December 2015 - Blog Post 1

1. On December 12, 2015, I volunteered at Santa's Workshop as part of the Youth Leadership of Greensboro. I spent four hours helping families, in need of help, collect and pack toys (the toys were either donated and bought) for free to gift their children on Christmas Day. This experience was amazing because I got to help so many families who really needed this program during a stressful time.
2. I developed the thinker, communicator, and caring IB learner profile attributes through this experience. I had to think about which gifts were the most plausible for the ages and genders of the children they were packing for. I had to communicate with the families as I took them around to look at the gifts and I had to talk with them about which gifts were the best for their kids. I had to be more caring about the families because I wanted to provide as much as help as I could so they could have a wonderful holiday season.
3. I would take a family around a large gym organized with groups of different toys and help them with their selections. I assisted in their choices in picking from the donated toys, stuffed animals, and books area and I also gave advice on what they should choose from the new toys and stocking stuffers area.
4. Of the seven learning outcomes, I addressed numbers two, four, and five. I need to address one, three, six, and seven because in the future, I need to learn how to more of a leader and role model.
5. This experience was a wonderful experience because I got to help out many families who were in need of this program. I enjoyed being able to help parents and guardians pick out great toys so that their children would have a fantastic Christmas. It was saddening to see how many families were in need but it was great seeing the large number of volunteers and the huge amount of effort that went into this successful operation.