We wanted to raise awareness both for the service group and the issue at hand. It had been a while since we had received donations so we could also use the opportunity to ask for donations.
We chose to prepare a presentation and a student from middle school asked to collaborate and release information for middle school to raise awareness of the issue and highlight that there are students at school working to address it.
Additionally the Service and Sustainable Development Executive were hoping to build up a library of media showcasing each service, so this was a good opportunity to prepare that and showcase it as an explanation of what we do and need during the awareness raising event.
I was quite excited to work on such a project as the previous year I had not seen the group undertake such a project. It was a lot of work and we were constantly negotiating deadlines both to present it to the school and to get it polished and approved.
For the most part we were able to gather information and record, edit and review the presentation and video. However, actually coming up with a video idea and the structure for the presentation was a little more difficult.
We successfully completed a video and presentation. We developed collaborative skills as a team and learned about managing creative projects. This was in order to raise awareness about E-Waste as well as inform the larger school community about our Service, refurbishing and redistributing old, broken or unused electronic devices, and also partially to call for more donations.
Our team worked together by assigning different tasks to each other and then coming together to combine the different pieces. We discussed our ideas and let each other know if we were struggling to complete any of the tasks (in which case another member would do it). All the members were also actively willing to participate in the video, recording voice or video snippets.
I’ve gained an understanding of organising creative projects and the difficulty of working with large teams, particularly in assigning responsibilities or agreeing on a creative path (especially when everyone wants to include each other’s ideas). I think this has change me in realising that I should try sometimes to take lead and help to organise the group’s thoughts into cohesive action.
I helped in making the video by presenting one of the scene’s detailing where to donate items. As the location was new not many people knew about it and also being part of the SSD Exec LEI group made me aware of its importance and the plans for its expansion so it was appropriate I be the one to present it. I think in future I will ensure to speak up about any particular area of expertise I have.
LO2
Any major project is a difficult undertaking. However, accounting for the unknown amounts of school work and the difficulty of subject units and assessments, managing time and limiting it to within service time was a careful balance. In addition, the usual opportunities of an exhibition or some form of in person presentation at an assembly were not available due to COVID restrictions. We therefore had to be innovative in the delivery of information.
There were minimal risks involved and there was much support from many staff members. Many of the service staff were experienced in preparing content like this and were able to advise us in how to get approval for a time slot and in what format we should present it as. The personal risk would likely be attributed to taking this on as a personal leadership opportunity and not wanting to let down the service group.
By working closely with the students part of the project we were able to generate a wide range of ideas and were also able to effectively review the product as it was developed. From catching errors in the video to correcting information in the presentation. In addition, the teacher facilitator assisted us in recalling the historical information and other achievements and impacts of the service group we as students may not have been aware of (or been present to witness).
Due to the limited time limit and a lack of budget we used available tech and resources such as phones and video editors provided by the school subscriptions to put the video together. The audio at times was barely audible, but with the addition of subtitles we got through. Also the presentation perhaps could have used more polish, information and additional resources.
I think a similar approach of choosing a diverse, energetic and well skilled group will help in efforts to develop a suitable presentation or product in a limited amount of time with limited resources that require creative thinking.
I have developed skills including organisation and management of a diverse group that may not always see the same concept and also managing personal knowledge with the broader understanding of the group (which might, and often do, conflict in completion).
By comparing my behaviour to previous group projects and the outcomes to similar products produced by other service groups and by myself (and groups I worked with) in the past.
Some skills are easier to develop than others because we may have more opportunities to practice or revise them or they do not require direct experience and may be improved significantly through observation or other materials. Things like video editing, audio and cinematography can all be developed using non-practice techniques. However other skills such as team management and organisation requires direct experience to improve, and though one may be able to pick up tips from other resources, it may not be as effective or still require experience to reinforce the value of these techniques or how to apply them correctly.
It was very important to develop team organisational skills or we may not have completed the project to such a quality in the time allocated.
These skills are applicable in other communication projects and team related tasks.
LO7
I faced ethical decisions when we were choosing the information to present and the way in which we were to present it.
I used common sense and a sense of faithfulness to communicating as much of the complex picture as possible. There were core elements of the E-Waste issue such as its harms and sources, but also balancing this with the reality of solutions and the ways we can help. Additionally we needed to maintain a message of hope as enough people suffer from eco-anxiety without more messages of doom. I believe these are valid bases for this scenario as our goal is to faithfully communicate the issue in a way that is not reductive or simplistic, but that is not so complex and detailed that some would struggle to follow it or become anxious at the scale of the matter.
I think my moral principle of being truthful and transparent influences my wish to present as full a picture as possible and to question the validity of all information present. This means considering the source of facts and if any bias is present or ensuring we communicate the age of any data.
I do not think anyone would disagree with my sentiments, however, the extent to which others would follow this level of thinking may be limited by their capacity to focus on this project over other things sucha s academics.
I think I have gained a greater understanding of some principles and are grateful for the opportunity to explore them in practice.
Evidence
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZfdzEYAMJ9-ko_GGstANPqPTkmcAGpjx/view?usp=sharing