Reflection 1 - The Beginning 

I have volunteered to support the SOS children's village here in Phuket as a service initiative this year, because I feel like it is really important to make connections with other people in my local community. As a private international school student at BISP, I am conscious of my luck and privilege in living the life that I lead, and I feel that it is important for me to connect with and support those in my community who are less fortunate. By taking part in this initiative, I am hoping to further develop my teamwork and communication skills. Whilst I anticipate that this may be a challenge given my lack of Thai language skills and the children's lack of English, I am keen to work around this and form genuine connections with the kids. One of the main goals that I aim to accomplish during this initiative is to make the most of our school facilities and resources, because I think that this could be really enjoyable for the kids at SOS. It's important to me that the service activities I choose to take part in I do for the right reasons, so whilst this is an activity I will be recording in my CAS logs I also made sure that it was something that I would genuinely enjoy being a part of. I have loved working with children in similar service initiatives in the past, so I am really excited about this opportunity being introduced at BISP.

Reflection 2 - The Midpoint

I am absolutely loving taking part in the SOS children's village project so far. I have had so much fun during the past half term connecting with the kids and getting to know them and the members of staff. There have definately been challenging moments, for instance the lack of commitment from some of my peers, however this is something that I think we have managed to work around pretty effectively as a group. The children are loving the activities that we are providing for them, especially the arts and crafts, as we decided to use the art rooms for these activities. I'm really happy that we made this decision - the kids loved exporing the school a little and had so much fun experimenting with all the different art supplies. This is definately something that I would like to keep doing next half term. Another challenging aspect of this project was that each week the children rotated, so we were seeing different kids every week. This was frustrating at times, because whilst our confidence with them was growing over time, they were understandably nervous as it was almost always their first or second visit to our school. I think that we faced this challenge as best as we could given that it wasn't within our control, so I'm happy with the way our group worked together to figure that out. I'm excited to continue providing a range of experiences and activities for the kids at SOS, and I really hope they enjoy it as much as they have this past half term.

Reflection 3 - Moving Forwards

I finished my last session of SOS today before end of term, and I'm really content with how it's worked out. I've had a great time getting to know the kids and having fun alongside my peers, and I feel like I have gained a lot from this experience. My team building and communication skills have got progressively better throughout taking part in this initiative, partially due to necessity. Communicating with kids as young as the SOS children is usually a challenge, but the language barrier added to this even more. Despite this, I feel as though my peers and I took this challenge on the best we could, and worked together to problem solve quickly and efficiently. I am really happy with the variety of activities we provided for the children, and I loved interacting with them and properly getting to know the community that I live in. I also loved talking with the local members of staff that accompanied the kids to BISP, as I found that their perspectives on the joint initiative were insightful and interesting. I am so grateful to SOS for allowing me the opportunity to work alongside their organisation, and I am dissapointed that I won't be able to continue building relationships with the kids next term. However, looking forwards I am keen to continue the relationship that I have SOS by supporting them in any way that I can, particularly through the school fundraising events that are taking place in the approaching terms.

Reflection 1 - The Beginning

I am excited by the opportunity to teach English to a local Thai student (who attends a Thai National School) over the course of the next 4 months - he is 9 years old. I am mostly excited by this opportunity as I know that English language, and the acquisition of it, is a major passion of mine. Whilst I have worked with young children before, I have not worked with a student of this age, and certainly not independently (ie as his personal Tutor!). This is a little daunting, and I am slightly nervous about the fact that I will not have the support of a team to help ensure I am having a positive impact. My plan is to have a series of resources that I can draw upon, so that I can adjust the English tutoring if the student becomes unsettled (e.g. frustrated or bored). I hope to read and study some of the basic English language books that I learnt as a child (eg the Julia Donaldson series), as I know these stories and picture books are engaging to read and learn.

