Name of Assignment: HARF Volunteering Subject: Community Engagement Facilitator/Teacher: Ms. Ford
Description of Work/Assignment:
This assignment was actually extra credit that I ended up doing for community engagement. All we had to do for volunteering was sign up with Ms. Ford, then do whatever the people at HARF needed for the spay and neuter clinic. I ended up shadowing one of the adult volunteers, helping her weigh the dogs and put them in the kennels where they had to wait for their turn for surgery. Once we had all of the dogs that were signed up for that day put up, I played with the litters of puppies they had out front and went back into the other tent frequently to check on the dogs in the kennels.
Which 21st Century Skill do you feel this assignment addresses, and why?
To me, this assignment demonstrates civic literacy and engagement. It was volunteer work that benefited the people and animals out in my community.
What are you most proud of from this assignment, and why?
A few of the workers at HARF told my mom that I was welcome to come back again because I had helped them a lot, which I was really proud of. I really enjoyed the work and would love to do it again.
How did you develop and/or improve upon your 21st Century Skill with this assignment?
I'm fairly certain that this is the first time I've actually done volunteer work, and even if I have done volunteer work before, this is the first time I've done it on my own and without one of my parents.
What was most difficult about completing this task?
There was one very stocky (but very friendly) bull dog who really didn't want to stay in his kennel, so we had to drag him back three times before grabbing a much more solid kennel that he couldn't break out of. There were also a number of other stubborn dogs who didn't want to go get weighed, but this bull dog was by far the most difficult to secure. He was very friendly though!
How could you improve this work? If you could start over, what would you do differently?
I don't think I would've been allowed to do this, but I would've signed up for more than one shift. I ended up staying for almost an hour after my shift ended anyway, but I would've stayed longer if I didn't have to go to rehearsal later that day.
How does this relate to what you have learned in the past?
We've been working with HARF quite a bit this year, so it was nice to go and see their property and what they do (other than the dog adoptions they used to do) up close and have my hands helping with it. Other than that, I've never done something or learned about something like this before.
How can you apply this to future learning?
I now know how to volunteer, which will definitely be useful. I also feel like I improved a bit on my people skills in the sense of having to work with people I've never met before. I got along really well with the other volunteers, which made me less hesitant to talk to them.