#cas reflection

[aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog]

REFLECTION ON CAS EXPERIENCE IN DP1

What did you enjoy most about CAS?

The most enjoyable part of CAS for me was that I learned how to documental my activities such as cooking, horse-riding, or helping others. Before CAS, I did not take photos of such engagements and did not reflect upon how they influenced me, therefore I believe that I was not having the insight that CAS gave me. Mainly due to the element of reflection in CAS, I gained more knowledge and could self-assess myself, meaning that I learned how to spot my mistakes and how to correct them, but also what I can do better in the future.

What was your greatest challenge and how did you overcome this?

The greatest challenge of the CAS experience for me was to reflect upon my activities. As I mentioned earlier, I used to complete my daily goals, but there was no reflection concerning their impact on me. Thanks to CAS, I am not able to rethink, consider and contemplate subjects concerning my recent activities.

What abilities and skills did you develop most significantly in CAS? 

Skills I mostly significantly developed in CAS are self-discipline, taking new risks, being more caring, communicating better with others, gaining new knowledge, become reflective and open-minded in my activities.

Which learning outcomes did you find challenging to achieve?

For me, the most challenging to achieve was LO.3., regarding initiating and planning CAS experience. I found it especially problematic while cooking when I had to focus on one cuisine, even if I wanted to make a simpler dish or a meal from another culture.

[alice-cas-dp15]

After the annual Christmas Hike 2017, I am tired, happy and filled with the Christmas spirit. It was an intense weekend from Friday with the youngest (8 to 10 year olds) to Saturday filled with activities that the 14 to 17 year olds planned (us rovers helped ofcourse). Sunday was for cleaning and going home. It was very fun and enjoyable but I also realized that something has to change for next year. There has to be more new stations: most of the oldest (that I am a leader for) have done the some of the stations over and over again. It gets boring in the end. The station I was responsible for (make a “trefot”) was flawed as the youngest kids had not gone through it before which meant I had to come up with a new plan. Luckily enough, there was no points awarded as it was not a competition. But the concept at the moment is definitely flawed, which means we have to think more creatively next year. 

[alice-cas-dp15]

It was time for the annual scouts christmas market! As previous years, I was Santa Clause handing out sweets to children which was really fun but still challenging to a certain degree when it comes to meeting other people. Not everyone is as nice as others (despite it being Christmas time) and some people are just greedy (to put it bluntly). But it is worth it in the end when you meet a kid who’s eyes lit up when they see Santa and you can see them asking their parents if it “is really him.” It feels really good doing this and to support our “scout business” so we can send younger scouts to camp coming years. 

[alice-cas-dp15]

This meeting was definitely tougher mentally than previous. We are three leaders for mostly 10 kids and we usually manage fine. But during this meeting, “föräldrarmöte” was also happening inside the cabin, so one leader was inside and the other one was sick. It was just me with 14 (!) kids who are all very different and were supposed to cook together. Not everyone wanted to do cook, but rather run around and play. The recepies were not printed and so not everyone knew what they were going to do. The meeting also went overtime and so me and the other leader had to clean up 3 outdoor cooking stationaries (aka stormkök). It was very challenging mentally to keep everyone under control and everyone pleased at the same time. What I learned from the experience was to plan more and be more prepared before the meeting. It was unexpected that I was going to be alone but in the end, the kids had eaten and were happy which makes everything more worth it. 

[alice-cas-dp15]

Summer recap pt2 Jamboree17 In August the Swedish national jamboree was held in Rinkaby, outside of Kristianstad. Around 12000 scouts, mostly swedes attended, and oh boy was it fun. Even if I went with people my age, I still had to take on the leader role for the younger ones as I was one of the older. Even if our schedule was more "chill," it was still challenging to work with 5 other "kårer" (as we lived with them in our village) and to still be a teenager and an adult/leader at the same time. But I learned a lot and met other cultures, as there were international guests from all over the world. Training This summer has definitely been one of my most active ones. I set the goal of running every other day for about 3 weeks but I surpassed that and continued for about 6 weeks until the camp. It was interesting seeing the progress so clearly and how I improved over such a short period of time, just when I put my mind to it.

[alice-cas-dp15]

Summary of the summer pt1 / Falkenberg Pride I volunteered (again) to work at Falkenberg pride with friends. This might not have been a "challenge" like west pride but it was definitely fun! Travel 3x Every summer, Halmstad Östra works at Halmstad Travet, collecting pant and having a lottery. This is to collect money to kåren in able to go to camps and having various activities. Sweaty and fun! Hike along Kullahalvön with Stina Inspired by last years hike from Båstad to Halmstad, we decided to hike along the Kullahalvön (Jonstorp to Mölle) with a stop at Lars Vilks "Nimis" The hike it self wasn't that challenging but rather the weather. It rained non stop and as we didn't really think straight, we did not put on rain clothes until later and got our shoes soaking wet. The weather made it hard to keep our attitudes at a good level but we came to our end destination in time and still happy. Challenging and a really fun hike!

[alice-cas-dp15]

Today I volunteered at West Pride in Gothenburg with the scouts. It was very nerve-racking as 1) I did not know anyone 2) I had no clue what I was going to do. But it was so worth the stress of not knowing. I painted rainbow nails all day on 3 year olds to 70 year olds of all genders. I also got to know other scouts from the Gothenburg scout district which was really fun. Moral of the story is if you let fear and anxiety rule your decisions, you will never experience these kind of moments. I feel like this was a good experience for me to put myself in foreign situations to combat anxiety and fear. Let's just say, this is not the last time I will do this.

[alice-cas-dp15]

Had the long awaited dance night with the orchestra! After time consuming and long rehearsals we finally did it. I was so nervous but it was really fun. This was, however, my last concert with symphonic band, so it was bittersweet. I'm happy it is over but also sad. The people and the experience has helped me grow as a person so I wouldn't change it for the world.