ISV Australia 2016

Due to the particular design and experiences within the ISV Program, I have been encouraged to learn more about our world and how each and every one of us makes a global impact each and every day. Which certainly reflects the programs mission statement which is "to support sustainable development initiatives around the world through life-changing student volunteer and responsible adventure travel programs designed to positively change our world and to educate, inspire and results in more active global citizens." After being in extremely beautiful locations and learning about them individually, I also came to appreciate them in the same way locals did. More importantly, I discovered the potential threat many of the plant and animal species that were in danger and the types of effort it would take to preserve them. With hands-on contributions and even embracing new daily habits to conserve energy and water, I realized that our group alone could potentially make a significant difference for the entire world. For example, I was a part of a group discussion one evening during our volunteer project where we learned about the aftermath of global warming and the emissions of carbon increasing the ocean acidity. This directly has affected the Great Barrier Reef, by destroying already 90% of it as it has weaken the shells of plants and animals. After snorkeling there myself, the idea of stealing away the future of ocean life for the next generation to come began to sink it. While I don't live there and see the reef everyday, I certainly find it an extremely important part of our ecosystem. I didn’t want to think of it just as a tourist anymore, but rather as a person who truly cared about the impact and danger it could do to our entire ocean. It was at this moment where I realized that I was gaining knowledge that would help me become a citizen with a better global perspective. This is how traveling is meant to be done.