Unicef - Bidding

Aspect: Service, Creativity. 
Time: 1 hour 
Supervisor: Mme Hanna Piskorska 
Team Project


Recently, I had a chance to take part in the Unicef's charity action. I was holding the bidding which took place in Monnet International PreSchool. My role was to sell three handsewn rag dolls made by children. The money raised in this a(u)ction were devoted to buy vaccinations to children in Africa. For every 10 zlotys one vaccination was bought.
It is a team project which I conducted in cooperation with Mme Marzena Mroz who is the coordinator of Primary Years Programme.

1. This activity helped me in developing new activities. Even though I previously had a chance to hold an auction it was the first time when its aim was so important. I absolutely believe in the goals which Unicef attempts to achieve and it was a great pleasure for me to host this event.

2. Working collaboratively with other people was very important during this event. It required me to meet with the coordinator two times prior to the auction in order to talk in detail about it, acquaint myself with the rag dolls and procedures.  I was delighted by the contact with preschool's stuff who turned out to be very helpful and I believe we had a great time working together.

3. This activity also engaged me in the issues of global importance. Contributing to supporting UNICEF in a charity is a great opportunity to understand the importance of one's action. I am extremely happy that I could contribute myself and my work to help buying nearly 400 vaccinations, which will save as many as 400 kids from threatening deseases.

Outcomes	Reached or not	Outcome explanation
increase your awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth	Yes	I do not have many occasions to hold auctions and this activity helped me to increase the awareness of my own strengths as the auction was considered a great success.
undertake new challenges	Yes	Even though I have already hosted a bidding this was long ago and this auction was the first serious one.
plan and initiate activities	Yes	It was a planned activity to which I had to adjust myself.
work collaboratively with others	Yes	This activity made me work collaboratively with the PYP coordinator.
show perseverance and commitment in your activities	No	It was only one time event and I do not believe it will ever have a continuation.
engage with issues of global importance	Yes	Through hosting this bidding I contributed to achieving the goal of buying vaccinations to children in Africa.
consider the ethical implications of your actions	Yes	Working for charity implies that I want to improve the situation of those in need.
develop new skills	Yes	It definitely helped me to develop a new skill and improved my confidence.

Studniówka

Aspect: Creativity, Service
Time: 10 hours


Organizing Studniówka in our school is immensely difficult since everyone has different opinion on the issue, everyone attempts to say something, and as it was the case this year - destroy my whole plan. Two days ago, one of the students presented alternative plan which in my opinion was a total misunderstanding, however, a part of our year found it reasonable.

All in all, this Tuesday we had a voting, and vast majority supported my plan and finally we are pursing it. Solely, I arranged meeting with the owner of Studniówka after party venue - Theatro 1811 and made it through the process of negotiations.
Moreover, I planned the limousines which will carry us from the school to center, where we will be having an after party.
I knew that if someone did not come up with a plan we would not have a Studniówka, thus I decided to take care of it, and our Studniówka will take place on the 11th February 2012.

1. This activity helped me to develop new skills - I was forced to negotiate the contracts with the owners and I have also developed organizing skills which proved to be immensely important - without them it would have been an impossibility to organize this year's Studniówka.

2. Even though it was very difficult to work collaboratively with others, I knew that it is the most important part and after all it is not only my Studniówka but everyone's, therefore we decided to divide responsibilities and we work with each other!

Outcomes	Reached or not	Outcome explanation
increase your awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth	Yes	Once again it has showed me that there is always room for improvement and that organizing events is a complex issue.
undertake new challenges	Yes	Even though I have organized events previously it was my first Studniowka and I enjoyed doing it.
plan and initiate activities	Yes	It required a lot of planning, moreover, it was an activity initiated by myself.
work collaboratively with others	Yes	This project required the cooperation of the whole grade and despite personal nuances the consensus was achieved.
show perseverance and commitment in your activities	Yes	There were many problems I encountered when organizing this event; however, perseverance I displayed allowed me to achieve the success.
engage with issues of global importance	No	Organizing such an event does not engage me in issues of global importance, certainly.
consider the ethical implications of your actions	Yes	In every aspect of our lives one has to consider the ethical implications of the actions and so is with studniowka.
develop new skills	Yes	I've learned during the process of organization a lot and developed many new skills such as persistance, for example.

swiateczna paczka

Aspect: Service
Time: 5 hours


For the second year already together with my fellow schoolmates we have participated in Swiateczna Paczka which translated into English means Christmas Box. It is a great initiative commenced by      in order to help needy people and allow them to fully celebrate Christmas. At our school we collected gifts, basic necessities, and presents for one family and it turned out to be a great success.
My role in this activity was to pack all the boxes, wrap up the gifts, and carry them to the meeting place where I also helped in organizing it.

1. It thought me to work collaboratively with others, it was a team work, and we did not have much time to pack it up, thus we had to work with each other in order to succeed. In fact, working against a clock with a group of friends might be very fruitful, and I have to say we also had good time together because we knew that we were doing something good.

