Project week is a key part of learning at UWC, we learn to plan an entire trip with at least 2 of the elements of CAS, we are told to plan everything all by ourselves. In a sense project week is the first step to growing up.

The planning stages of Project Week have been very difficult, a major problem we faced was our service, when we found a service that was close to where we were doing our activity we had a complication, this was that there was another group at UWC aiming to do that exact same service. Both of our groups wanted to do the same service and unfortunately there was a regulation that no two groups can stay at the same accommodation at the same time therefore, we had to figure out a way for both groups to do the service whilst not staying at the accommodation they provided at the same time, this service was in a province that didn’t have many hotels and the service provider provided us with accommodation if we were doing service there.

This was one of the major issues we faced in relation to the planning process as it was very difficult to find dates that suited both groups. Luckily we figured out a way for the other group to go before us and for us to go after them allowing us to both do the service whilst not staying at the same accommodation.

For the past 2 years I have been a member of Kokata GC, our GC works looks at working  with the NGO, Voice Of World in Kolkata, India. Voice of World aims to support individuals who are visually impaired or disabled. Every year we hold an event called Kahaani in efforts to raise funds for the Pratyasha home in Kolkata, Kahaani is a show that portrays a story through a variety of different Indian dances. They use the funds we provide them with to empower girls in the Pratyasha Home through various activities and programs.

This year I have gained the experience of being the chair of the GC alongside two other co-chairs. Last year I was in the media team for the GC and I did have much to do but, I noticed that Kolkata GC is a really inclusive job and everybody always feels as though they have done something and contributed in some way. I really liked the feel of the GC which is the main reason i applied to be chair. Not only would I gain the experience of being a chair of a global concern but I would learn skills that would not be able to learn elsewhere. As chair of the GC I have to be able to allocate jobs for everybody else in the group and see if everything is on track , not only that but, I much oversee the behind the scenes work that must get done for the show to be a success.

Planning the show, Kahaani takes a lot of effort and hard work, and there is a lot of small things that must get done. To make sure we finished all the small things and didn’t fall behind, my co-chair and I would meet up during our free and for those 80 minutes we would finish everything we needed to do before the next week.  Throughout the first term, there was a lot of preliminary planning that went into doing the show such as : booking the venue, planning the plot of the show, choosing songs, choosing dance leaders, sending out logistics forms to the service office and many many more.

While we have done so much in the first term there is still a lot to come. I am excited to finish the process of planning and executing Kahaani,