Today during mentor time, I did composting, an experience that I had never really done before. Before we started composting, we were told that it was proven that people who spend more time in nature and do actives in nature are less likely to be depressed and are usually less stressed. This made me think about my own life and I realised that I am not as involved with nature as I would like to be. I also realised that I was not completely aware of the ways composting has been present in my life. In my school, there is a very easy and efficient process for composting. Food is recycled from the cafeteria and made into compost  in which seeds are added to. These mixtures are then put in some machines that rotates to make sure each pot gets water. The person in charge of composting also informed us that since these systems were so efficient, they did not need any maintenance and can be left without management for 2 weeks with sufficient plant growth. However, we were also informed that there is not a guarantee that all the plants will grow as sometimes there can be complications.

Most of the fruit/vegetable produced by the plants are sent to the cafeteria to be used for consumption. I found this really interesting as I had never really ever thought of the possibility that the food I ate in school would have been grown in school. I also found this process highly efficient as the leftover food from the cafeteria is not going into waste and instead is recycled. I hope that this process is being implemented worldwide as it is a really beneficial way to deal with leftover food instead of wasting it as production of food is essential. From this experience I have learnt a lot about how I can make changed to my life and what I can do with leftover food that I don’t plan on eating. Along with the fact that spending time in nature helps to maintain a healthy body, I also think that it is important to be aware of the environment and ways to improve the wellbeing of the environment because ultimately a healthy environment = a healthy population. I also did not know how simple it was to grow plants as if kept in the right condition, do not require as much work as expected so I would like to implement this into my life by hopefully trying to grow plants in my house. Before this composting session, I was also not aware of the benefits of getting involved with nature, but now because I now know the benefits of spending time in nature, I would like to take out more time from my life to do actives in nature such as taking hikes with friends or simply going for a walk in the parks near my house.

Earlier this week, we talked about digital safety and discussed different scenarios which cause jeopardy to your digital safety. As the world is becoming increasingly dependant on the internet, it is important that youths are aware of ways to keep themselves safe online and prevent themselves from getting into any danger. I think an important part of online safety is the people that you are interacting with. Many people online take advantage of the fact that it is not face-to-face communication and do things that they may not usually do in real life. Most of the time, this refers to making hurtful comments or spreading media that is private. Before trusting someone online with private information or media, the person should be fully aware of the intentions of the person they are giving this data to them.

Also, I have noticed that many pictures get taken and sent due to peer pressure. The victim usually thinks that sending these pictures are harmless and they would not lose anything while gaining the likes of the person they are sending it to. Even though the person receiving the media may not want to send it, his/her friends may send it on behalf of them. This again relates to my original thought of being aware of interactions online because most people behave differently online so unexpected things can happen by even people you thought you knew best.