This evaluation should be done by team as the name suggests. Assess your team during the planning and implementation. Follow the table for your reference. Use phrases in filling the table up.
Table 1. What Well and What Needs to be Improved during the Planning/Preparations
Aspect
What went well
(e.g., all members present during all meetings, members showed initiative, budgeting was within the limit, solicited items in kind, learned a lot from teammates, leader-member interaction promotes team growth etc.) What needs to be improved
(e.g., leader – team interaction lacked communication, some members need to become more responsible, budgeting and procurement of resources/materials can be made more creative
• Conduct of meetings
• Delegation of work
• Accomplishment of task
• Group atmosphere (leader-member interaction) During the planning and preparation of the group. We already designated what materials to use for the household that would be assigned to us. Of course, in order to achieve that, we had to make an outline of our objectives and our main iterinary for the day which is to be of service to others. There were times when we didn’t have a clear understanding of what to do and what to expect, otherwise, everything else went perfectly well.
Table 2. What Well and What Needs to be Improved during the Implementation/Activity Proper
Aspect What went well
(e.g., good time management, planned program was implemented without problems, all materials were available, all members behaved accordingly, all members did their task, etc.) What needs to be improved
(e.g., tardiness, patience in dealing w/difficult kids,
• Time management of the activity proper
• Activity’s content, relevance, and usefulness to the participants
• Interaction with the participants (includes handling of the participants and crowd control)
• Behavior of the team (noisy/behaved, anticipated the needs of the participants, anticipated the needs of other subgroups)
• Flexibility and resourcefulness of the team in adapting to on-the-spot changes due to limited space, food for the participants, and other activities in the community which were made known on the day itself • Everyone took control off the time and maximized everything that we were capable of doing for that day.
• We did benefit from empathizing with the family and the children, plus we learned that they were people who appreciated the simple joys in life.
• Well, when there were group works, we followed the mechanics of the game and made people happy with what they were experiencing.
• The team was very organized and up to date on what to inform the children and families included in the GK preparation. They were also disciplined and in fact, set a good example on the children.
• We tried to catch-up with the time and location of the GK outreach. Whenever we weren’t able to make use of a plan, there was always a plan B. • The time that we had was limited, although we were able to push through the resources that we had.
• The theme was selfless-service and hospitality. Thoug I think we didn’t have that much time to be able to show this per individual since the number of children outnumbered the students.
• Some of the kids were stubborn and hard to please, this is the part where our patience was tested and that we had to adjust to what they wanted to happen. Although of course we still placed our foot down when it came to implementing discipline and respect.
• The area was practically small for us to be able to perform better outdoor activities, plus the weather didn’t quite cooperate with the set date of the activity because of the fact that it was raining on that day.
Individual Evaluation
Assess yourself for based on the following criteria. Use the following qualitative descriptors: excellent, very good, fair, and poor.
1. quality of participation - Based on the tasks assigned to you, how good were you in accomplishing these tasks?
I believe that I performed everything with heart and tried to maximize the little time that we had to the best of my abilities.
2. initiative – Did you volunteer or take-on tasks other than what was assigned to you to help out the other members of the team? How good were you in doing this?
Well I didn’t volunteer necessarily, it was more of team work. We were all open to the idea of immersing ourselves in this activity.
3. commitment – Did you exert enough effort to accomplish your task, never gave-up in doing things, and exercised patience especially during the implementation of the program?
Of course, even before the activity had transpired I already knew that our patience would be tried and tested. It was already a given, most especially because we were going to deal with kids. I believe I performed well and put my best foot forward. My best effort was the only thing I had to leave with them so as not to forget everything they have experienced.
4. interaction with host family – How much effort did you make in relation with your host families? Did you help around? Made yourself worthy of their hospitality?
I was very pleased with everything that transpired throughout our interaction with the family. First of all, everyone contributed with the materials needed for the family (e.g. food, utilities etc.) Afterwards, each one of us helped with the household chores like cleaning the place up, washing the dishes. In the meantime, we were sparking up conversations with the members to make them feel at home with us. It was like we already knew each other even before the activity. The aunt who was the only adult present in the house decided to use their videoke. Suddenly everyone was singin and dancing and the best part of it was the kids and the aunt were having such a great time. I believe it was the best outreach I’ve ever had in my entire life.
5. interaction with the participants – How much effort did you make to accommodate them? Were you patient enough especially when the participants became too rowdy or noisy?
We treated them as if they were like family to us. Although at first we seemed awkward with each other and kind of estranged. We had to break that awkward atmosphere and immersed ourselves with them. We didn’t think twice on what we could offer them because indeed we enjoyed this activity.
6. conduct/behavior – Did I follow the security measures and mobile/gadget use? Did I arrive on time? Were my actions a help or a hindrance to the accomplishment of the activity we prepared for the GK residents?
I arrived on time and participated well when it came to the rules to follow.
What is the most significant realization you have gained from your GK experience?
First of all, I am into a deluge of emotions practically because I enjoyed every second spent in that extraordinary experience. In my former school, I usually left the orphanage, or the activity centers half-hearted. It’s like something was missing. It’s like I wasn’t able to maximize my potential and perform what was appropriate at that moment. And then I realized that maybe it didn’t compromise that way because I was scrutinizing such impractical ideas that I forgot the essence of this activity. And that was a problem I was able paddle my way out of. I let go of all my inhibitions and immersed myself like everyone else. I didn’t think, I just acted on every situation that came up to me. After all, actions do speak louder than words right? And I guess that was the only thing I lacked before. Now that I have compensated for my mistake in immersions and outreach activities before, I realized that they didn’t have to live as extravagant as how we live our lives. I discovered that they appreciated the simple joys they had in life, not because it was what they were used to, or because they had no other choice, but it was because they had the heart to appreciate the less complicated side of life. And that indeed was fulfillment I alone have come to admit. Why make things complicated when you can always “un-complicate” them? Sometimes the simplest acts are the ones that can mean so much more than what we actually expect, so much more that it overweighs the complicated side of life. With simplicity comes rationality and self-fulfillment. This is what I appreciated the most about this activity.
