This year as part of our CAS trip we had been taken to Gir in Gujarat, India. Every year we have an educational trip where we are taken to different places to explore them. I had earlier been to Gir in my 8th grade as a part of the educational trip. My second trip to Gir was a varied experience with a meaningful purpose.

Being a part of an IB school each year the Diploma students are to showcase their creativity, perform an activity and do a service. This is something that I looked forward to. I was incredibly energized for this new adventure as it was an ideal chance to get a short break from the monotonous routine and could also connect to the nature.

The main motive of this trip was to make a metal covering and be part of the project “Save lion by covering well”. There was a lot of hands on work that had to be done.  We had to make the metal cover by cutting, drilling, welding and finally installing it over the well. This wasn’t an easy task for us. Also, it wasn’t a days work. Thus we spent 3 days in all to complete this task. We could accomplish our goal through team work. While a few of us worked, the others rested, we took turns as it was tiresome. After working for the entire day we relaxed with the locals entertaining us, they performed their traditional dance. In the night we were taken on a trek and to be delighted by the varied sounds of birds in the silence of darkness.

Learning Outcomes Achieved:

L2: Demonstrate that new challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills

Through this trip we learnt how to cut, weld, and drill metals. Though this was a very dangerous and challenging task, we were able to complete it with the help of experts who guided us for the use of equipment in the appropriate way and the safety precautions that had to be taken while using it. None of us had earlier got an opportunity to try and work with the equipments. This was when I felt that we are now old enough to try things on our own. Initially it took us a while to understand the working, once we got hang of the process we managed to do it quite well. Many of us might have seen people doing this and thought this was easy. But when we actually had to do this task, we got to know the difficulties as well as dangers of not using it appropriately.

L5: Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively

We were divided into two groups where we would be working to create a metal frame each. Since we were 9-11 people we could divide work and easily complete the task. Initially since it was a new task we all tried it once then took responsibility to finish a part of the metal frame so that each team member could get an opportunity to showcase the learning. Each of us had grasped different skills and could perform better in doing that particular part (for instance some people were good with cutting while others could do the drilling part well). This way we could also build on strengths of our other team members.

With teamwork and coordination we could complete the task prior to the deadline. It was important for each member to do their task appropriately as well as to show up on time, this is the reason we were successful in making the metal cover. Working collaboratively encouraged us to feel proud of our contributions and get us to focus on the main purpose of doing the task. Tackling obstacles and creating notable work together makes team members feel satisfied and develops trust within themselves. Unknowingly we were practicing time management.

L6: Engagement with issues of global significance

Asiatic lions are found in the Gir forest in West India and Africa. Now, only a fraction of these magnificent animals survive in the wild. Each year many lions die because they fall into open wells. During the night time when they are hunting they are not able to see and fall into these wells and die. Hence it is very important to save these lions which makes this issue of global significance. Approximately 184 lions have died since 2016 in and around Gir. So this was the most prominent reason Gir was chosen, where we created metal covers and installed them upon two wells (are quite deep) to save the lions from getting endangered.

L7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

When we had started the task we had no intentions of trying to finish our task before time with low quality of work. We intended to do the work so that the metal covering could sustain for a longer period of time, we did not take the easier way, in fact we opted to put all our hard work for this. It was physically challenging.

I understood the significance of natural life preservation. Loss of jeopardized species and wildlife bothers the biological community (ecosystem). We wanted to achieve our purpose and benefit the environment, by making ethical decisions to create the metal covers for the wells.

This experience has added to my treasure of memories. This was our way of expressing gratitude to the environment. Overall I felt a sense of achievement by saving those innocent lions who don’t even know they are going to end their lives as they fall into these wells. By covering the wells we might have saved a lot of lions. Though this was a small contribution but it created a positive impact to protect the wildlife especially the lions.