My Social Action Project

Project Planning and Preparation:

From the beginning of this project, I was very clear on what I wanted to achieve through this drive. I had many meetings with the Foundation Phase Department Head and discussed all aspects, including possibilities to extend the drive and any constraints we may run into. I was pleased with how my initial stages of preparation went. I worked hard to determine the goals I wanted to achieve and created checklists on how to achieve them. However, I underestimated the time it would take to sort through all the donations, not adding it to my process sheet for submission. If I were to do this again, I would not have left the sorting till the end of the project, instead completing it throughout the drive.

I designed this project to be as low-cost as possible, making the resources myself and using boxes for collections from the school that were destined for the trash. I felt this was appropriate as I wanted to model how things we don't use can be repurposed to fit our needs (just like repurposing their stationery and giving it to someone who needs and values it). I spent hours planning and organising the drive, but I still feel like I could've done more. There were still moments during the run of the drive, that I felt things could have been planned better, including other proposals that I could have implemented as my final aspect did not happen due to school time constraints.

My meetings with all the teachers and staff members went very well. I opened the floor to suggestions and used these to fine-tune my drive. I had special discussions with grade 3 classes to introduce the project, so they could help drive the project at home and with their friends. Finally, I sent communication through each class's WhatsApp groups to remind parents about the drive. I do believe I could have organised a letter in the newsletter explaining the purpose of the drive more deeply for parents and even could have created updates on stationary collected each week.

Project Execution:

The response to my drive was outstanding. Introducing the drive in the assembly worked well, as I was able to say why we were completing this drive and even had some grade 3 learners come up to explain why they thought it was important to donate. The grade 3s were so excited to take a leadership role in this drive. However, my final event had to be cancelled as the school did not have time to spare to hold it at the end of the term. If I were to do this project again, I would organise the final event to be held before the last week of term to ensure it wouldn't be cancelled. Due to subbing and needing to complete all of my tasks, I found it hard to stay consistent with my collections, often not being able to visit all classes once a week. Both students and teachers were outstanding with their donations. I managed to collect much more than I had anticipated as everyone loved the message I was trying to teach - that we can easily buy new stationery but not everyone can. I purposely suggested that learners look through their gently used stationery at home to donate, because even if they do not want to use it anymore, other children would love the chance to use it. Teachers immediately thought of resources that other teachers would need and were more than happy to contribute. My project took on a life of its own and became much more than a stationery drive. I had young learners in grade 1 come up to me at breaks with stories about how they got new stationery and used to throw away old ones, but from now on they wanted to keep them and donate. This warmed my heart as this was what I was trying to achieve. All members of the staff team were impressed by the response and told me they wanted to keep implementing this drive. I have been back to visit the school and learners kept asking me if Diepsloot had the stationery yet. I am going to send in pictures when I deliver it as I am waiting to go through with Varsity to drop it off.

Personal Learning Experience:

Personally, I have learnt how rewarding social action projects can be. During implementation, I found that I was more excited to complete my days at school because I was having rewarding discussions with the classes I was collecting from. I felt like I was contributing to a better tomorrow for the community while seeing my learners take these lessons to heart. It reminded me why I wanted to get into teaching - to help people achieve their dreams and I fully felt like I was on my way to fulfilling my dreams. I really believe I want to get into social action projects at work from next year.

Professional Learning Experience:

Through this project, I got to interact with more teachers and admin staff than I ever have. I have learned how to hold meetings, speak in assemblies, consult with other teachers and work as a team. Through this experience, I have learned so much that I can carry through with me in my career. I am excited to build upon this.