My Award journey started on September 2016. I had enrolled in the Bronze level and this turned out to be a life changing experience. This journey has given me a lot of beautiful memories to cherish along with helping me develop as a person.
For my Physical Recreation section, I had taken basketball classes. My basketball coach helped me improve in the game that I loved. He helped me set a realistic goal that I could achieve and every Monday, I took a step forward in achieving that goal. My coach told me one day that he could see me improving at a good rate and his comments motivated me to push myself further. The basketball classes I had taken for this Award also enabled me to take part in a basketball tournament organised by my college.
Secondly, for my Skills section, I took art classes every Tuesday. I would go to my instructor’s studio where he taught me different techniques. I soon picked up art as a new hobby and would regularly spend my time at home making sketches and paintings. I was thrilled when one of my sketch was displayed in an art exhibition.
The Service section is what I believe impacted me the most. I taught Art and Mathematics in a school. This helped me develop as a person as I had a lot of responsibilities to play as a teacher. I became more extroverted and confident. The kids at the school were troublesome at first but I got close to them and soon loved taking classes there, so I went to the school 4 days a week and spent about 2 hours each day, which was much higher than the requirement of the Award. This was because I realised that I was not just teaching the kids but was also learning from them. So, I wanted to spend more time there. I soon was able to express my views and ideas much better, not just in the classroom that I taught but also in my high school classroom and the outside world.
Finally, for my Adventurous Journey, I along with my friends and Award leader went to Kakani and Shivapuri National Park. There we learned about trout farming and the natural environment of Shivapuri National Park. The campfire we made at a camping spot will always remain as a beautiful memory that I will cherish.
What I believe is the most important thing I learned was time management. Managing time to do the activities along with maintaining my academics was tough at the beginning and I had almost given up at some point, but my Award leader motivated me to pursue it and soon I got used to the work both inside and outside the classroom. The experience and the confidence I got from the journey also motivated me to take part and excel in other extra-curricula activities and I believe that this would not be possible had I not chosen to be a part of the Award family.
When I received the Award in August 2017, it was a big accomplishment for me. It’s not just the certificate and the badge that means a lot to me, but also the experience I got from undertaking this journey. I will definitely enroll for the Silver and Gold Award in the near future and I believe that choosing to be a part of the Award family is one of the best decision I have made in my life.
Gaurav Khanal (Bronze Award Holder)
GEMS Institute of Higher Education (GIHE)