Due to the current situation of the Coronavirus, we are unable to embark on our project week trips. However, having completed various planning stages during the process, we have been able to exhibit a range of skills and qualities. One such example has been through the completion of the flags that have required us to utilise skills of collaboration and communication. Having assigned each person specific flags to complete, we were able to divide and conquer. The flags that I had to complete were the accommodation, partner organisation information, and key forms of communication during the trip.

For the accommodation, I set up discussions with the group to gain a better idea of the schools requirements and personal preferences in order to ensure that each group member was fully satisfied with the place we would be staying in. One of the challenges that I encountered was that the accommodations that fit our requirements were too much of a distance from the Epic Arts centre. This meant that I had to use skills of problem-solving to compare and compromise with some of the personal preferences of group members. Eventually, I was able to find an accommodation that was close enough the centre that offered transport provided by the hotel.

With regards to the partner organisation and information, flag this was also quite hard to complete as our contacts from Epic Arts were reasonably hard to reach out to. The contacts that we had been given from the service office did not seem to respond to our queries via email and call, therefore we had to approach the head of service so that he could contact the centre for us. After having received a reply, we were able to use our communication skills to organise a Skype call with the head of logistics at Epic Arts. This helped us to gain insight into some of the resources that we would need to bring along with us on the trip, as well as brainstorm possible activities that could be carried out with the Epic Arts kids.

After we had completed the flags, we had to put together an itinerary for the week. Using skills of critical thinking, we planned out times that we could rest in between sessions with the Epic Arts kids, as well as times that we would leave and return back to the hotel. We knew that if we spent long hours at the Epic Arts centre without adequate breaks in between, we would become unproductive and the kids would lose interest in the activities that we had planned out – therefore it was good to maintain a balance between both aspects of our trip. Additionally, we made sure to include time for reflection and documentation of our thinking, as well as briefing for the next day as a group – helping us to set goals that we aimed to accomplish by the end of the trip.