My project week group plans to go to Bali to engage in numerous adventure and action activities as well as immerse ourselves in the local community by partaking in various service activities. We are going to stay at the Bajul Eco Lodge and the International Surf School Camp in Bali. To begin with, before the project week process began in school, we were very keen on taking part in surfing lessons as it interested all of us and was something we knew we would fully enjoy. Then when we began to research and look at the providers and found the international school surf camp we were ecstatic. Most of us have not surfed before or have very little experience surfing. We think it is an amazing opportunity for us to try something which is not offered very much in Singapore and is an activity that will really push us out of our comfort zone. We wanted to do a sea based activity as we really enjoyed previous outdoor education trips in places such as Sibu and Chiang Mai doing kayaking and rafting but we felt as though we are quite confident and comfortable with those activities and therefore the surfing seemed like an excellent combination of a water based activity as well as something new and adventurous.
As the service coordinator of our trip, I have been closely researching and contacting our providers to ensure our trip is a combination of both action and service. The service activities which we would have the opportunity to do in Bali thanks to the providers is learn about ocean, mangrove and forest conservation work in Bali. The service activities is based in Bakul Eco Lodge in west bali national park which is far away from the tourist spots and is immersed in traditional balinese culture. Whilst doing these service activities such as learning about reasons for damage to wildlife and ocean life and the actions we can take to conserve these special and significant places we will be working with local community conservationists and educators. We would be learning about the importance of reef and mangrove ecosystems which is becoming a growing issue in South East Asia and other places. We thought that this service activity would be an excellent opportunity to work towards the climate change issue which has been widely discussed thanks to climate activists such as Greta Thunberg. As UWCSEA students, we knowingly learn and participate in activities and discussions about climate change and the importance of the environment and whilst we do some things on our part we wish to bring it to the next step. We think this service activity will allow us to do so as we will be working firsthand towards conservation and I think it will not only deepen our current understanding but also provide a new perspective on the issue which we will hold dearer to us.
UPDATE: Although we weren’t able to actually go on our planned project week trip due to Covid19, I still maintain that this process was extremely valuable to me personally as it allowed me to take responsibility and learn about leadership as individuals by planning, organising and budgeting a trip on our own. I wish we could of gone on project week as I was very excited for the trip we planned, however safety and health come first so I understand this wasn’t possible given the current state of the world.