joebourboncas-blog

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A student video of JIS’ entirely student led Peace Week. This is a video of Peace Day and all the activities initiated by the council and house captains. 

Thank you to everyone who played a role in making this such an enjoyable and memorable day, particularly Iffat who produced this video. 

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Service: Peace Day 2017

The first notable event that we had to organise as an Upper Years Council was the annual JIS Peace Day. This is one of my favourite days of the academic year and I was so glad to be able to be apart of the organising of the day, in what will be my last Peace Day at JIS. 

Every year, the school adopts a different central theme for the week, in which our activities are based on, culminating in a themed day of casual dress on Wednesday, one day before global Peace day. This years theme was “Good health and well-being”, the third Sustainable Development Goal. To begin with, the council organised the Peace Day Assembly for Years 10-13 in the auditorium. This was largely the responsibility of Jasveena and I as Sixth Form Captains. Without intentionally sounding bias, the assembly was one of the best I have ever attended. The audience was abnormally enthusiastic and I think this was down to the performances on the day which included vocal performances of John Lennon’s Imagine and We are the World by Michael Jackson. The audience was singing along and waving their torchlights to the music and it created such a positive atmosphere and elevated the overall performances. From the assembly, I also realised that there is still a lot of improvement in my public speaking however this is going to come with clarity and practice. 

A group picture of the council at the end of a very successful assembly! It has been so much fun working with all of them. 

Lunchtime is the highlight of the day. There is student-run stalls initiated by all 16 of the schools houses. In addition, there is a student-run concert featuring all student organised vocal performances and dances. Some of the stalls included a Photo Booth, fortune telling, smoothie and ice cream stalls and my personal highlight: an xbox Just Dance stall. To do this, I had to bring my xbox to school with its Kinect system and this was a stall which was intended to encourage the health and importance of exercise no matter how substantial. All the proceeds and profits from the day were donated to the schools charities: Borneo Project, Cambodia children’s hospital and Pusat Ehsan. There was some difficulty providing electrical power outlets to all of the stalls and vendors due to the requirements of the performance stage area but because of the rain we had to move the entire layout under cover anyway. I had such a great day and looking around school it appeared as though loads of other students did too which was great to see. Hopefully this is a tradition which will be an integral part of the schools academic calendar in future years and that as a council we left our mark as something for future councils and students to build upon. Furthermore, Peace Day should not be a sole day where we adjust our attitudes. It should be a time for reflecting, recognising and acting upon the global issues we face. 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:  

Increased awareness for your own strengths and areas for growth

Global significance of activity “Think Globally, act locally”

Collaborate with others

Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity

Undertaking new challenges

Ethical Implications of your actions

New and extended skills

Show perseverance and commitment

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As part of Peace Day 2k17, our school adopted the theme of Sustainable Development Goal #3 : Good Health & Well-Being. As part of this, we decided to set-up a lunch time Just Dance booth to encourage all students and teachers to come and dance and encourage good well-being. This was extremely successful and enjoyable! A great last Peace Day at JIS. 

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Service: Sixth Form Council

As part of my ongoing CAS service component has been my role in the Upper Years and Sixth Form council. This was my first time putting myself forward for the council and was fortunate enough to be awarded one of the two Sixth Form Captain positions in the school. We had to apply and go through an interview application process. This was a particularly good experience for me as it was something I had never attempted before and I did not really know what to expect. However, having been in Jerudong International School for over 14 years now, I felt certain that I have seen enough of the school to make a difference and now is the time. 

The council for the academic year is a really good group of students and luckily we all get along really well which will make it easier to achieve our goals of increased integration and participation in the school; a wider sense of community. Some of the jobs the Sixth Form Captain in the school is running the assemblies and to make sure that everything logistically runs smoothly. The opening of the assembly is also the perfect opportunity to practice public speaking, which is a downfall of mine, particularly relaxing and pacing myself in order to better articulate what i’m saying. I am really grateful to have an opportunity to be on the school’s council as I can set an example to the rest of the schools students and help put myself out there more than I have been in the past. Our first noteworthy task was running the first day back assembly for the academic year. This was quite overwhelming at first however it became a really enjoyable experience and as always, the audience was welcoming and responsive. 

