Behind-The-Scenes of A Charity Event
Activity Planning
The 10th of September was a very special day for my local plant breeding research institute! It was the 15th Max-Planck Run where scientists receive a chance to strip down to their sports attire and run like the wind for 5 or 10km across stony paths, bridges, grassy plains and tarmac lanes surrounding the institute! Fun? Well, I’m sure it is but I’ve never actually been on the running-part of the charity event - in fact - I was lucky to have been apart of the behind-the-scenes action!
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| A panorama taken at the track of the Run in the beautiful weather |
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| Mr Max-Planck is ready for some fun! |
If you’ve been following me from the start, you may be aware that I had an awesome work experience at the research institute in the summer prior to DP1. My supervisor there, happens to be a very active participant in organising social events for the institute, such as annual Max-Planck Poker Tournaments (which I have visited a couple of times) and the Max-Planck Run. Therefore, with his supervision, I was able to help execute the Run as smoothly and successfully as possible. Furthermore, a Bambini Run of 100m was organised for the little ones too, where I was also able to lend a helping hand.
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| Bambini Run 2015 |
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| Candy rewards and balloon guitars for the little ones! |
Reflection
One year ago, I contributed to the 14th Run too. However, you may not know this as I did not reflect on the CAS activity on my blog simply because I forgot to do so. Nevertheless, I hope that this reflection will be more in-depth because I had a larger role to play: last year, I assisted by bringing up the rear of the string of runners on my rollerblades. Therefore, the activity was more Action-related. This time around, I held a more challenging role: I was part of a team of three who administrated the runners, recorded their times and organised the certificates to each runner according to their respective categories. Therefore, as this activity is an extension to an existing experience, it meets Learning Outcome 2. Since it also required me to work collaboratively with others, and thus Learning Outcome 4 is unlocked!
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| 14th Max-Planck Run 2014 |
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| The Team of Three with yours truly! |
Despite having spent a mere 3 hours on this Service activity, I gained a much deeper understanding for the people who organise such social events at large scales! In regards to the first of the eight Learning Outcomes, I had definitely increased my area of multitasking and communicative skills. Being exposed to an environment where I have to be able to throw my attention to priorities in short bursts of time developed the way I handled the timing situation. Initially, the three of us were having an enjoyable time getting to know each other without the hype and intensity of the job at hand. However, as the first runner came through about 8 minutes after the start, our duties escalated from a relaxing, chatty flavour to a fast-paced boisterous atmosphere!
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| Ready... Set.. |
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| GO!!! |
Our first method of recording the timings was inefficient and messy but as groups of runners poured in, we quickly adapted to the rush and redefined the way we organised our timings: two of us tracked the times of each runner, whilst the third wrote the timings down furiously. Effective communication between ourselves was crucial to keep the routine at a continuous speed and successfully record the progress of the runners.
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| Watch out kiddo! |
I believe I have shown commitment and perseverance with this CAS activity, as my newly-made friends and I have worked through the charity event to present four coherent groups of certificates according to the four categories in order of the ranks. With this, I conclude to have met the fifth Learning Outcome. There were issues that we had to resolve such as missed timings of runners or even one excellent 10km time without an owner to be proud of. Dealing with such ethical problems that arise in the course of the activity strengthened our alertness and problem-solving skills: Learning Outcome 7 achieved!
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| Evening barbecue at the institute after the Run |
Being apart of something bigger and outside of school hours has made me more aware of my global environment. Through this CAS activity, I was able to meet new people to widen my social perspective, deal with ethical issues in the form of miscalculated timings and stay calm and collected under stressful conditions. After all these obstacles, it is no wonder such social events take monumental efforts to organise!
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| Great atmosphere, great people and a great day! |
Good luck for the 16th Max-Planck Run next year Mr Becker!
Evita ☺
