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April 28, 2015

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Students enrich themselves by protecting planet

The student-led Environment Club at Yew Chung International School provides students with opportunities to meet and discuss their concerns about the environment, as well as to work together to develop solutions. Students identify issues at the local, national and international level and then develop action plans to address these concerns. The club adheres to the philosophy, “think globally, act locally.” This year, students have been focused on ways to reduce waste on campus, adopting alternative energies on campus, and planting trees as part of Roots & Shoots’ Million Tree Project.

Many benefits arise from the Environment Club’s initiatives. The most rewarding of these benefits are to individual students. It’s a pleasure to witness students working together to apply their personal skills toward achieving a team goal. For example, one student skilled at computer animation contributes to the club by making promotional videos, while another student with strong math skills maintains fundraising records. By applying skills students already have in novel situations, students build confidence knowing that they have contributed to a project’s success. It reinforces our message that we can all make a difference.

Another way students benefit from participating in the club is when they take on new roles or develop new skills needed to surmount a challenge. One of our students recently wanted to pursue a solar cell project on campus. She didn’t know where to begin, and only after leaving her comfort zone did she meet with a local consulting firm to learn more about how the project might proceed. This eventually led to meetings with senior directors of the school, an entirely new experience for the student but one that she embraced.

These are only a few examples of the benefits students have experienced by being part of the school’s Environment Club. Many students join wanting to make positive changes to the environment, but by the end of the year many of the most significant benefits have been to the students themselves.

(Curtis Young is Secondary Science teacher of Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, Gubei campus.)




 

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