Investigation

The investigation process consisted of us doing a ton of research on the location that we would want to go to. We also had to decide the manner in which we wanted to layer our trip, deciding to have an equal balance between fulfilling a service component and an activity component on our trip. We originally thought about a whitewater rafting trip to Nepal, but that proposal got rejected. We then shifted focus to SE Asia, where we found that a good decision would lie between Lombok or Rawa Island. We finally ended up deciding to go to Rawa Island after doing research and finding out that our activity component could encompass the service component as well in a diving trip.

Preparation

The next step for us was to actually start preparing our experiences. We did this by calling one of the representatives of OrcaNation, which was the organisation that we were going to be working with in staying at their dive centre and helping with some conservation efforts too. Their representative came to our school and we signed some waiver forms before we had a discussion about the manner in which we wanted to plan our trip as well as how we wanted to incorporate the elements of service and activity in our weeklong expedition. We were also able to sign up for some diving lessons in a local pool that were required in the wake of travelling to the location, and also do some research and booking a bus to the ferry terminal in Malaysia from which we needed to board the boat to the island. Overall, this part of the process was heavily based on logistical planning and we were able to keep on top of things, for the most part.

Action

Unfortunately, we could not undertake the action part of our project week trip… due to the COVID pandemic, we were not able to go through with our plans.

Reflection

Although we were not able to go through with the action part of our trip, we were able to have plenty of opportunities to reflect on the process of planning. I think that we all understood the importance of independence and organisation in the process leading up to the action part of the project, because it was paramount that we all understood how to collaborate effectively. Since I am also undertaking the NYAA award, I found that there was ample opportunity for me to reflect on the planning process, and I was able to document the first half of the process that we undertook, such as meeting with our teacher supervisor as well as the diving centre representative. Being able to continuously log evidence for our planning stages made me understand the importance of self organisation as well as collaboration and responsibility sharing, in that we each had an equal role to play in planning this experience and making sure it would be a cohesively enriching experience.

Demonstration

The demonstration, or being able to show the lessons that we have learned from this experience, really shone through in the rest of the academic year I felt. I think that being able to understand the importance of self management, independence and collaboration really showed me why something like the ATL skills are important to the IB course. I feel that I was able to implement these ideas of teamwork and self organisation into the projects and group discussions that we had to do during the rest of the school year. Although we could not go on our project week expedition, I definitely think that the independence I had to show in helping to plan this trip as well as the collaboration skills I needed to help my teammates in shared responsibilities has been something very transferrable to daily school life as well.