2. This activity also shows us how to engage ourselves with issues of global importance, aiding people in need is an ever since activity in which people who are in position to help out should engage themselves and I believe that this is of immense importance that we really get involved in charity to change the world!

Outcomes	Reached or not	Outcome explanation
increase your awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth	Yes	I believe that working for charity always can be improved and one can always do more in order to help out those in need.
undertake new challenges	No	Last year I have also participated in Swiateczna Paczka and my role was similar to this of this year's thus it is a continued action.
plan and initiate activities	Yes	Swiateczka Paczka requires planning and I have adjusted myself to these plans in order to be able to participate.
work collaboratively with others	Yes	This activity requirers collaboration and cooperation between participants for the work to go smoothly and without any major flaws.
show perseverance and commitment in your activities	Yes	As this is already my second time as a participant of Swiateczna Paczka I believe I am persistent in it.
engage with issues of global importance	Yes	Economic problems are present in every part of the world, and same activities - helping families from poorer background to spend their Christmases in decent condition take place all over the globe.
consider the ethical implications of your actions	Yes	Participating in charities is a very purposeful action. I wish to heal the world and have fun doing it!
develop new skills	Yes	Every time when participating in such activity one encounters different opportunities and thus develops new skills.

“A sound mind in a sound body”

Aspect: Action

Time per session: 1h30

Total time of the activity: 30 hours
Supervisor: Dorota Drążała: 795 762 476 

I find the maxim “a sound mind in a sound body” highly appropriate. I believe that in order to maintain mental balance one must also be able to perform physical activities, since they are very helpful in preserving the general condition of the organism in a good health. Work out which I am undertaking mainly consists of wellness training, meaning that I am not overworking my body. Through going to the gym I attempt to improve my stamina, as well as exercise my already full schedule. 

1. This is a planned and initiated activity, lasting for a period of at least 3 months. I devote every second Saturday to spend time at the gym, improving the general health of my organism. 
2. Working out also shows perseverance and commitment to the activity. However, it is not easy to find time to actively spend in the gym, I try my best, aiming for improving general health, again in reference with the maxim “a sound mind in a sound body.”
3. I also increase my awareness and seek for the areas of growth. Through work out people discover their both weak and strong sides. I have learned what are my weaknesses that I have to work on, in order to improve my results, in for instance: time of running, lifting weights, working out abs. 

Outcomes	Reached  or not	Outcome explanation
increase your awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth	Yes	Before I was never determined enough to start going to the gym and CAS allowed me and to an extent made me believe that attending gym is necessary to keep the balance of the organism and to maintain the general health. I know that through training I can become more healthy and there is still a lot of room for improvement.
undertake new challenges	Yes	I have never been going to the gym on regular basis and CAS made me started to seriously think of workout.
plan and initiate activities	Yes	My workout is a planned and initiated activity, I do it regularly and I am fully devoted to it.
work collaboratively with others	No
show perseverance and commitment in your activities	Yes	I show commitment through attending sessions every week, as well as on every possible occasion and I believe that it shows my perseverance.
engage with issues of global importance	No	Gym does not engage me in issues of global importance, certainly.
consider the ethical implications of your actions	Yes	Attending the gym implies that I want to improve my health condition and thus I am going to the gym.
develop new skills	Yes	I believe that without CAS I would never have started my workout sessions and it certainly helped me developing a new skill.

WrocMUN

Aspect - Creativity, Service
Time - 35 hours
Supervisor: Iga Zadrzywilska

http://wrocmun.lo5.wroc.pl/

With much success we have attended 2 Model United Nation sessions so far. The time has come for a real challenge - famous WrocMUN. I have created the delegation, prompting two students from MIS IB II class - Basia & Kasia, as well as two students from BSW. The inter-school delegation gives us the opportunity to  encounter new, interesting people, and importantly - tackle real world problems.
Participation in WrocMUN is immensely satisfying for me, as I really wanted our school to take part in it last year, and I am pleased to announce that it will happen this year.

Furthermore, we will represent United Kingdom, therefore I will have help out my classmates and prepare them, because the country we represent is a permanent member it will demand a lot of effort from all of us.

1.
Through participating in MUN I consider ethical implications of my actions. By reason of that activity I will understand how the world is functioning and what consequences can some actions bring.
I am really satisfied that we have created a team and hope to achieve something there. Of course there are competitive delegates, but I think we might play an important part. I am going there with a certain purpose and I understand why conferences like MUN are significant - they help understanding the current situation in the world.


2.
Thanks to this activity I will hopefully increase awareness of my own strengths and areas for growth, because I have participated in the conference only once so far. I think that I could do real good and possibly I will use the skill obtained thanks to MUN in the future. Definitely it will help me to see whether I am able to make good speeches and talk to a big group of people. I think that it also teaches how to deal with stress and it is very important in everyone's lives.


3.
By that activity I will engage myself with issues of global importance. As we know Model United Nations concern problems of global importance, for instance Korean Conflict and participating in the conference is a great opportunity to become a part of events. MUN's aim is to reproduce the real meeting of countries' statesmen and it helps understanding not only the background of the conflicts but also shows solutions that delegates have to find during the conference. As a Security Council deputy I will be forced to think about country's safety and prevention of future conflicts.

