Our school had organized a CAS trip in one of the villages of Northern East Gujarat, named Savarkundla. Gujarat is prone for the Asiatic lions its has, which however are now an endangered species. The area is a rural has a lot of wells built which is necessary for the villagers for domestic purposes.  However, the wells build are dangerous for the animals including lions and other animals, who, being unable to spot the well in the dark night, fall down in it and eventually die if their voices are not heard by the nearby people. Therefore, our school as a whole thought of covering the well with a metal cover which would be made after several manufacturing processes like cutting, drilling, welding and hammering, and lastly installing it over the well. The main purpose of this activity was to decrease the likelihood of the lions falling inside the well.

Learning outcome 2 – Demonstrating that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.

We, students, had to make the metal cover with the help of the supervisors. The making of the cover included different activities like welding, cutting of the rods, drilling and lastly the hammering, which I had never done before. Seeing the workers doing this activity made me rethink about my potential that whether or not I will be able to perform the activities or not. Also, the activities firstly seemed scary to me, due to the sparks the machines produced, cause if not done with concentration, you could hurt yourself. Although, my excitement to learn new things was more than my fear and that helped me to perform the activity with utmost concentration. After doing the activities once, not only my confidence level but the eagerness to do it more also increased and I enjoyed doing my part of making the well throughout the workshop.

Another challenge that I faced was the weather of the village. The climate there was very warm and it was difficult for me to stand in the sunny day and perform the activity cause I hardly use to go out in the sun in my day to day life. Nevertheless, the aim of this trip made me keep going.

Undertaking new challenges is important for human life as it develops new skills which in turn is also very important for our self-esteem. Learning something new keeps our brain active and allows us to succeed at something new, allowing us to give ourselves a big pat on the back and lastly shows you your potential. This skills would however not help me in my future, but still, I gained an experience and that was more than enough.

Learning outcome 4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS activities.

This activity required a commitment to the cause of saving lions and the other animals. We had to be dedicated to working because there were already electricity issues in the town, and if we delayed our work then the purpose of our visit would not have been completed. The main motive of contributing something for nature kept me motivated throughout the workshop and made me committed to accomplishing our goal unresponsive of the blazing heat and the living conditions there.

For me, it is easy to commit to things in which I can contribute. But the most important thing which keeps me intact is the main idea or mission of the work which in here was doing service for the society. Commitment is crucial because in future to achieve any goal there would many obstacles lined up. And when those obstacles appear, it is very easy to lose belief and step down, and that is where our dedication and perseverance keep us motivated to continue the path and attain our goal.

Learning outcome 5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.

As the cover had to be made in 2 days, there was a lot of work which needed to be done and to complete it on time and with efficiency, we had to work together to get the best results, which in our case did happen. We, 37 students in all, were cooperative and had a mutual understanding between each other which was shown by the turn by turn student performing the particular task.

I always enjoyed working in teams as it enhances relationships and also finishes the work faster with sharing of different views, and it also helps to understand the team members in a better way decreasing the chances of failure if misunderstanding does not occur.

Learning outcome 6, Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.

At our campsite, we had a guide with us who gave us the information regarding the Asiatic lions and the well issue. I was shocked to know that about 7-15 lions fall into these well every year. The Asiatic lion being an endangered species is a matter of global concern to conserve them. Knowing about such global issues make us feel responsible towards the world that we live in. This CAS activity catering to this global issue makes me feel more connected to the environment and happy that I could contribute some of my time to help conserve the animals.

We, humans, are responsible in some or the other way for the changes world. The declining population of the Asiatic lions showed that we were so busy with urbanization that we forgot to take into consideration of the ecosystems we are destroying. The awareness of this global issue has made me conscious regarding the things I had done which were indirectly harming the environment, and from now on I have to make sure that my actions don’t harm the environment cause, in the end, it is only me who is going to suffer.

I thought that I would be able to cater Learning outcome 1 and 3, but after performing the activity I realized that these learning outcomes would not be achieved through this activity.

Finally, the success of our task brought me immense happiness and satisfaction. Achieving the purpose despite challenges, brought me a sense of achievement. I learned that if we stop ourselves from doing things due to our fear, we would be indirectly letting go an opportunity to grow and experience. Thus the major takeaway from this CAS experience was to keep grabbing the opportunity as it comes your way and to keep learning and experiencing new things.