Throughout my experience in Community Leadership, I have
found myself continually improving myself in all aspects involving bettering
myself and giving to the community and to my school. I have learned so much
during my journey in Community Leadership. The immense knowledge, motivation
and support that different speakers, friends and Mr. Vaughn have given me is
amazing. I am so grateful for everything this class has given me as a whole. I
look forward on continuing to help my community through the various
volunteering opportunities that I have learned about through this class and
through my own research.
Handing out food to the less fortunate; watching their eyes light up, their children
with wide smiles as the receive something ‘special’ and hearing them genuinely
say ‘thank you’ has to be my greatest experience that I got to encounter with
my class. It was one of those moments that I know I’ll never forget. As I
handed each mother, father, child and/or elderly I got a sense of relief. I
felt relief in each bag of tomatoes and cucumbers I handed out, as I knew that
when that family goes home later their stomachs won’t be pleading for food.
Handing out the vegetables also gave me a huge wake up call. It reminded to be grateful
for everything that my parents provide me. In my opinion, I think that everyone
should have to volunteer at a soup kitchen or a food bank at least once. As it
brings a clearer understanding of how much one already has.
Our class is very diverse; there are the leaders with the
loud voices and the ones whom are quieter. This in my opinion creates a great
group of leaders. I find myself to be in the category of a quiet leader. To me
a quiet leader is one whom thinks of ideas but refers them to someone who is a
part of the ‘louder leaders’ and acts on whatever the idea may be. I find
myself as an overall shy person. However, from the beginning of first term to
now I think that I have opened up a bit more. Talking in front of a large group
still isn’t my favourite thing to do, but I feel more comfortable to do so. I
think that each and every one of my class mates and me brought a great attitude
full of understanding, optimism, motivation and kindness.
With motivation and goals, success can be messy but can be
reached. The goals that I had set from the beginning of this class was to have
a better understanding of myself, open my heart and mind to others and to reach
my full potential in helping those who are less fortunate. I can confidently
say that I have succeeded. Some of the goals, such as opening myself up have
not quite been reached but I am on the path to succeed. As I have learned
through this class that everything comes gradually and one has to be patient in
helping others and in helping themselves to reach any goals one may desire. I
am excited to share my experiences and my knowledge in helping others to
hopefully encourage others to help out in the community.
In present day, I have been working hard towards getting my
family and friends to hand out food in down town Vancouver with me every month.
So far I have gotten my mom, sisters, two of my aunts and some of my cousins
willing to join. The last time we went was during the Christmas holidays.
Handing out food and clothing on the side of the street in Vancouver was a
whole lot different than handing out food at the Surrey Food Bank. Although,
handing out food at the Surrey Food Bank was a great experience; going to
Vancouver and seeing the amount of homeless, freezing and hungry people was
unimaginable. The pit of my stomach felt empty as I watched their blank eyes
and the scars of past needles that etched their rough skin. Once I saw them, I
felt as though I understood them. In the freezing weather without a home, they
must do drugs to want to feel nothing. Their walking in a depressing state, but
their brains are fooling them with a happy craze. Then as I handed out chilli
and sandwiches along side with blankets and old jackets I looked in their eyes
and at their expression. And that’s when I saw it, desperation and great fullness.
Desperate for what must be true feeling and gratefulness because my family and
I showed them that someone cares for them and wants them to feel wanted.
In this class I have learned a whirlwind of life lessons.
Some include being able to fight for what I believe to be right, grasping on to
an opportunity that involves helping someone in need or helping protect to the
environment. In this class I have realized that I am passionate in helping
others. Whether they be facing starvation, needing someone to tell them that
everything will be alright and to support them or to motivate and encourage for
someone to do something good for someone else. I love the feeling of seeing someone’s
eyes light up once I’ve helped them through a tough situation or handed them a
bowl of soup. It makes me feel accomplished and gives my heart that warm fuzzy
feeling.
I find that
every learning experience throughout this amazing journey was incredible and will
be kept dearly in my mind. One learning experience that has been engraved into
my mind is to always think of others, to better yourself internally and to make
the person you help realize that they’re worth helping.
During the beginning of the semester I had said that my hero
was a remarkable young girl named Talia. Talia is a girl who suffered a cancer
called Neuroblastoma; yet she lived her life as fire cracker. Talia will always
be dear to my heart and remain as one of my heroes. Someone who lives as a
recent hero of mine is a girl named Malala Yousafzai. She is a girl whom fought
for her life and is fighting for justice for all girls to equally have the
right to education. Malala alongside Talia are two of the strongest girls that
have ever heard of. They both equally inspire me to be grateful, strong and as
Talia would say to ‘just keep swimming.’
As an independent young woman I plan to continually strive
for my personal best in achieving all of my goals. I am looking forward to
bringing smiles upon the faces of the young and the old. I plan to grow and
touch other people’s hearts with all of the knowledge that sits in my heart and
mind. The energy of the smile given to me when I help someone in need will fuel
my goals to take action and to act on them as fast as I possibly can. I hope
that one day I will be someone whom inspires and is genuinely and
whole-heartedly a good person who does good deeds for other people who are in
desperate need.