I hope to achieve the following goals:

For the student

1. Develop the student’s language proficiency - mainly in speaking and reading - so that they are able to improve their understanding during conversation in English.

2. Develop the student’s confidence and motivation to learn a different language.

For me

1. Develop more of a cultural understanding and awareness from connecting with the student - to pull down the language barrier!

2. Enhance my ability to communicate with others (especially with young children), and develop my skills of listening, patience and persistence.

Reflection 2 - The Midpoint

I met the student in late August and connected with him on a weekly basis after school in a classroom at BISP (his mother works at BISP). After a period of shyness (mainly from him!) he opened up, and was able to speak relatively good English in simple conversation. These first few weeks of connecting with the student allowed me to pitch the activities that I had planned so that there was enough challenge to maintain his concentration. The biggest difficulty I faced is that the student sometimes became unfocussed and preferred to do the less challenging English tasks - like playing chess or Connect 4. These board games were good to bring out his ability to speak informally, but did not extend more complex language. It was sometimes difficult to motivate him to read from the books and I ended up doing most of the talking/reading. When this happened, and he did most of the listening, it was difficult to know how much English he understood.

In relation to my goals I believe the following:

1. Language proficiency - The student has certainly learnt new words as we have been reading quite a few books and I have explained things he has not understood. I am not sure how much of this he can apply in ordinary conversation. I would say he is becoming a more confident reader but he is getting better slowly and I thought initially that we would see much faster progress.

2. Confidence and Motivation - The student has definitely become more confident around me since we were both quite shy at first. Sometimes however, this confidence leads to excitement (especially when he beats me at Board games) which is difficult to control and he sometimes loses concentration. I need to be quicker in assessing this so that the sessions can be calmer at times.

3. My cultural understanding - I have certainly recognised that it is quite challenging to work with young children and the fact that we do not share a common language adds to this. However, I have learnt a lot about the value that he and his family place on learning a second language at an early age, and this is something that I did not consider as a 10 year old. The student and his mum, realise that learning English well will provide greater opportunities for his education and future.

4. My ability to communicate with others - I am learning that my ability to communicate with young children has 'highs and lows'. Sometimes we connect extremely well and have a lot of fun as well as learning lots of new words and sayings, and other times I have to draw upon a range of other skills and qualities - especially patience! 

Reflection 3 - Moving Forwards

I was happy to support the student as he slowly developed English language proficiency. I think he made good progress in the end, and this was authenticated by his parents who confirmed their appreciation in writing. I hope that by engaging with him in the way I did, that the student has the confidence and motivation to speak in English to other children and adults.

I have learnt that I need to develop many more skills and qualities to develop as a personal tutor. This was especially true with regards to my patience and ability to think creatively when the sessions 'dry up'. On the whole I think I made a valuable contribution to the students understanding and grasp of English language, and I have realised how dismal I am at winning board games (with a 9 year old student!)

Reflection 1 - The Beginning

I have volunteered to tutor IGCSE English Language and Literature students, as I feel that this area of academia is where my strength lies. I feel that I can use my previous success with the course and in navigating the challenges of the examinations to provide the younger students with support and guidance that may relieve some stress and anxiety. My approach involves listening to the students 1-to-1 and understanding their stresses and concerns about the course and content. This will allow me to tailor a specific and personalized support program in order to enhance their understanding and confidence without the course. Additionally, knowing that my younger sister is also in this year group and taking part in the tutoring, my motivation extends beyond just academic assistance. I would like to create a genuine connection with the students and allow them to believe in their own successes and potentials.

Reflection 2 - The Midpoint

I have found that my experience of English Language and Literature tutoring for the current IGCSE students has been rewarding but challenging. One challenge in particular has been recognising and adapting to the diverse set of abilities and learning styles from the students. I have found this quietly frustrating, but have adjusted my teaching style fairly effectively to cater to more individual needs. Also, time management has been a focus in the tutoring sessions. Whilst it has been difficult to maintain focus 100% of the time, I feel that the relationships I have formed with the students have allowed me to maintain a productive balance.