After this, we have several leadership days with the house captains which involved team building. In addition, we must hold interviews for the councils in Years 10-12 and establish our goals, targets and plans for the year ahead- particularly Peace Day, which is one of the schools best days of the academic year. 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:  

Increased awareness for your own strengths and areas for growth

New and extended skills

Global significant of activity “Think globally, act locally”

Collaborate with others

Show perseverance and commitment

Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity

Undertaking new challenges

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Service: Visit by Prince Edward & Princess Sophie

In conjunction with the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s Golden Jubilee, Brunei was welcomed by the visit of the Earl & Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward and Princess Sophie. They were visiting our school JIS as part of their responsibilities as trustees as the Duke of Edinburgh Award. They are responsible for overseeing the development of DOE and as they were visiting Brunei, they stopped into our school which has one of the worlds largest DOE participation. 

Having recently been to the Spiti Valley in India on an expedition and residential project as part of our DOE Gold Award, we came into school to talk about our experiences on the trip as well as how participating in the Bronze and Silver Awards helped us to prepare for the Gold Award. The few of us selected to attend this event where tasked with overseeing the Bronze students, who were making damper on their trangias with Prince Edward. We helped them set up all of their equipment and also set up several tents to store the gear and first aid- this was to simulate the camping experience that the Bronze students would have for Prince Edward. I was fortunate enough to be able to have a conversation with Prince Edward and Princess Sophie. They both asked me about what do I enjoy most as a result of participating in the award. My answer was that having fun is the most important part for me and that has been the reason why I have participated in all three. It was really refreshing to meet people of such high importance and to realise that they value the exact same things as we do. They were far from the snobbish people I had imagined and were extremely down to earth. It is a shame my involvement in the award as a participant is over but this was a perfect way to encompass three years of participation.  

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:

Global significant of activity “Think globally, act locally”

Ethical implications of your actions

Collaborate with others

Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity

Increased awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth

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Action: Dive Club

Another hobby which I have increasingly begun to both enjoy and appreciate is scuba diving. In Brunei, the waters are quite clear when you go reasonably off-shore. Additionally, through PADI and the JIS Dive Club, diving is so much cheaper than elsewhere in the world, so not only did it make sense to learn but also to persist and continue with it as it is extremely fun! Having done my preliminary and open water dive courses in previous years, I had just completed my Advance Open Water Dive course last year. This enables me to go to a bottom depth of 40m!! That also means I can visit a high % of wrecks in the region and this is about the highest level of qualification needed for leisure diving. It requires you to sit a theory test and also have studies the Advance Open water textbook. You are also required to watch several videos which we had watched. This year, I have been on 3 dives so far with my friends. This is also the right amount to ensure you are maintaining adequate diving relative to your level. 

Interestingly, my friend and I were amazed to find out we only need to complete two more courses (and several dives) before we are technically eligible to assist dives (not as an instructor) but as a complementary diver for a large group. This has opened up all sorts of interesting possibilities for post-school life. How cool it would be to work as a diver in the Bahamas! 

In the past 10 months, we have done 2 half-day dive trips and a night dive, amounting to a total of 8 dives. These dives last around 40 minutes depending on how quickly you consume the contents of your air tank. We also went diving on the Australian Wreck which was an Australian cargo ship used by the Dutch during WW2 off the coast of Brunei & Labuan. If there is one thing I wish I could afford it would be a decent underwater camera! This could help take loads of good pictures of not only each other but everything we see and experience underwater: seahorses, jellyfish, reef sharks, Ikan Merah (Red Snapper) and so many others. Unfortunately, there is always some sort of negative aspect associated with the dive, for instance, last dive, there was a huge fishing net which had been caught onto some coral on Abana reef. Lots of huge fish had been stuck in the net and it took us a long time to free them and then help the fish to be able to swim again. This makes you realise how dangerous overfishing is to the aquatic ecosystems and that it is so important for us to be sustainable. The amount we pollute and waste without realising is killing the environment and this becomes so much more clear when you are in the ocean witnessing it firsthand. This is something I would love to be able to document more of when I am older if the opportunity were to arise. 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:

