In Port Louis, Mauritius, there is a hub of the Global Shapers Community created by the World Economic Forum. Here, young leaders want to make a contribution to their community by implementing innovative social projects.
Semester at Sea had the great idea of partnering with them for our field program. When I signed up I was very excited to meet local young leaders and do a beach clean up to help protect the ocean. When we arrived, we went to the rocky side of the beach, split up into teams and were given trash bags and gloves to pick up trash.
The fact that we were in teams with leaders got everyone excited. The view of the beach was beautiful and it did not seem like there was a lot of trash. We started walking through the rocks and looking for trash and suddenly everyone was focused on picking it up. There was broken glass, plastic bottles, pieces of clothes, a lot of Styrofoam, and much more. Students, lifelong learners, kids, faculty and staff were all engaged in the activity. It felt really good to know we were helping the ocean and the environment.
After half an hour of picking up trash we brought all the bags to the same place, and sorted them. Again, we split up and it took us another half an hour to sort all we had collected. When we were done we all felt proud of what we had done, and even though it was just an hour, it was good to feel that we did something for the environment. Teamwork is a very important factor that should be used widely for different purposes. When we collaborate with others and set a goal, we can achieve it, and the bigger it is, the bigger the reward will be. The world needs more leaders and young people that want to create a better world. I hope we all take advantage of any opportunity we may encounter to step forward, take the lead, and make a positive impact on a community and in the environment, wherever we are.
For more information on Global Shapers, please visit www.globalshapers.org
