"Self-care isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity,” a quote that helped to start the planning of a one-of-a-kind conference. Aarsa, a Round Square virtual conference was ideated, planned, and executed by over 50 enthusiastic students aged 12 – 14, supported by their senior mentors from yr 11.
Planning: The enthusiastic planning team was formed by students who had experiences in planning Round Square events. The team was keen to create a unique experience for the participants and thus they turned the lens of service, inwards and arrived at the concept of Service to self. To provide a positive environment, the young team members spent hours ideating and innovating execution of the conference. Every single minute of the event was planned in detail by the extremely imaginative leaders who designed innovative games and reflective activities that would develop an understanding of the conference theme, thereby making it relatable. Deadlines were met, multiple mock meetings were set up including a technical rehearsal a week prior to the event. Constructive feedback from the student leaders and seniors helped improvise the planning and a constant reassurance from the Round Square reps, enabled the leaders to take on responsible roles.
The conference: On 13th April, at 5:00 pm IST, the long-awaited conference had finally begun! Classrooms were set up and allocated to the Baraza leaders; a control room was set up with Round Square reps and senior students, as they welcomed over 250 delegates. The host students, mentors, teachers, and technical team buzzed with energy as the student leaders hosted AARSA from the DAIS campus. The conference started off with a short introductory video introducing the theme of the Conference - Self-care! This was followed by the key note speech.
Keynote Speech 1:
The first keynote speaker, Ms. Iram Khan, elucidated the fact that it is not selfish to practice self-care. She mentioned several self-care triggers and ensured that everyone was made aware of the need for self-care.
Baraza 1:
Next, the delegates were transitioned into the first baraza rooms engaging in activities related to the theme of self-care. The first game was the perfect icebreaker to mark some common ground! The discussions on - Sid the Self-Care Soda’s situations helped delegates to explore their reactions to different situations provided. ‘Word connections’ a short game helped conclude the first baraza session with delegates responding with the first word that they could think of to the prompt provided. And that marked the end of the first half of the conference.
Sid the self-care Soda (our mascot): During the 10-minute break of the conference, the delegates were encouraged to keep their audio on so that they could hear the mascot- Sid the Soda- rap some tips to self-care.
Keynote 2: The second keynote speaker, Miss Rachna Shah, focused on self-care tips whilst teaching the delegates the importance of caring for themselves. Up next there was a short anecdotal video created by the DAIS leaders to summarise the theme of the conference!
Baraza 2: The second baraza session provided scope for a deeper discussion on the theme of self-care. Starting with a reflection activity - ‘Who am I?’ – helped delegates identifying their core strengths, likes, dislikes, and any fun facts about themselves. This was followed by sharing the ‘Pre-tasks presentations,’ where every delegation had expressed what Self-care meant to them.
In the next activity Bamboozle, the delegates shared their feelings to co-relate to the prompts provided on self-care. ‘Share a compliment’ marked a perfect end to a fun-filled and interactive session as the delegates had to complement each other, making everyone feel worthwhile in the group.
Learning and Reflections: High on positive self-esteem, the delegates transitioned back into the main meeting where the baraza leaders shared insightful reflections from the discussions. Next, the delegates played a thumbs up, thumbs down game - ‘Self-care or not?’ using emojis to respond if the prompt shared was an act of self-care or not. This resulted in an interactive chat flooded with responses!
Concluding with a vote of thanks to acknowledge everyone who had made this event possible, the conference was declared closed. The magical, extraordinary conference had ended however the journey for the leaders continued………
DAIS students Mentoring École Alsacienne students: It was indeed a moment of great pride for the DAIS leaders and teachers when the team was invited to join a virtual call to guide the student leaders from the École Alsacienne on their upcoming conference – Leadership and Music. The student leaders Riddimma Sampat, Tithi Agrawal, Vaniya Lalwani, Arishka Bedapur, Suhaani Lohia, and Siddhant Mehendale joined the call and shared their experience on planning, hosting, suggested tips on managing awkward silences/situations, student engagement, mindful conduct and relevance of activities planned for the event. The leaders and teachers clarified the queries brought up during their interaction. The student leaders of École Alsacienne and DAIS felt mutually connected as they shared Best Practices and experiences during the call.
DAIS Delegates’ views: A group of 8 students from grade 9A along with Ms. Amali Munroe attended the Conference as DAIS delegation. They concluded with this quote by one of the delegate students., “AARSA - was indeed an enormous success. The key idea of this event to create awareness about self-care and a safe space to voice our emotions - was fulfilled. The merry moments of this conference shall forever remain etched in our hearts”.
Reflections from Planning Team:
This conference provided a safe space for all the delegates to share their opinions, feelings, and emotions. It encouraged them to take care of themselves and not get affected by others around them. It taught them that Self-care is the best service you can do for yourself. It is a necessity and not an option. The barazas were an interactive and engaging ways to talk about Self-care. The leaders emphasized that if you want someone to change your life, you just need to look into the mirror and you would surely find your true self in the AARSA!