Reflection 3 - Moving Forward

From now on, my commitment to supporting the current IGCSE students is unwavering. The experience has reinforced a variety of virtues in me as a mentor and as a fellow student - including patience, adaptability and open communication. I have also learnt that the role of a tutor requires more than just academic support. It also involves providing encouragement, fostering resilience and helping students to be independent in their studies. This process has made me appreciate even more the work of my teachers and the challenging natue of their job! I can see the students confidence clearly growing rapidly in their English studies, and this has had a real impact on their academic performances in the past paper questions I have given them so far. Seeing this has brought me a sense of real pride in them, and also has made me grow in confidence myself. I have also come to appreciate the mutual aspect of teaching and learning, as I have learnt a lot from the perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that the students bring to the table. 

Reflection 1 - The Beginning

I have decided to apply for a Special Needs Care volunteer programme in Vietnam, where I will be working in hospitals and community clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, providing support to children and young people, some of whom have disabilities and birth defects attributed to Agent Orange from the Vietnam war. 

Day-to-day life on the ground will include:

• Assisting with rehabilitation exercises and therapeutic treatments.

• Helping with meals and washing up.

• Playing games and arranging music and arts activities

• Supporting renovation work like painting murals

• Organising fundraising initiatives

• Teaching English to local staff

Ultimately, although the program on the ground in Vietnam is just two weeks, the preparatory phase preceding it has been a significant learning journey itself. Beyond the extensive pre-planning involved in navigating visa issues and sorting out the logistics of international volunteering, it was also of the utmost importance to me that I dedicated my time and effort towards understanding the complex history of the Vietnam War, and the withstanding effects this was having on those I aimed to assist. This preparation has been crucial to me, and by delving into these subjects I aim to approach my volunteer work with a heightened sense of empathy, sensitivity and awareness of the historical and social dimensions at play in the local community.

Reflection 2 - The Midpoint

My experience on the Special Needs Care Programme in Ho Chi Minh so far has been both profoundlyt challenging and rewarding. Interacting with children with disabilities has required patience, adaptability and empathy. Observing and interacting with the local community has been a humbling experience. The unwavering determination and resilience of the children has had a significant impact on me, and I have loved getting to know them so far. Although, there have been many moments where I have felt my limitations. I feel a little as though I could be doing and offering more, and it is in these moments of disappointment that I have been enlightened about the complexities and limitations of voluntourism. Witnessing the small triumphs, however, has been rewarding, and has reminded me to focus on the impact I can make during my time here.

Reflection 3 - Moving Forward

Looking back on the trip and my participation in the volunteer programme in Ho Chi Minh, I am so appreciative of the experience and the values it has brought me. The exposure to different disabilities, and growing to understand the complex history associated with them, have broadened my perspectives significantly. I have learnt about the importance of empathy trust between people, regardless of culture, wealth or background. I feel that it was this that allowed me to build the close relationships that I did with the children I worked with. The bonds formed, shared laughter and moments of reflection together made the volunteer experience truly impactful, both for me on a personal level and for the community I aimed to support.

Although, the nature of the company that I went through (IVHQ) unfortunately tainted my view on volunteering and the project that I took part in. Whilst their intentions may have been sincere, I often felt that their involved may have inadvertently orevented the full extent of the impact that could have been made, both by me personally and from volunteers in general. I noticed this in the day-to-day pracitces of the business, and their interaction with those they aimed to support. This realisation has prompted me to think critically and to question the ethics and sustainability of such initiatvies - something I plan on exploring further in my IB Business Studies course. I feel that, despite my involvement in the programme undoubtedly making a positive impact on a the community, there is more that could have been done. It is important to me that I continue to explore the intricacies of this now that I have returned to Phuket, as I feel that my experience on this programme has the potential to be a real learning experience.