New and extended skills

Undertaking new challenges

Global significance of activity “Think globally, act locally”

Ethical implications of your actions

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Service: MYMUN Conference

As a part of JIS’ build up to Peace Week 2017, the Middle Years (Year 7-9) held their own Middle Years Model United Nations (MYMUN) conference. This involved the participation of 178 middle years students from 7 different schools. This was the first formal MYMUN conference JIS has hosted and the topics of debate included Boko Haram, landmines and chemical weapons. The delegates represented over 20 different countries ranging from HIC’s like the USA, war-torn countries such as Syria, and even those countries at the risk of war including the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea making for an interesting debate indeed. I was given the opportunity to chair in one of the 6 committees. Initially, the delegates were hesitant to speak as a large majority of them were experiencing a formal debate for the very first time, many of them were absolutely terrified of coming up to speak, however as the day went on the quality of the debate increased, and it was amazing to see the rising confidence of the delegates. It was also pleasing to see the level of enthusiasm in response to the keynote speech by the Indian High Commissioner as well as the integration between schools at the lunch break. This was particularly encouraging as it was a student led event. 

My brother (in the picture below) was in my committee forum and (unlike him) was really reserved and hesitant to speak. Many of the students from the local government schools also seemed quite reserved and this was an area where us two chairs of the committee had to slow down the procedure and just encourage the delegates to talk about anything. We held regular cacaus’ in order to encourage the delegates to integrate and talk to each other, this also gave them time to affirm their position with countries who hold similar views and then could potentially co-submit an amendment or write a for/against speech for the resolution. This adaptability was something which we anticipated, but not to this extent. Nevertheless, all aspects of the day were enjoyable. We got a whole day out of class to chair and guide the middle years students (for many of which was their first ever conference). I had the privilege of watching and helping my brother (the Delegate of the United States) and I strongly urge anyone who either struggles with public speaking or thrives with it, to participate in MUN. It is a contemporary and relevant educational simulation activity which helps make students aware of the complexities involved with diplomacy an enjoyable way. I hope there are more opportunities to be involved with MYMUN in the months to come. 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:  

Increased awareness for your own strengths and areas for growth

Global significance of activity “Think Globally, act locally”

Collaborate with others

Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity

Undertaking new challenges

Ethical Implications of your actions

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Creativity: Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) Advert

This blurry picture somewhat sums up the experience. Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) needed ‘Western’ looking students for their ‘study abroad’ advert and I was one of the students chosen for the advert, which took place at our school. The advert required us to wear several different pairs of clothes for different shoots and all up took no longer than 3 hours to shoot. The first scenes were us in the lecture theatre studying with the central character (Azreen; middle left) the focus of every scene. Typically, he was the Bruneian studying abroad and we were the natives of the country he was studying in. 

The image above shows us wearing graduation gowns and this was at the end of the entire shoot and was just a group photo. Of course, all of us had no experience in adverts or commercials whatsoever. However, this made it somewhat more enjoyable. It highlighted and made me increasingly aware of the intrinsics and fine detail associated with producing these adverts which we typically take for granted- or with a strong dislike. An advert is always strategically constructed to maximise its effectiveness through the platform it is using and whilst this is not an area that particularly interests me, it was genuinely fascinating to see what goes on behind the scenes. Unfortunately, we were not allowed access to the footage or photos taken for the advert. In addition, none of the photos or footage have appeared in any of the local adverts produced by BIDB that we have seen yet. We all wait with anticipation as to where and when we will see the advert. 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:

Undertaking new challenges

Global significant of activity “Think globally, act locally”

New and extended skills

Collaborate with others

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Action: FIBA 3x3 Basketball Tournament

