Page 62 - DAIS Insignia 2021-2022

AARSA Keynote Speech 2: Miss Rachana Shah They discussed on the pre-task posters and moved on

A DAIS Hosted Round Square Virtual Conference The second keynote speaker, Miss Rachna Shah to the next activity a Baamboozle - 'This is My View'
stressed on the fact that if you don't love yourself, wherein, the delegates shared their feelings to co
"Self-care isn't a luxury, it's a necessity,” a quote that helped to start off the
it'll be hard for anyone to love you. Her presentation relate to the prompts on Self-care. 'Share a
planning of a one-of-a-kind conference. AARSA, a Round Square virtual
conference was ideated, planned, and executed by the student leaders of made the delegates realize the importance of Self- compliment' marked a perfect end to a fun-filled and
DAIS aged 12 -14 years. The planning of the conference had started around care. Up next was a short anecdotal video created interactive session as the delegates had to
mid-December 2021 with around 15 leaders brainstorming a topic with
Service as the theme of the conference. by the DAIS student leaders to summarise the complement each other making every delegate feel
theme of Service to Self! positive about themselves!

Baraza 2: The second Baraza provided scope for a deeper
Planning: Being one of the biggest events hosted by DAIS, over 50 discussion on the theme. Starting with a reflection activity -
student volunteers came together to plan the conference. The event 'Who am I?' - an icebreaker that helped the delegates
continued to take shape and form over the course of a few months. identify their core strengths, likes and dislikes, as well as
From designing the invite, deciding the name of the conference to shared some fun facts about
creating an original song on the theme, everything was ideated by the themselves along with
planning team members who were always excited and motivated. creating nicknames for
Everyone put together their imaginative skills and were able to come up themselves. This activity
with a lot of innovative and unique activities that would enable the helped the delegates know
delegates scaffold their understanding on the theme of the conference - each other better, as they
Self-care.
The planning mock calls: Planning the conference was not only a way
of reinforcing the dire need for self-care to all the attending delegates
but also provided several learning opportunities to the planning team
leaders as well. Planning the conference most definitely pushed everyone's imagination to its boundaries and one of the leaders was able to
pen down the lyrics for the original song – Sid, The Self Care Soda, a very unexpected yet extravagant experience! Deadlines were met,
multiple mock meetings were held including a technical rehearsal – one week prior to the event. A lot of constructive feedback from the
student leaders and senior mentors helped to improvise the planning of the event. The planning team members were constantly reassured by
the Round Square mentor teachers - Ms. Manisha Nanda and Ms. Pratima Sridhar. Now confident, the young leaders were ready to take on Reflecting session - Self-care or not game: High on positive energy, the
their roles as Baraza leaders and finally it was time to see their hard work pay off!
delegates transitioned back into the main meeting where the Baraza
leaders shared insightful reflections from the discussions in both the
Day of the conference: Keynote 1- Miss Iram Khan: sessions. Next, the delegates played a thumbs up, thumbs down game -
Leaders in school for the conference: On 13th April, at The first keynote speaker, Miss Iram Khan, felt comfortable sharing information during their 'Self-care or not?' using emojis to respond if the prompt shared was an act
5:00 pm IST, the long-awaited conference had finally begun! elucidated the fact that it is not selfish to practice interactions, helping them express more confidently. This
After having hosted several successful Round Square events Self-care. She created a safe space for the was followed by sharing the 'Pre-tasks presentations,' where of self-care or not. This resulted in an interactive chat flooded with
online, the student leaders were ready to host 'AARSA' from delegates to share their thoughts and feelings. every delegation had expressed what Self-care meant to responses! Concluding with a vote of thanks to acknowledge everyone
the DAIS campus! Venues were allocated to the Baraza She mentioned several Self-care triggers and them which was compiled in the form of a video. who had made this event possible, the conference was declared closed.
leaders, the hosts were excited as they welcomed over 250 made sure that the leaders and delegates were
delegates. The ‘Control Room’ with teachers, hosts and aware about the importance of Self-care.
technical team buzzed with energy. The conference started off Mentoring by DAIS Student Leaders: Leaders
on a high note with a short introductory video that revolved perspective: It was indeed a moment of great pride for
around the theme of the conference, Self-care! 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.

Baraza 1: Next, the delegates were transitioned into the Baraza rooms where they engaged in activities relevant to the theme and got them DAIS Delegates' views: A group of 8 students from
grade 9A along with Ms. Amali Munroe attended the conference as DAIS delegation. They summed their experience as delegates of the
thinking about Self-care situations. The first game started with everyone having their 10 fingers up and they needed to put a finger down if
conference with a quote by one of the delegate students. “AARSA - was indeed an enormous success. The key idea of this event to create
they related to the question asked by the leader; it was the perfect icebreaker to mark some common ground! The discussions that followed awareness about self-care and a safe space to voice our emotions - was fulfilled. The merry moments of this conference shall forever remain
on the next activity - 'Sid the Self-care Soda's situations,' helped the delegates explore their reactions to the different situations provided. etched in our hearts”.
This elicited several empathetic, thoughtful responses especially since the situations could be related to by the delegates. The hosts specified Reflections of Planning Team: This conference provided a safe space for all the delegates to share their opinions, feelings, and emotions.
that no opinion was wrong or right. The Baraza was concluded with a short game - 'Word connections,' a fun activity where each delegate
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
was given one word and the delegates needed to respond with the first word that came to their mind! Baraza one marked the end of the first you can do for yourself. It is a necessity and not an option. The Barazas were interactive and engaging.
half of the conference. During the10-minute break time, the DAIS leaders ensured that the theme of Self-care was reiterated by playing the
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
mesmerizing RAP song - Sid the Self-care Soda. true self in the AARSA!
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