Name of student: Jan Górczyński

Name of activity: WrocMUN 

Duration (when and how many hours):

Outcomes	Reached or not	Outcome explanation
increase your awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth	Yes	WrocMUN was my fourth MUN and it has only confirmed that there is still a lot to learn, however, it also showed that I am in fact one of the most successful young diplomat among participants in Poland which makes me very proud of myself.
undertake new challenges	Yes	Even though I have participated in numerous MUNs before every single one is a different experience and every time I learn something new.
plan and initiate activities	Yes	WrocMUN was an activity entirely planned by myself, I have leaded the inter-school delegation and it was also my idea to go to Wroclaw and participate in Wroclaw Model United Nations.
work collaboratively with others	Yes	MUN is all about collaborative work, not only should you work collaboratively with your delegation, but also within the committee one should find their allies and enemies, thus team work is the key!
show perseverance and commitment in your activities	Yes	I show commitment through participating in MUNs, on every possible occasion I do it again and I believe that it shows my perseverance.
engage with issues of global importance	Yes	The topics deal with real-life issues and young diplomats help to resolve the problems of global importance such as hunger in Somalia, struggles in the Gaza Zone etc.
consider the ethical implications of your actions	Yes	Participating in MUN is a very purposeful action. I wish to heal the world and have fun doing it!
develop new skills	No	I believe that I am confident enough and my diplomatic skills are developed to the extent at which I can fully participate and lead the discussions both within committees and General Assembly.

Essay

Confession 

During my vacation I was supposed to write an essay on my personal fails, and why did they occur, there it goes: 

‘My personal fails in CAS’

This year was for many reasons different from my previous ones. I have experienced some personal difficulties, and I have realized that sometimes one has to take care of more people than just himself. In fact, I am a selfish person and sometimes I think that the world is spinning around myself. Some of my service activities taught me that this is not entirely true and that one is obliged to think about the other people surrounding him... 

Sometimes I find it difficult to admit that I have failed, I try to avoid thinking of being unsuccessful. In some cases this is a good method, because you would not feel depressed, sad, or whatsoever. However, there comes the time when it is absolutely necessary to admit when you lose, and besides my successes I have also noted down some difficulties, leading to collapses and fails. 

I have always had problems with being systematic, I have taken up many activities and ended up with doing none of them. The problem appears to be still valid, and even though I have improved to some extent I am still not able to overcome this problem totally. This seems to be very common for young people but it is immensely annoying for me. Due to this it was very uneasy for me to keep up with all of activities scheduled because I was always able to find excuses - homework, head ache, other activities, etc. As a matter of fact this irregularity was, and is one of my biggest fails. Not only it does not allow me to achieve full success but also often leaves me with 10 started and unfinished projects, which is the worst because one cannot focus on 10 things at a time and accomplish them 100% correctly. 

Another problem that I have to struggle with and which generally leads to fail is pretending that I have everything under control. I try to be self sufficient but sometimes I am aware of the fact that I am not experienced enough to do something on my own, and I still do it. This leads not only to many problems but much more. It is understandable that a person of my age is less experienced and generally less capable of accomplishing certain goals than an adult. However, I never admit it and I always try to prove that I am the best in most of the fields. 

Due to this attitude the photo exhibition was a total mistake and as a matter of fact it was prepared in approximately 10 minutes, while we had over a month for it. I decided to be the ‘commander’ and as it turned out I was not capable of forcing my friends to fully commit to it. Also because I had an ‘it is a piece of cake attitude’ I gave up the real preparation for the exhibition and printed out some pictures downloaded from Facebook in the very day. I think that the lack of planning, preparing, and meticulously organizing every single event leads to a collapse, and this is what I have to improve, otherwise I will never be able to achieve a full success. 

Even though my CAS booklet presents only the positive and successful aspects of my year, along with successes there are also fails and the most difficult part is to fully admit and accept your problems, in order to improve. Improvement is possible only when one tries to deal with one’s problems and this is what I am trying to do, hoping that my CAS attitude and activities will contribute to it. 

Changes - Logo

Aspect - Creativity, Service
Time - 8 hours

Last month I have been thinking what can we possibly change in our school and I decided to think of a new name, and logo which would finally deal with an unsolved problem of "how to refer to our school."
I had an idea - Monnet International School(MIS) and to my great surprise it was warmly welcomed by both the teachers and students.

1. Through this activity I have definitely undertook a new challenge as this was risky to propose such significant changes, however I am sure it will do good for the school, and I am content that the whole idea has worked out.

2. This activity also involved working collaboratively with others, not only with a friend of mine - Jas Sosnowski but also with the principal, her spouse and teachers. I believe that it was a fruitful collaboration and that together we have achieved a success.

3. Thanks to this activity I also have developed new skills by reason of this activity I have learned how to implement new ideas, and how to discuss them with others.