PHAB

Last month, I participated in a disability outreach course run by my school called PHAB. The whole thing lasted a week and on reflection, it was probably one of the most worthwhile things I have done. I spent was week with different people with a range of disabilities, getting to know them and looking after them. Over its course, I learnt a range of new skills including verbal and non-verbal communication.
I particularly enjoyed the visit to the theatre where I was with a guest who had really wanted to watch the musical Shrek for a long time. The excitement with which every act was received by the guests and their satisfaction at the end of it made the whole experience a pleasure. The guests also used some of the ideas in the musical in the film which we made together. Their ideas were great and the enthusiasm with which they approached the whole filming process was extremely enjoyable. The theme used was the Olympics and the ideas which were brought up were fascinating. The film was received as a massive success on the final day and all of the guests were glowing with delight at the prospect of being film stars themselves, which was a real pleasure to see.
I also had the opportunity to discuss the amazing palliative care system with some other guests and how it had progressed so much from when they were younger. As I have also been volunteering in my local hospice for over a year and have been able to see at first hand, I understood what they were saying. I found the experience very enlightening and was exposed to a whole load of new things and was pleased with how well I managed to adapt to each potential difficulty which arose, and by working with my school friends and the guests, managed to find solutions to make the experience run as smoothly as possible. Every single guest took as many opportunities as possible to convey their gratitude and I found this heart warming, as they were just grateful for our company. At the end of the week when they had to leave, the goodbyes were difficult but the experience was unforgettable - for anyone reading this considering whether or not to do such a thing, I would strongly recommend doing it as the experience is invaluable and the cause could not have been more worthwhile.