Please describe the project/placement you have conducted during this period.
For my Leadership in Action, I was lucky enough to participate in a Think Pacific: Environment and Sustainability project in partnership with the Laidlaw Programme. My project took place in a small Fijian village called Rarabasaga (pronounced: ra-ra-bas-ang-a) in the Nadroga-Navosa province on the main island of Fiji - Viti Levu, which translates to ‘Big Fiji’.
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Figure 1: A map showing only some of Fiji's 332 Pacific islands. The village I worked in, Rarabasaga, is shown by the yellow cross. This map formed the packet of a bar of sustainable, local Fijian chocolate I bought whilst on the project. |
The project I worked on aimed to educate and empower the villages youth community through delivering workshops lead by the Fijian charity Alliance for Future Generations (AFG) and supported by myself and the other Laidlaw scholars on the project.
The sessions provided information on the localised impacts of climate change, ranging from the obvious temperature change and intensification of extreme weather events to the less obvious effects on mental health.
As well as the workshops, we took part in culture sessions where we learnt about cultural traditions and engaged in activities like building underground ovens and bamboo rafts and attempted to assist the village in planting crops and ploughing the fields.
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Figure 2: one of the culture sessions where I struggled to learn to plough using the Fijian method - bulls |
How has the project you have been undertaking been impactful or important?
Climate change and its ever-worsening impacts is something that we often hear about but rarely see the impacts of as badly as those in the Pacific Islands, such as Fiji. Changes in precipitation have impacted the crops that can be grown and a shift in the seasons has reduced the stability and reliability of the agricultural industry, which all of the Fijian’s in the village we were in depended on for income and sustenance, as well as many others across the islands.
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Figure 3: This picture was taken during one of the workshops we helped the charity Alliance for Future Generations (AFG) deliver on climate change and its impacts on Fiji. |
Therefore, projects such as this are important as they provide financial support and information on what climate change is, what to expect, and provide potential methods of living and working with the impacts. The project focussed on education and community empowerment to better equip the village with the tools and information required to adjust and adapt to climate change.
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Figure 4: International Youth Day in Rarabasaga village. Here we supported the youth in feeling empowered to speak up, have their opinion heard, and act on what matters to them. |
As well as this, the presence of people from different cultures, such as us Laidlaw scholars, enabled a cultural exchange to occur, which had a significant positive and emotional impact on us and on the village. We both challenged each other’s views and opinions and learnt a phenomenal amount about how our ways of life differed and were similar.
Finally, myself and the other scholars were looked up to by the children of the village. This gave us a rare opportunity to act as role models and try and help the children build good habits, from things as simple as putting less sugar in their tea to combat Fiji’s diabetes problem, to encouraging them to be committed to attending school each day (even if it was raining!).
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Figure 5: here we got to spend an afternoon watching a Fijian rugby tournament, and their ability to play for so long at such a high intensity in sweltering heat was truly impressive, |
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Figure 6: my final day in Rarabasaga village. This picture shows me with three of the younger children from the village, Bua (left), Ofa (upper right), and Villie (lower right). This project allowed us to try and help reinforce and build positive habits. |
What impact has the LIA project had on you?
This project has given me a new view on sustainability and the inequalities of climate change. The Fijian’s are undoubtedly the most sustainable people I have ever met and have a tiny impact on climate change yet see some of its worst impacts. In contrast, the Western world is grossly unsustainable but the impacts of climate change on us are far less impactful (so far).
As well as this, my time in Fiji highlighted the importance and value of kindness, selflessness, and working to strengthen relationships with family and friends. The Fijian word “kerekere” roughly translates to “please”, but in Fijian communities it has a deeper meaning and is used to selflessly share and borrow. In the village, there was a sense that everything is everyone’s, if one person needs something such as sugar or flour or eggs, they can rely on others in the village to give them what they need without expecting anything in return. If someone had a good day hunting fish, they would come back and share their catch out with the village. People looked out for each other and cared for one another. Everyone was welcome in every house, and we would regularly be invited into houses for food even if we were just walking past. This selfless and welcoming sense of community and sharing resonated with me and made me want to try and carry this on back home where I could. The Fijians would give and share even though they did not have a lot to give or share, because if they ever struggled in the future, they could rely on others to do the same for them. In the Western world I believe we would all benefit from giving and sharing more and strengthening community relationships.
