Grade 12 Service

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Service Highlight

My grade 12 service highlight is my participation in the Encounter XIX and XXI program. I went as a leader on the XIX program and was fortunate to be given the great honour of being a rector for the Encounter XXI trip. It is a lot of work but I am looking forward to further being able to give back to the Encounter program.

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I chose to do my service refelction on my Encounter XXI experience as a Rector. As a Rector for Encounter it involves a lot of long hours and time out of your day after school planning for the 4 day weekend. While a lot of the work is long and focuses a lot on tiny details it was probably one of the best experiences seeing it all pay off as the weekend progressed. Seeing how all the hard work through the 4 months led to helping each and every person through the weekend and their personal experiences was absolutely life changing. It was truly one of the only times I have ever felt like I have really give back to people and have them notice and thank you for it. Even though the weekend is not about me and was about all the candidates, I feel like they taught me things that I could not have learned any other way. They taught me how to be a leader, be understanding, compassionate, and a friend. I felt as though I was watching them go through something that could change their lives forever, and many im sure it did. There are no words to describe the feeling that you have and even though I got maybe 4 hours of sleep the whole time up there it was worthy every single hour, minute, and second that got put into it. I really hope that the Encounter program continues to thrive for years to come and maybe if I am lucky I will one day get to come back as an adult sometime in the future.

Grade 11 Service

Service Highlight

My service highlight in grade 11 is when I did habitat for humanity. It was on a Saturday and we helped to start the process in building a new house. It was a great experience and I look forward to doing it again this year.

Reflection 

I chose Habitat for Humanity as my service reflection because it was a major service event for me in my grade 11 year. Habitat for Humanity is a organization in greater Vancouver that goes around and builds low cost housing for families that cannot afford the to live in the growing wealth of Vancouver. They are usually small complexes with one to two stories that are big enough to fit a whole family and have all the necessary appliances and accommodations for everyday life. While we do not supply any of the appliances or equipment we do play a major part in the building of the actual houses. When I went on it we had to clear away what was probably a 10 meter long and 2 meter wide area of brush that was condensed with prickle bushes and other shrubs. While this was hard labour and not truly that exciting, it was good experience because it gave me an opportunity to see what kind of effort it takes some people 24/7 to get through their daily lives. It also showed me how lucky I am to be living in an area where I do not need to worry about where i’m going to sleep and whether or not i’m going to have a roof over my head. It really opened my eyes to the struggles that people can go through in their lives. Thats why as we were clearing the brush and putting in soil it gave me a great sense of accomplishment when I could look at the open space after and know that I personally contributed to a family being able to move into a nice home with a roof and essentials and know that every night they can be warm and comfortable in a place they can truly call home.

Grade 10 Service

Service Highlight #2

My 2nd grade 10 service highlight is when I worked at the Spring Fair. I worked at the candy walk and taking down tables for service. This was a great opportunity to get service while having fun at the same time. I hope the Spring Fair runs again next year.

Service Highlight

My grade 10 service highlight is when I was a Camp Counsellor for the grade 4 Camp. It was a sign up bases opportunity and it taught me a lot about leadership and responsibility.

I chose my camp counseling for my service highlight because it was a good way to give back to the school. It is important to give back to the community and school because you should show respect to everyone. Putting service into my life time goals will be a good thing. Having service in your life can open you up to many different opportunities and new people. I will definitely integrate service opportunities into my life as I grow up and encounter new situations. Being a camp counsellor helped me enhance all the students experience at camp and make them feel more comfortable being away from home for a long period of time (to them). I remember my first grade camp and know the difficulties that are associated with those grueling 3 days. I witnessed first hand what a difference a nice counsellor can make. As a camp counsellor we had many new responsibilities to tend to. I was in charge on 5 hyper active grade 4’s. Despite the clear difficulties you have, it was a rewarding experience leading activities like campfire’s, activities, and your own cabin. Counseling gives you a real sense of responsibility. It was good to expand my abilities in working with other people and will benefit me in the future. This highlight shows that I have drive, focus, organization, and enough responsibility to take on any task that is given to me. Next year I hope to go on a service trip with the school to further give back to the world. Service should be provided at every school so kids can have the opportunity to give back. Service provides kids with new responsibility and focus.