The long 6 month wait is over and the FIBA 3x3 Basketball Tournament was back! This time round, my friend Flynn and I agreed to finally play on the same team together. He got injured just before our last 3x3 and so couldn’t play. We entered the Under-19 category and played with two boys in the Year below (Grant and Halim). Our games didn’t attract much of a crowd because they were the earliest of the days games (9am). Most supporters come to watch in the late afternoon/early evening. Our team lost our first game (to the eventual winners) however we won 2/4 group games. It is also worth highlighting that we were the only team to score 21 points in a game (which means the game is finished by default). Unfortunately, the FIBA rules meant that we did not qualify to the next round because the qualifying teams are decided based on total games won. We thought this was unfair as the other groups in the Under 19 category got to play 5 group games and therefore teams would naturally win more? As you can probably tell, I’m still quite salty about this outcome, particularly as we were playing so well together by the end.

Kudos to the eventual winners though. Knowing them all personally, they are all extremely skilled basketballs and this is a detriment to the countless hours they put into practice each week. Unlike our team, none of us would consider basketball as our primary sport however it is tournaments like this which really do increase your enjoyment for basketball, especially considering the lack of other competitive sports for our age groups. Thank you to the Shooting Stars basketball team for putting this FIBA tournament again. My friends and I are looking forward to the next one! This tournament has also sparked lots of interest from students at school about organising a 3x3 at school for all the JIS students. This could be something we look towards in the future and could be part of a fundraising and sports drive initiative. 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:  

Increased awareness for your own strengths and areas for growth

New and extended skills

Collaborate with others

Show perseverance and commitment

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Action: Ballroom Dancing

Decided to join some ballroom dancing classes with my friend (also the Head Girl (!!!)). As football had finished for the year, I suddenly had more free time on my hands after school. Other than a year’s worth of hip-hop in Grade 5, my knowledge of dancing was extremely limited however there has always been a part of me that has wanted to properly learn how to dance. This video is from the first of the ballroom dance classes. To begin with, the dance instructor/teacher Ricky taught me how to do the Box Step which requires you to slide your feet clockwise first and then anti-clockwise, which forms the eventual shape of a box. My dance partner had over 3 months practice to me prior to my first class and was already a terrific dancer so she definitely had a lot of patience for me as it was difficult to ‘wrap my feet around it’ at the beginning. The most embarrassing part of this was the warmup at the beginning of the classes- not every boy enjoys dancing to remixes of Celine Dion classics.The first class was really really fun and I learnt that just embracing something new is not only healthy but enjoyable. There is nothing wrong with breaking out of stereotypes to try something new especially in a country like Brunei, where many boys my age wouldn’t dare to take ballroom dancing lessons. It is a skill that can used at all ages (the couple who danced in the class with us were 60+ years old)! Looking forward to the next classes and to see if my skill level progresses.

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:

New and extended skills

Undertaking new challenges

Collaborate with others

Increased awareness for your own strengths and areas for growth

Show perseverance and commitment

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Service & Action: Junior and Senior House Tug of War

House Tug of War is always the first house event of the academic year and it also my favourite! It is definitely the most competitive event but it also has the largest participation, draws the biggest crowds and everyone has a fantastic time. It is the perfect event for the integration of students from all years and requires teamwork, strength and perseverance! The Argus senior boys won 7/9 tugs and advanced to the semi-finals! It was an amazing achievement considering we continued to alter the tuggers so that everyone could participate (unlike some competitive houses which only used their strongest people). Anyway, this takes away from what the day is about which is having fun and cheering each other on. Being my last year of school, it made me see the importance in just showing up and participating, having fun and getting to know everyone in your house. This sort of attitude from events like this has really helped mould myself into the person I know I would like to become. As I result of all the cheering many of us had lost our voices- myself included. 

