Having been to Gir forest twice with family and friends, I was jumping with joy when I came to know we (class) were being taken to Gir Forest (wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat, India). The motive of our class trip to Gir Forest was to volunteer for the project “Save Lion by covering well”, gain experience of making a mental cover (after manufacturing processes such as welding, cutting and drilling) and install it over the well.

The learning outcomes I achieved were:

LO1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth:

This trip made me realise how passionate I am about trekking and that it brings me great amount of joy to take a walk in the beautiful scenery along with good company. I learnt I need to improve on my stamina so that I have enough capacity to complete the trek.

LO2: Demonstrate that new challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills: 

This trip taught me how to make a metal cover by following manufacturing processes such as- welding, drilling, cutting etc. Seeing the equipments was scary at first, however, this was a new challenge and I embraced it which further resulted into the development of new skills.

LO4: Show perseverance and commitment in CAS experience: 

During the trip, I wasn’t feeling well however, I had to complete the task given to me (welding and drilling). Time was running out we had to create 2 large fence to cover 2 big wells, therefore there was no time to waste! We had to complete the task before the deadline

LO5: Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively: 

We all were divided into groups of two where in each group had to make one metal cover. The primary reason for this trip was to make metal covers to save lions from falling into the well. Installation of the metal covers made by us help save lions from being extinct. Furthermore, through our evening sessions with experts, we learnt about how important it is to give back to the community and help save animals.

LO6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance 

Since these Asiatic Lions are now become endangered and are only seen in West India and Africa, they hold global significance. 250 lions have been dying in the past half-decade, and now it’s getting difficult to maintain their population. Hence, saving the lion has become a certain issue that you might have seen in every newspaper one or other day. The main goal/aim of the trip was making a metal cover to save the lion through falling into the well while they hunt at night. Installing of these metal cover would have been definitely helpful for lions coming to extinct. At last, we had a small session with the experts over there, and we learned about how important it is to save such animals.

LO7- Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions: 

During this trip, I realized the importance of wildlife conservation. In order to make a positive impact in the community and make decisions based on ethical grounds, we made protective metal covering (keeping in mind ethics while making choices). We tried our best to reduce carbon footprint through deliberately thinking about our actions.

Overall, the trip was a memorable one as I learnt so much about making metal covers and went out of my way to contribute positively towards the community.