Paryavaran mitra a gujarat based NGO that works on environmental issues. Through this internship training, I would learn how to give back to my environment and get the opportunity to do so. I was interested in doing this experience as I wanted to learn about the local as well as global issues related to environment around me and also as I would get the opportunity to protect the environment around me. In this experience, we had online sessions where we discussed waste management and important environmental laws in India such the Environment Impact Assessment law. Then, since our school is single use plastic free, we were given an assignment to create a video regarding it so that we can inspire others to make their campuses plastic free too. I created this video in collaboration with my school peers who did this internship with me.

LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken developing new skills in the process

The challenging aspect of this experience was creating a video as it was completely new experience for us. We had to learn the process of creating films. We also had to learn cinematic techniques like camera angles, light, frame, etc. However, since I had some background knowledge in photography, this aspect was relatively easier for me. Another challenge that we weren’t able to overcome was editing. We had to work with a deadline and none of us had any prior knowledge in editing, which was making the task time consuming and very difficult. Thus, we provided the raw footages and voiceover audio clips to our CAS supervisor who was able to get it a edited by a professional in a more effective and time-efficient way.

LO3 – Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

I co-planned and initiated a part of this experience that required planning of the video. The planning included brainstorming and writing the screenplay and voice over, deciding the flow of the scenes, people for interview, places to shoot, camera angles, lights, etc. I took initiative by being proactive and taking responsibilities in this assignment through the pre-production and production process.

LO4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

It was difficult to persevere in this experience because it was an unfamiliar and challenging experience. What made this experience easier was the guidance our school’s digital media teacher and the group involvement of my peers in this experience. Having persisted in such a challenging task gives me confidence in my digital media skills and future challenging endeavours.

LO5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Collaborating in this experience made it easier. Had it been a solo project, it would have been very daunting and I wouldn’t have been carry through my goal. Although collaboration is sometimes a challenge, I was able to collaborate in this experience with ease. Since the assignment given to us was a creative task, the varied ideas that everyone were helpful and made the video better. Teamwork allows for creativity and for people to offer varied skills which enhances the quality of the team project, which was also the case with this video.

LO6 – Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

The global issues I engaged with in this experience are waste management, lack of environmental laws and policies or lack of their reinforcement, plastic consumption and management. These issues relate with the SDGs of clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities, and responsible consumption and production. Although I was aware of these issues, through this experience, I was able to gain in depth knowledge about them, become aware of how they were affecting me locally and how it connected to these issues on a global scale. I was able to create a positive impact by a creating this video for awareness in collaboration with my peers.

LO7 – Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

The ethical issue that were involved in this experience was taking consent before shooting videos of people and taking appropriate permissions of creating the video. We also engaged with ethical issues during discussions about the environmental protection laws and related local issues.