We also had to support and organise the junior boys from Year 7-9 as they made it all the way to the FINAL! Unfortunately, they lost 2-1 in the best of 3. Nonetheless, they managed to win one tug which lasted over a minute. Our job as leaders of the house council was to make sure everyone got at least 1 turn on the rope and that they all had gloves and the correct kit (as this would earn our house more points in the overall House Cup). There is a reason why tug of war is mine and most peoples favourite event and this year certainly didn’t disappoint. It was the perfect way to start the year for the boys houses! Bring on the house football! 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:

Collaborate with others

Show perseverance and commitment

Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity

Increased awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth

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Creativity: ToK Teaching Day

Today was all about teaching the Year 5 junior students concepts of Theory of Knowledge (ToK) which is a component of the International Baccalaureate. The purpose was to not only solidify our own understanding of the concepts we have learnt (through simplification) but also to broaden the knowledge of the younger students, or their ability to interpret knowledge. This involved a mini incentivised competition with different stations for groups of students. We would all take turns explaining a WOK (Way of Knowing) and AOK (Area of Knowledge) in an interesting way for them to understand. As I was a leader of a group, my job was to follow them through all of the stations and prompt them in their thinking. This entailed all sorts of things such as questioning how they define and distinguish truth from false and questions regarding their imagination. Whilst this could be considered a service, it certainly required creativity from all of the IB Year 12 students and the creativity exuded from the young Year 5s was tremendous and added a new sense of optimism to our own thoughts on the Theory of Knowledge. The day questioned how these students interpreted different stereotypes and how their memory was triggered by different sense perceptions. In all, it was extremely enjoyable and hopefully there will be similar opportunities to do this again if not in other subjects. 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:  

Increased awareness for your own strengths and areas for growth

New and extended skills

Collaborate with others

Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity

Undertaking new challenges

Ethical implications of your actions

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Service: Duke of Edinburgh (Gold) Residential: Building a Greenhouse

As part of a cumulative 3 years involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Award (Bronze, Silver and now Gold), we had to complete a residential service component of the award. We were fortunate enough to be able to complete this in India, the Spiti Valley. We were working with EcoSphere, the only NGO in Spiti Valley which helps volunteers from all over the world help with sustainable development. The residential project was based in Sagnam, a town of 111 people based around 2 hours from Kaza. 

Upon our arrival in Kaza, we were briefed on the history and context of Spiti and the importance of our project on the sustainable development for local communities. We were briefed by the Ishita the founder of Eco-Sphere and she ran us through the process of building a greenhouse within our time-frame. After this meeting we were given the rest of the day to rest, recover and explore before the hard work began. Next, we were packing the jeeps and driving to Sagnam, the site where we would pitch our tents and have to dig two big holes to be used as latrines. 

On the first of the four days, we were walked through the various jobs involved in making the greenhouse as well as the fact that there would be a rota for cooking, meal preparation and dish washing each day. There were two working sites with the students divided into groups of 15. (Un)fortunately, our work site was 20 minutes walk away from our camp site whereas the other groups was right next to it; this did make running back to the toilet impossible...

The primary jobs for the first two days were making 700 mud bricks to wall the greenhouse, and laying stones with the help of the stonemason before lathering the stones with mud so that it dries and hardens (similar to cement). The process of hacking the dirt out of the cliff face and churning the mud to make the bricks was very laborious but surprisingly became fun by the end as everyone had a role and was prepared to motivate each other for the benefit of the group and for the community who would be using the greenhouse, which would supply them with vegetables during the winter months.

My personal role was carrying the mud from the cliff face in rice sacks down the slope to the greenhouse site, this became tiring but being one of the bigger boys in the group, it was a natural role. This process also took place the next day, although it was considerably hotter and my lips got quite sunburnt. Once all of our bricks were made, we could begin our trek before coming back after the trek (once the bricks had dried) to continue building the greenhouse and laying the bricks. This involved carrying all of the bricks down the slope (they were too heavy to carry more than one at a time) and we also needed to do other miscellaneous jobs such as plastering the outer walls, applying wooden support beams and painting the inner and outer walls. We also had to lay the plastic tarpaulin over the roof to provide insulation. After two days of these various jobs, the greenhouses were complete!! It was such a satisfying feeling as I had not previously done any volunteer work like this. The greenhouses were blessed by Buddhist monks and the first seeds were planted inside the greenhouses. Afterwards, we celebrated with local pakora and seabuckthorn juice. 

