Final CAS Reflection

Increased awareness of their own strengths and areas of growth – Through my actions, yoga and personal fitness, I was able to have a greater understanding of my own personal strengths and weaknesses. Also to be able to see areas I needed to improve on and others that need to still be met.

 (http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2015/04/yoga-friday-afternoons.html, http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2014/12/personal-fitness.html)

Undertaken new challenges – I was able to engaged with issues of global importance with my service group the Pursuit of Happiness where I spent the year working together with another service group at school to promote the work they do and help create awareness about their global issue. I have also takne new challenges in action when I joined yoga which allowed me to learn and try new things that I found interesting.

(http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2015/04/yoga-friday-afternoons.html)

Planned and initiated activities – In the Pursuit of Happiness I have been able to plan and initiate activities with the service group I was working with including a center visit and as a whole service group to do a presentation to show others what we have accomplished this year. 

(http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2015/02/spreading-awareness.html)

Worked collaboratively with others – This year my service group had spent the time helping and working collaboratively to promote awareness about the subject and issues that they are addressing within their own services.

(http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2015/02/spreading-awareness.html)

Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities – I have shown perseverance and commitment to my activities through regular attendance and having evidence available to support my activities most often.

(http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2015/02/spreading-awareness.html, http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2015/04/yoga-friday-afternoons.html)

Engaged with issues of global importance – I was able to engaged with issues of global importance with my service group the Pursuit of Happiness where I spent the year 12 working with the Alzheimer’s groups at school who correspond with local Alzheimer’s center. I have be able to learn and share my experience with other and help to create awareness of the global issue of Alzheimer’s in my community.

(http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2015/02/spreading-awareness.html, http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-pursuit-of-happiness-project.html)

Considered the ethical implications of their actions - I had to deal at lot with ethics in the service groups because of the sometimes-sensitive subject we were dealing with. The first instance was because our service use photojournalism was that we had to have consent for the photos that we took and we also had to be adaptable to the wishes of the people we were working with about the content that we posted and shared with others. Second instance was for me personally as I went to visit the Lanka Alzheimer’s center and had interviews with the people who visited the center and with the member of the service group in school. This was mainly focusing on the use of certain words and how I phrased questions. But after working with the member I was able to learn the right way to ask question or the follow the rules that were set in place.
(http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2015/02/spreading-awareness.html, http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-pursuit-of-happiness-project.html)

Developed new skills – I was able to engaged with issues of global importance with my service group the Pursuit of Happiness were I learnt photography skills with the help from the other members as a part of our photo journalism. I have also learnt new skills from doing yoga afterschool and have increased my knowledge of the area of yoga. I have also learnt many new skill from my areas of creativity were I have leant about surface and embellishment and improved my art skills.

(http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2015/04/yoga-friday-afternoons.html, http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2014/08/drawing-clubgraphic-novel.html, http://ysobellagdcas.blogspot.com/2014/03/surface-and-embellishment-final-product.html)

Final Service Reflection - The Pursuit of Happiness

My service the Pursuit of Happiness aim is to create awareness about people and situations that have not been able to tell their stories. We also focus on the generating a meaning of conveying our messages. This year y part in the service is focusing on the service group that works with the Lanka Alzheimer's Foundation Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka. I have spent this year getting to know that people who run the service project at school and the people that they visit at the centre. I am happy to say that I have helped create awareness about a serious issue of global importance and to have been able to personally encage with the area as well. I was really happy that this year I was able to work collaboratively with others in their service groups and help them help us promote the true aims of the groups and create a wider scale awareness for the better of all those involved. 

Yoga Friday Afternoons

I have been participating in Yoga of Friday afternoon for the last month and a half and along with other peers I have engaged in a series of different forms and types of yoga.

During each lession how we tried many different poses and pushed ourselves to try new things and to explore the extent of our capabilities in the area. it was interesting for me because it allowed me to undertaken new challenges and developed new skills I learnt different types of yoga poses and to know what my strengths and weakness (Increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth). I would like to continue with yoga at a later date because I found that it is invigorating and allows for a better understanding about myself. 

Alzheimer's Service Group Next Leader

I recently had the chance to talk to the potential leader of the Alzheimer's group here at school next year after the current leader graduates. Yannis Grimm is currently in DP1 and has attended The Overseas School of Colombo (OSC) for two years. 

What was your first Alzheimer's center visit like? 

    On my first trip there was an old gentleman that I talked to, he was not as lucid as some. We covered topics such as his family and personal history. During the activities he poured tea onto his plate as he was painting and tried to drink the mixtures. It important to realise that these people are real people and not all of them are like what people stereotypically think an alzheimer's patients should be.

What was some of the stories that they told you? 

One of the ladies remembered me from last year, this really touched me because this was the first time someone had remembered me and after such a long time. On the last last visit to the centre I met a lady who I spent the whole trip talking to her. As we began to talk we got into our histories we discovered that we have lived and visited the same places and we could share the knowledge and stories. 

Do you enjoy this service?

            Yes, it is fun because we really get to interact with people. I find it quite rewarding and sometimes they don’t react as much as other people. But we get these times when they interact with us in a way that allow for them to truly connect. It’s hard sometimes because they sometimes lose track of what they saying. It’s important to remember to be curtsies and to ask questions that are not directed towards their condition.

Where you see yourself in the future for this group?

            Possibly leading position but I will join the group anyway because I think this an important to raise awareness about the condition and how to interact and behave around someone with. What happens sometime is that the person became dehumanised because they become the condition not the person.

Link to Yannis Grimm's CAS blog: https://casblogreflectingonpersonalandsocialiblife.wordpress.com

Change in Action Note

For my last semester of DP2 I have changed my action from Personal Fitness with a trainer to yoga on Friday afternoons at school. While I will still continue to engage in personal fitness it will no longer be my main action in CAS due to the absence of a trainer. I hope to throughly enjoy yoga and be able to challenge myself and gain new skills from this experience. Yoga will begin on Friday the 13th.

Spreading Awareness

 As a part of my service, The Pursuit of Happiness, one of our main aims is to create awareness about people and situations that have not been able to tell their stories. We also focus on the generating a meaning of conveying our messages. My part in the service is focusing on the service group that works with the Alzheimer's Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Post of interview with Alzheimer's Centre member 

Post of interview with Alzheimer's Group leader

As a part of generating awareness booklets were also made up for each group or people that our service interviewed. One of the special parts of our service is our collaboration with other services/groups that allows fro us to create a wider scale awareness for the better of all involoved.

Alzheimer's Centre Booklet

Alzheimer's Centre Booklet

Personal Fitness

My goals for personal fitness is to gain a healthier lifestyle and lose weight. These personal fitness sessions are held at the gym in my building with a personal trainer Romesh who is trainer who is studying to become a physiotherapist.  This is my fourth session which run for one hour once a week, in between sessions I must do two hours of personal work outs on my own.




 During these sessions we focus on building cardio and muscle. Half of session would be spent on the cross trainer or treadmill. Then we will work on doing short burst of a