On Day one of my leadership reaction programme, Guests speakers from Planeteando introduced me to ecofeminism. Prior to the presentation, I never considered how ecology and feminism is related. Their engaging presentation made me realize that the system of oppression to women and nature is highly similar, yet at the same time very complex and multi-faceted, as many different factors and systems interact to make the problem as it is. I am very impressed by their creative solutions that tackle different social issues at once (e.g., drag queen theaters on climate change, stop motion short films about efforts to protect the environment). Their presentation has opened my eyes to the possibility and importance of art and storytelling in creating effective solutions, and I hope to utilize these creative methods in my own project.

On day two, I participated in the design thinking workshop. I found the workshop very useful for my project. After learning the 4 steps of design thinking: empathize, define, ideation and prototype, I can see a much clearer picture of the next steps we can take to devise a solution to our problem. It is because breaking down the process of solution crafting into clear steps helped us examine every corner of our understanding of the problem and helps us avoid incorrect assumptions in the process. Together, my teammates and I made a list of questions to ask our partner organization, hopefully we will be able to reach a common ground during the partner organization visit tomorrow!

Day three is our first visit to the partnering organization. I am working with Huerto Roma Verde ---- a social lab that focuses on building a sustainable live style in Mexico. I am very impressed by their commitment to their values, as they recycle everything: from wood, plastics and metal to cigarettes, batteries and menstruation blood. I can see a willingness to experiment and research in their work. And as a result, I am very excited to work with them. After some discussion, I understand that our goal is to make materials to be placed outside their education center to educate children about climate change and what Huerto Roma Verde do. I hope to do my best in this project, and to learn the commitment that people in Huerto Roma Verde have in their vision.

On day four, we went on the impact tour: we visited two of the Utopias in Iztapalapa. I am very surprised that so many spaces like this can be built in Mexico, because we didn’t have large education centers about social and environmental issues like this in Hong Kong. We looked at murals on cable trains as well, and I was in awe of the beauty of Iztapalapa. Masterful murals cover the whole city, and it made an art lover like me very happy. Through this visit, I understood the impact that people with the conviction in the right position can have. In the future, I am determined to make as much positive change as I can in my position. Hopefully, I can make a difference like the people in Iztapalapa.

Day 5 is our most welcome cultural fair. We brought snacks from Hong Kong, and bought some materials for Chinese calligraphy. It was a blast visiting other scholars’ booths and learning about their culture. We had a great time chatting with the volunteers too. They are all very nice and passionate about their project, I am most excited to work with them later!