Ultimately, it was definitely an intense 4 days of dust, dirt and sweat (all whilst not being able to shower) and it felt endless. However, it was a great example of teamwork and we made new friendships. People also had to adapt and often move out of their comfort zone to complete jobs and roles they would rather not have. Everyone contributed as best they could to achieve the end goal and hopefully it will be of benefit to the local community. This is the kind of work I would love to be increasingly involved in once I have finished school as it is extremely satisfying and there is a terrific sense of adventure. 

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Action: Duke of Edinburgh (Gold) Qualifying Expedition: Trekking the Trans-Himalayas

As part of our 17 day expedition to Spiti Valley in India, we were required to complete a 4 day qualifying expedition as well as a week-long residential project. For the qualifying expedition, we were lucky enough to experience trekking the beautiful Trans-Himalayan mountains.   

After hours and hours of travelling including flights, bus and jeep rides, multiple hotels and completing the bulk of the residential component, we packed our rucksacks in Kaza (the capital of Spiti Valley) and climbed an elevation of an additional 600m in the jeeps to begin our 4-day trek. Todays trekking was 6 hours to the first home-stay and although picturesque, was extremely challenging due to a lack of previous altitude experience. This required everyone to take regular breaks and walk at a consistent pace, this was a new skill for the majority of us. Our home-stay was particularly friendly, despite the language barrier between us students and the house owners. Nonetheless, everyone was exhausted and got a good nights sleep for the next day of what teachers described as “absolute hell”. 

The next day, we trekked again for another 8 hours to a bigger village called Demul; where we would spend the next two nights. The highlight of todays trek was undoubtedly stopping at the worlds highest post office, this was where many of us sent postcards to family members. There was also a lot of scenic snow-topped mountains and clear blue skies. Today’s walk was considerably more enjoyable than previous days, particularly because many of us had acclimatised to the altitude of 4900m. As a collective, the group showed commitment to each other throughout the entire day sharing food and water and offering to carry items for those who were struggling. It was also a good opportunity to talk to others in the group who I would not normally speak to at school. As such, it helped develop good friendships which have continued into Year 13. 

On the third day of the expedition we were hiking to the top of the mountain in Demul to a peak of just over 5000m. Thankfully, we only needed to share one rucksack between 3 of us today as it was only a half-day of walking and this was to carry our lunch and water. We rotated the carrier every 20 minutes. This was definitely the steepest of all our climbs so far and we had to control our breathing. The view at the top was absolutely incredible and definitely worth the trek! We took loads of pictures and ate our lunch on flat before beginning our decent. Once we got back, we were able to watch a traditional Spitian dance performed by the Buddhist nuns and wives of the village before joining in ourselves.  

The homestay experience was equally memorable due to the difficulty conversing, cooking and going to the toilet. All of these things the we take for granted were somewhat limited and has made me appreciate all of the luxuries I have in life. 

The final day was just a descent to the bottom of the valley. This wasn’t too difficult easiest because it was just going down the mountains we had climbed in the first two days. We even saw other travelers along the way headed in the opposite direction and wondered how they were climbing the mountains because they were very steep. After about 4 hours, we finally reached our destination and headed back into jeeps to visit two other monasteries and headed back to our residential site to finish the greenhouse. It was an amazing experience!

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:  

Increased awareness for your own strengths and areas for growth

New and extended skills

Global significance of activity “Think Globally, act locally”

