LO5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively

The planning and preparation stage for this trip was one of the most challenging things that we had to get through as a group. I don’t think we would have been able to complete all the necessary steps if we didn’t work collaboratively. However, we encountered multiple challenges along the way.

As a group, we were very open to one another’s ideas and willing to work together – there were few internal problems. One of our strengths was also that we were very organised (for example, we immediately created a folder with all of the documents needed for the whole process). However external circumstances proved challenging along the way.

We played to our strengths and divided up the different parts of the trip (activity, service, accommodation) amongst the members. But there were many problems with communication along the way. Our NGO replied to us very sporadically and infrequently. This made it hard for members in charge of logistics, as they weren’t able to solidify any plans until very late in the planning process. Even though we tried to maintain clear channels of communication and tried our best to keep updating the planning document, this was a significant challenge that we only overcame after contacting the NGO multiple times as a group. I think that if we were planning this trip individually, it would have been much easier to give up and find alternatives. But since we were all determined together, it felt much easier to persevere after what we originally wanted.

Another significant challenge we faced near the end was the miscommunication between some of the members in the group. Not everyone was clear with the activity option we originally wanted to do, especially since some members still didn’t have parental consent. This caused a few problems in terms of logistics again, and there was some frustration. I think since we were a larger group, miscommunication was one of our biggest concerns. However, by the end of the process we learnt how to work together in an effective manner by meeting once or twice a week to discuss the updated plan while also using an online group chat.