Applied Task: Responding to a Setback in Community Work

Estimated time: 15–20 minutes

Read the following scenario:

Your team is organising a community initiative together with a local partner. One week before the planned activity, the partner informs you that they can no longer provide the venue and several volunteers are also unavailable. Some team members become frustrated and start blaming each other.

Your task

Write a short response of 100–150 words addressing the following questions:

1. What are the main challenges in this situation?

2. Which aspects are within your control?

3. What might need to be adapted or changed?

4. Which personal or social resources could help the team?

5. What would be one constructive next step?

Model example

The main challenges are the loss of the venue, fewer available volunteers, and growing tension within the team. The original plan may no longer be realistic, but the team can still control how it responds.

A constructive approach would be to clarify the most urgent needs, identify alternative venues, and adjust the scale of the activity if necessary. The team could also contact other organisations or university units for practical support.

It would be important to reduce blame and refocus the discussion on possible solutions. A realistic next step would be to organise a short team meeting, divide responsibilities, and agree on one revised plan that can be implemented with the available resources.

Self-assessment checklist

Use the checklist below to review your response:

• Did I identify the main challenge clearly?

• Did I distinguish between what can and cannot be controlled?

• Did I suggest at least one realistic adaptation?

• Did I identify personal or social resources that could help?

• Did I propose a constructive next step?

• Did I avoid blame and focus on solutions?

How did you do?

5–6 Yes answers:
Excellent. You are applying resilience, adaptability, and constructive coping strategies effectively.

3–4 Yes answers:
Good progress. Review the elements you did not include and consider how your response could become more flexible, realistic, and solution-focused.

0–2 Yes answers:
Review the learning material on resilience, adaptability, and coping, then revise your response with greater attention to controllable factors, available resources, and practical next steps.

Submission format: Online text