Collaborate with others

Show perseverance and commitment

Undertaking new challenges

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Service: Rapid Reading

I’ve begun to really enjoy Rapid Reading on Monday and Wednesday lunchtimes. I have been helping out with the program for over a year now and at first, I didn’t overly enjoy it however as I have gotten older, I have begun to appreciate what I have and there is something about working with the younger kids which has been really good for me as a person as I have become more patient and learn to see that not everything has to be as serious as I make it. for these kids, many of whom struggle to read and write or have learning disabilities, the most important thing is that they enjoy what they’re doing, because at a young age this is what is going to help them improve. I read to two different boys on the two different days however there is one boy on Wednesday who I have grown to LOVE reading to. He finds reading extremely difficult and spelling even more challenging. He has frequent concentration lapses and will always try to get out of attending Rapid Reading. Nonetheless, I have tried to make it my mission that he enjoys reading. I have found ways to try and encourage him to pay attention for longer and have managed to get him reading with more clarity and not slurring his words. His spelling is still very bad and unfortunately he won’t remember the word he is supposed to spell even after reading it 10 seconds earlier. However, as we have both been together for quite some time now, I am starting to find him hilarious and as a result, by trying to relate to him and find ways for him to enjoy reading, he is slowly listening to the advice I am giving and improving his reading. I hope by the end of the year, he will be able to frequently spell many of the words he has struggled with correctly.

It has been almost a bigger learning opportunity for me than for him, as it has made me realize that there are many children who find learning really difficult. Education is the only way for society to develop and these children too deserve every opportunity to excel. They just need people to be patient and understanding. 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled: 

Undertaking new challenges

Global significant of activity “Think globally, act locally” 

Ethical implications of your actions

Collaborate with others

Show perseverance and commitment

Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity

Increased awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth

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Service: Rapid Reading

This is an example of the Rapid Reading spelling activity with one of the boys who I work with and who have learning difficulties. 

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Action: FIBA 3x3 Basketball Tournament

Over the last two years, I have really grown to enjoy playing basketball, I just can’t seem to find enough time to play it. It also doesn’t help that there are limited other teams in Brunei and there is a real lack of competitive fixtures. Nonetheless, the FIBA 3x3 Under 18 tournament in the Times Square mall presented something exciting and enjoyable! I love playing 3x3 and it is always so cool playing in front of a crowd. I have only played basketball in front of a crowd a handful of times so it is still quite nerve wracking for me. Our team was called “Hot Lion Bling’. We entered three teams from our school so we all decided to feature the word ‘lion’ somewhere in the team name. 

Our matches were from 8pm-10pm on the opening Friday night. You need to have a registered FIBA account to play in the tournament however I already had one as this was my fourth tournament like this. Each team has 4 players and the rule is that at least 1 had to be Bruneian. Unfortunately we lost our first match. This was down to a lack of defense on the perimeter and allowed the other team to score consecutive points from outside the 3 point line. As the main ‘big man’ in the team, I also did not defensively rebound as well as I should have and this resulted in us losing. On the opposition team was the Delegate of Sudan who I remembered from the Borneo Global Issues conference (BGIC) which was really funny! The basketball community in Brunei is very close and you usually see the same people in all the tournaments as there are so few. Additionally, FIBA 3x3 is a recognized worldwide event, and due to the account and worldwide mobile phone application, people all over the world can follow the scores of our matches, look at our stats and even watch some of the games. This is a key aspect that is helping to draw attention to the growth of basketball in Brunei. We played much better in our second game. I managed to get several points including my free throws (which I usually spray)’ which was a big relief. We lost our last of group games to the eventual winners of the tournament. However, us 4 had never played together before and our point guard hurt his finger which meant he could not play the final match. Nonetheless, It was a super tournament and I really enjoyed supporting my friends both boys and girls who played in the tournament, as well as all my friends who came to watch and support me. Thank you to my dad and friends, who collectively spent a lot of time with me, driving around filling in the entry forms and signing up for the tournament. I had to communicate to the organizer several times as one of my friends who was initially meant to play with us fractured his wrist the week before, meaning we needed to get a replacement player. I can’t wait until the next FIBA 3x3 and hopefully I can continue becoming better at all aspects of basketball. 

Assessment Criteria Fulfilled:  

Increased awareness for your own strengths and areas for growth

New and extended skills

Global significance of activity “Think Globally, act locally” 

Collaborate with others

Show perseverance and commitment 

Planned and initiated activities or part of an activity

Undertaking new challenges