	Achieved?	Nature/Location of Evidence
Increased awareness of their own strengths and areas of growth	Yes	Sunflower village- leadership of program gave me a good opportunity to identify what areas I would need to develop pot holes that I had as a Service Leader, and successfully exercise my areas of strength. One instance that I would recall was where I was required to find an alternative for swimming training for the children that visit OSC due to bad weather. The children had arrived prepared for regular swimming lessons, but a sudden outbreak of a thunderstorm, led to postpone the event. In order to keep the children entertained until it was time for them to leave. I suggested the possibility of using the gymnasium as a venue to play basketball with them. Their school lacked basketball court so I thought it would be a good opportunity for them to get a brief grasp of a sport that they only could have seen on T.V. OSC having the adequate facilities; the children participated in a friendly game of what they knew as basketball. It was a combination of netball and basketball. In terms of an area of development, I would say that I need further concentration on making sure all my team members remain on task and support the children’s learning rather than satisfying themselves with amongst other students from OSC that are also present in the pool.
Undertaken new challenges	Yes	There are several challenges that I had to undertake during my period of leadership. Out of these two major challenges outstand amongst the others. One being that the 2011-2012 service year having only 5 members from OSC community to run a program that has over 10 kids. It required each member of our team to ensure that two children get equal amount of support in developing their swimming skills. Second being the introduction of a sport activity of their preference other than swimming lessons in the pool. The children suggested that they play cricket as it would be beneficial in them developing their skills to a greater potential, as the facilities that OSC has to offer lets them go beyond their boundaries that they may be limited to in their school sports facilities. This was a entirely new addition
Planned and initiated activities	Yes	Apart from sport activities that we have introduced to the program, we also separated some time for the children where we could give them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with computers. Considering their age boundary (12-17) we thought it would be a great opportunity for them to get some firsthand experience in some of the up to date technology that OSC has to provide. It addresses the criteria of engaging in an issue of global importance as well.  Not only so, but we also planned the schedule which where we decided how we can organize the time spent doing each of these different activities. That alone was rather a difficult task for me as a leader because the children wanted to do whatever they wanted, not according to the schedule. It was a bit challenging keeping them satisfied with the planned schedule as the level of friendship between my group and them had exceeded the expected level. Furthermore, we also planned to supply their yearly writing books for school as it would be a reduced economic burden for their parents to purchase over 12 books for each child.
Worked collaboratively with others	Yes	The organization that takes place every Thursday afternoon to adapt to the varying number of students require a considerable amount of collaboration. Apart from service itself, being a team member of the 2012 SAISA Basketball team is where I would clearly outstand as the point where I worked collaboratively the most. Being a part of a team is no easy task. You are given a specific role to perform and it is your duty to make sure it happens. When running a play on offence or defense, you collaborative participation play a crucial role to the success of the whole team in general. My position as a wing player and number 3-4 on defense enabled me to clearly understand the importance of this role, not only this year but the previous as well.
Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities	Yes	My dedication to show up on time and prevalence to skip any basketball practice other than a medical condition clearly highlights this component. My effort to keep up this perseverance throughout the season paid off in being accepted as representative of both SAISA Basketball seasons 2011-2012. Not only in sports, but also every Thursday service. I was not absent to the service program without further notice to my team members or supervisor, nor was I not  present in the pool other than for a medical reason. Although I occasionally forget to bring my swim gear, I strictly refrained from omitting to participate in the program.
Engaged with issues of global importance	Yes	In terms of service, I would say all three aspects: swimming, sports, and using the tech labs are three main indicators of addressing issues of global importance in the host country we live in. Sri Lanka being a developing nation, not all government schools are able to construct swimming pools for the children’s use. So the very fact that we are volunteering to give the rare opportunity of swimming lessons under the guidance of our school swim instructors to children who lack access to such facilities is definitely a step towards addressing a issue with global importance. Cricket is the dominant sport played in sri lanka. Not all schools have the basic facility of a large cricket field and proper gear to properly play the sport. Kids who dream of being a popular cricketer in Sri Lanka are countless. Ending up in the Sri Lankan cricket team is almost everything a cricket oriented teenage child would dream of. Therefore it is our duty to do our bit from OSC. Although we may be catering a immensely small proportion of all the school children in Sri Lanka, it is brings to my pleasure to say that my team of 5 OSC members including me, do their bit in helping at least one child discover their potential in sport. Finally, the distribution of school books and separation of computer lab time every other Thursday, is how we aimed to extend how we address this criteria.
Considered the ethical implications of their actions	Yes	There were instances where I had to be somewhat harsh and demanding to my team members to carry out their duty. On some occasions I was rather un-flexible towards their requests. Requests such as finishing up service earlier than usual, early departure from the activity. Also not being flexible to those who do not carry out their duty as requested. This may seem as if though my intention is to appear as a boss and exercise my authority as a leader, but in my perspective, it was entirely for their benefit. Most of my team members were a year below being eligible for leadership of the program. And my intention was to develop them to a standard where they would not struggle in maintaining a successful period as a leader of the program.
Developed new skills	Yes	There are numerous new skills that I have learned from my service experience. From being a participating member of a activity to getting the opportunity to lead the program is a significant amount of skills one can learn. My first skill that I developed prior to being the leader of sunflower village was the ability to effectively engage in with the children. This hugely triggered my interest in the program to seeing it as more of an opportunity where I can utilize my ability as an individual for the benefit of another, than a regular every Thursday commitment that I must attend. Not only did I develop as an individual, but my friends from OSC who were in the program saw me as an example in how to develop a better relationship with the children. Punctuality was another significant aspect that I developed from the program. As a leader my presence before anybody else is important as all that goes on depends on my decisions. The importance of punctuality was one of the biggest elements that I learnt from this program.