1. Investigation:
Personally, I have loved animals for as long as I can remember. Owning a dog myself, I learned to care, be responsible, and treat it in a way to allow a healthy lifestyle. When I first heard about the animal crisis in Phuket, such that thousands of cats and dogs were abandoned by their owners and left on the streets, I felt the need to get involved. I was motivated to do everything in my ability to help the situation in Phuket, which is why the purpose of my Project Week was to spread awareness of animal mistreatment. Hence, my team and I decided to volunteer at the Soi Dog Foundation, based in Phuket, with the means to provide personal support and give as many street animals as possible a home.
Moreover, intrigued by the opportunity of doing Action on Project Week as well, our team brainstormed all the possible activities we could do during our time in Phuket. We concluded to go diving – it was an agreed decision that everyone was excited about, considering the fact that marine sighting in Phuket is absolutely beautiful!
2. Preparation:
In order to prepare for our Project Week, we had to allocate certain roles to the team members, which was done according to our personal strengths.
| Student Names |
Roles & Responsibilities needed to achieve the groups SMART Goals? |
| Alua |
Recording of interviews, photography, and videos with the CEO’s and startup people of the NGO and gain a clear understanding of how they started their NGO, what their future goals are, and what they want to achieve in the next few years. |
| Zoey |
Purchase and gather any materials that Soi Dog needs such as more dog food, cleaning supplies; mops, brooms cleaning wipes or any other’s inventory supplies they need |
| Luiza |
Create a clear planning document and schedule of what activities and jobs we need to do at the centre eg; when to walk the dogs, when to clean etc |
| Miji |
Cooperate with the Soi Dog people to understand the specifics of what is required from ourselves to support their organizations. Also, receiving feedback for what is being done well and areas that need improvement. |
For example, we decided that everyone must be involved in the logistics of our project, while other minor responsibilities were distributed. I took care of Media – the recording of notes, information, evidence – which was later used for observation, analysis, and reflection. In addition, prior to actually going to Phuket, we developed a very detailed plan that lists all the actions, timelines, and resources required to achieve our fundamental goals. For instance, despite all the other members already having a PADI license qualifying for a free dive, I was still a newbie in this sport. Therefore, before going for a free-dive in Phuket I had to acquire strong diving skills that would allow me to stay safe and avoid harming the underwater environment. This was done in Singapore with an official diving company, where I got my diving license.
Click here to see our Action Plan!
3. Action: you implement your idea or plan. This often requires decision-making and problem solving. You may work individually, with partners, or in groups.
In this stage, my Project Week team worked collaboratively to implement our ideas and materialize our initial plan. Below is a thorough schedule for the days we volunteer at the Soi Dogs Foundation.
|
How will we take Action?
|
| Timeline |
Activities |
Resources Needed |
Who is responsible |
| 27th May (morning) |
Cooperate with the employees and understand our job as students to come up with an efficient plan that will promise optimal outcomes during our stay with the service. |
N/A |
All of us |
| 27th May |
Walk the dogs around the area and bring a lot of water in case the dogs get dehydrated due to the hot weather. We will also need to bring toys along in case the dogs get distracted or anxious about the bystanders so that we can get their attention back to us and make them feel safe. |
Leashes and toys |
All of us |
| 27th May |
Spread awareness to the local citizens about street dogs – how they are treated by the community and the consequences of maltreatment – by talking to the people around (while walking dogs) about Soi Dogs Foundation and its purpose, as well as handing out Soi Dog brochures. |
Leashes and Soi Dog brochures |
All of us |
| 27th May |
Play with the dogs on the playground and in the Soi Dogs area |
Toys (e.g. chew toys, plush toys) provided by the service |
All of us |
| 27th May |
Feed the dogs; train the dogs to perform certain commands – with the means of edible treats – to develop their discipline. |
Food provided by Soi Dogs |
All of us |
| 27th May |
Debrief with the workers and set our goals for the next day |
Camera to record everything |
All of us |
| 28th May |
Feed the dogs with the food that the service provides us with; command training. |
Dog food |
All of us |
| 28th May |
Walk the dogs around the area and bring a lot of water in case the dogs get dehydrated due to the hot weather. We will also need to bring toys along in case the dogs get distracted or anxious about the bystanders so that we can get their attention back to us and make them feel safe. |
Leashes and toys |
All of us |
| 27th May |
Spread awareness to the local citizens about street dogs – how they are treated by the community and the consequences of maltreatment – by talking to the people around (while walking dogs) about Soi Dogs Foundation and its purpose, as well as handing out Soi Dog brochures. |
Phones and camera |
All of us |
| 28th May |
Play with the dogs on the playground and in the Soi Dogs area |
Toys (e.g. chew toys, plush toys) provided by the service |
All of us |
| 28th May |
Interview the employees for our service blog to see if we were able to satisfy the requirements needed to achieve our primary goal, as well as to see if there are other things we could’ve or improved on in order to make our time with the service more efficient.
Furthermore, we will interview the local citizens to see whether or not the Soi Dogs foundation has changed their perspective on the treatment of dogs in Phuket, and what actions could be undertaken to improve the situation at the moment. |
Camera |
All of us |
Furthermore, during the next couple of days, we joined the Sea Bees to accomplish our diving goals. The first day, we had to revise the basic skills every diver must know to go on a free-dive. Our instructor then had to make sure that we were ready to go dive alone, which is why everyone had to pass a diving test. After that, finally, we were allowed to explore the waters of Phuket on our own, which as expected was an unforgettable experience!
4. Reflection (LO7) watch this video to hear me reflect on our experience at PW!
5. Demonstration:
We have recorded our journey with our service providers (Soi Dogs) – videos and photographs were recorded via a camera brought by myself. In addition, we have also interviewed the people we work with, who gave us appropriate feedback on our work ethic: have we done enough to support the organization? Did we achieve our primary goal by working with Soi Dogs?
By the end of our journey, we had a complete set of appropriate documentation – photographs, video recordings, and interviews – that allows us to create a Blog on our digital portfolios. In that vlog, I was able to capture the initial expectations of our experience at Project Week, what we have, and the final outcome of our cooperation with the service and the diving company. Furthermore, I reflected on the relationships we built with the people working at the Soi Dogs, as well as the animals that we will be working with as a part of our program: what impact did we have on the dogs of Soi Dog Foundation? did we change the way the dogs see humans, behave around them?
In addition, we will make sure to keep in touch with the Soi Dog Foundation, in order to continue the partnership with their organization, to further support them in their purpose.
