When I was in Year 11, my school in Dhaka hosted an inter-school science and arts festival. Around twelve schools from different parts of the city sent teams, and it took place over a weekend in late January, when the weather is cool enough to set up stalls in the playground.
I was a volunteer on the hosting committee, and my specific job was to welcome the visiting teams at the gate, give them their schedules and show them to their stalls. It sounds minor, but on the first morning three buses arrived at once, two schools had been given the same stall number, and one team had brought a model volcano that needed a power socket we didn't have. I spent the morning running around with a clipboard and an extension lead, apologising and improvising.
What I learned was mostly about people. Some students came from expensive private schools with very polished projects, while others came from government schools with almost no materials, yet their ideas were often more creative. One group from a school near the river had built a water filter out of sand, charcoal and plastic bottles, and it was the most practical thing in the whole festival. It made me rethink my assumption that money produces the best results. I also learned that organising anything involves a lot of last-minute problem-solving, and that staying calm is more useful than having a perfect plan. That experience is probably why I now enjoy volunteering at events at my university.