NUS OSA signed us up for a compulsory service learning workshop conducted by Touch Community. Apart from Inspiring India, there were also 2 other teams attending the workshop. It was very interesting to observe the dynamics of each team. I guessed it really boils down to the characters of the team members as well as the direction the team leaders wanted to head.
Both trainers were very experienced in yep. They introduced several concepts to aid in our preparation. There was the 6 concepts, namely youth voice, genuine needs, age-appropriate, learning connection, Â reflections and preparation. The aim of the 6 concepts was to revisit and simplify our process of preparation for the project. Also, they taught us about service objectives and learning objectives. Initially, Jacqueline and I have laid out our objectives for the project. However during the discussion with the members and trainers, we realised that it was clearer to divide the objectives into service (benefits for the community) and learning (benefits for the team). In the end we came up with a new sets of objectives with realistic and measurable outcomes.
Finally the last activity was regarding teamwork. Everyone had to cut a piece of twine and all the twines must form a net to support the weight of one member. As the “heaviest” member in the team, I tested out the strength of the net. Honestly I was quite afraid that the net would break or snap. However I also knew that if that happened someone would hold onto me. Similar to the trip, many things (good or bad) will happen but it is up to the collective strength of the team to pull everyone through. Some members are stronger (longer twine and better knots) while some are weaker (less physical strength or weaker knots). However when everyone gives in their best and trust, no obstacle (my weight) will break the net (bond of the team).
