Chronicles from Kenya: A Change of Environment
By gef on Feb 23 2011
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I remember when I was in middle school my class took a trip to the NC coast (I’m from North Carolina by the way) where we visited Kitty Hawk and other historical sites, including an old ship that I’m currently forgetting the name of. Mostly I remember that it was a fun trip, but I also recall thinking how different Kitty Hawk was from what I had pictured it to be when studying the Wright Brother’s first flight.
In fact, the biggest thing was the the trip itself and simply getting away from town. It was an important step in growing my world. At first my world was just my family, then my town, then the region of the state where I lived, then the whole state, the southeastern part of the US, then the east coast of the US, then the US… Now I find myself growing in a similar way in Kenya, with the people I am developing relationships with and in the areas where I spend a lot time. Each step outward opens a new set of ideas and perspectives that help to broaden my thinking and the way I process information in a way that can’t be replicated without the experiences themselves.
I was talking to Grace, the GEF Kenya Office Manager, about class field trips. When she was in school her class visited the National Museum and the Kenya Archive. What she recalls the most about the trips was the fun of going to Nairobi, “the change of environment” from what she, at the time, was used to. It’s the same thing: there’s something intrinsically valuable to simply getting away from what you are most familiar with, it’s educational in itself.
On Friday, GEF Kenya Scholars from Nairobi, along with mentor university students from ANU will travel to visit two hydroelectric plants. The objective is for students to see for themselves how these plants work, to learn from an engineer that works there and to spend time with their mentors. I have a feeling that the students are going to get much more than this. In 2008, GEF organized an extended field trip for its Kenyan Scholars to spend a few days at the experiential learning center called Batian’s View. This continues to be the most talked about experience among those who went. Not only did they get away and broaden their world but they were experiencing things that, as one scholar put it, “had only seen previously on TV.”
In the US, field trips are sometimes viewed as one offs for students to get a break from school, but it appears to be more of an integral piece to a holistic educational experience than anyone realizes. Check back soon for an update on the Friday experience.
Suzanne, GEF Associate Director
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