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Figure 7: a view of Rarabasaga village, showing the basic yet incredibly sustainable way of life. |
What leadership skills do you believe you have gained/demonstrated during the LIA period? (please refer to the leadership attributes below)
Over the course of the LIA project, I have developed many leadership skills that are valuable and aided my enjoyment of and contribution to the project. When spending time with the younger children in the village, it was important to lead without authority, by acting as a positive role model and setting a good example, as they looked up to us. To get the children to actually listen and engage with us, it was important to be energetic, impactful, and speak clearly and confidently, using the learnt Fijian language where possible. As a group we collaboratively planned creative activities for the whole village on International Youth Day by brainstorming ideas and turning them into actions that were diverse, inclusive, and stimulating.
One of the reasons I was able to enjoy and participate in the project so much was because I was willing to learn continually about the language and culture, which allowed me to communicate with more people and build stronger relationships and networks with everyone in the village. At first it was difficult to navigate a new and foreign situation, however the more I got involved and learnt the easier it became, which taught me to just give your all and engage as much as you can when given any opportunity.
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Figure 8: A photo of the Think Pacific/Laidlaw volunteers together in Fiji, wearing the traditinal Fijian sulus. It was important to work on building relationships and listening to each other in order to make this project enjoyable and successful. |
Within the group of volunteers, everyone was passionate, excited, and had many great ideas and opinions. Sometimes our views would clash, so it was important to be able to listen with understanding and know your own limitations of when to speak and when to listen. Towards the end of the project many of us felt tired, so using emotional intelligence to relate to people and be empathetic was important to strengthen and continue building relationships with each other.
Please talk about activities you’ve been involved in to disseminate your project, including but not limited to attending conferences, producing research posters, and promotion of the project and programme
Since arriving back in the UK after the project finished, I went straight into a full time Year in Industry placement, which has limited the time available and the opportunities I have had to disseminate the project. Despite this, I have brought up the project on my Year in Industry placement when talking about sustainability and the unequal impacts of climate change, as my placement is focussed on environment and sustainable development. I have found it useful to have first-hand experience of seeing climate change in action and a new perspective of the topic.
Look to the future, my Year in Industry placement manager has suggested it would be a good idea for me to do a short presentation on the research I completed for the programme in the first summer and also on what I did and learnt in the second summer during my LiA. This will give me an opportunity to speak about the projects I have worked on to an audience of people working in the environment and sustainability sector.
Furthermore, when I am back at university next year, I will have opportunities to attend conferences and speak about the project more, and I look forward to being able to do this.
What are your future career or educational plans? Have these changed during your time as a scholar? (If so please explain why).
So far, I have completed two years at the University of Leeds on an Environmental Science degree. This year, I am spending 12-months on a Year in Industry placement with Network Rail’s Environment and Sustainable Development team. After this, I will go back to university to complete the final year of my undergraduate degree. Once done, I hope to complete a master’s degree on the topic of biodiversity or climate change, which one I am not yet sure. Following on from this I want to take a year to travel and ideally do this working with environmental charities or organisations based around the world, so I could combine work experience and travelling.
The next steps would be to look at starting a job, I know that Network Rail offers graduate scheme opportunities and if there was one focussed on environment and sustainability, I would consider this option. If not, my plans are uncertain, all I know is that I want a career in the environmental sector and I want to be able to make a genuine difference and positive contribution to the environment.
During my time as a scholar, my career and educational plans have not changed drastically, however it has made me aware that taking on opportunities such as scholarship programmes and year in industries are hugely beneficial for personal development, networking, and employability. It has also helped me to form a clearer vision of what I want to do in the future, for example I now definitely know I want to do a master’s degree, and this is because of the research I did in the first summer of the programme.