“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.”
— Dr. Jane Goodall.
This reflective journal will chart my ongoing journey as a learner practitioner in the field of International Development. More specifically, my blogs will serve as a space to reflect on my immersive experiences in Indonesia, as part of my involvement in the ACICIS Development Studies Professional Practicum.
The submission of my Reflective Research Report represents the final chapter of my IDRP Story, but not the end of my learning. While I have completed the requirements of the Master of International Development there is still more to discover and learn outside the virtual and physical classroom. Before I conclude my IDRP Story, I wanted to touch base and reflect on what has changed since I wrote my RRR. The emergence of new learning required that I go back a examine a prior experience.
In a previous reflective journal, I wrote about a significant experience that had shaped by personal and professional learning. In this key learning, my overall positive experience of the ACICIS program and student placement appeared to run contrary to another students. However, it was not until I received my received feedback on my final draft, that I learned I was not presenting a critical reflection of the event but was instead engaging in self-criticism. This influenced what I had learned from this experience and my ability to be able to view the situation from their perspective.
I had not considered the potential reasons why their negative experience had not come to light till late in the internship. Was the student uncomfortable with public reflection? Were they concerned that revealing their perspective on the internship could impact them negatively? Did they feel confident that their voice would be heard? Did they think/feel that expressing their voice would not result in the desired change that could lead to a more positive experience? What was their approach to this learning experience? Were they open to engaging in experiential learning? What were their expectations of the ACICS program and industry placement? Did they feel adequately prepared for addressing the possible challenges associated with this learning experience? Did hearing about my positive experience enable them to develop new insight about their experience? Instead of asking these questions, I had focused primarily on my role in this experience and what I could have done better. While self-reflection is important in becoming a reflexive and empathetic development practitioner, I was too focused on my own individual experience and perception of the event.
Writing my RRR and engaging in dialogic reflection with Dr. Guevara has helped me to understand how my self-criticism can influence my understanding of experiences and events and impact my ability to learn for change. At the same time, as an ID volunteer, the other intern also had a responsibility to reflect on their own experience and approach to learning. From a personal perspective, I’m reminded that this self-criticism is not good for my mental health. A tendency to immediately blame myself for negative experiences is also detrimental to my professional development and future practice. Focusing too closely on myself made it more difficult to be able to recognize the multiple influences and perspectives that had framed this event and their experience of the program. Reflecting on this new insight has raised the following question:
How can we enable multiple different perspectives and voices to be better expressed and heard in the development process?
Recognizing this new insight is important in becoming a more sophisticated learner and reflexive development practitioner (Moon 2004, p. 42). A key learning from this experience, supported by my RRR research, is that people hold diverse knowledge and perspectives on issues, framed by their own personal background and experiences. In my future development practice, I will endeavour to base decisions more on the available evidence from multiple viewpoints and be less instinctively self-critical.
Moon, J., 2004. A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning Theory and Practice. 7th ed. London: Routledge Falmer.
After a few weeks back and a debriefing with my RMIT academic mentor, I am finally developing a greater sense of clarity and direction. From the beginning I was determined to embed critical reflection into my daily processes, keeping records of my interactions throughout the practicum. My notes don’t resemble a beautifully developed bullet journal or diary. They are a mix of formal reflective journals (as part of the ACICIS academic program), quickly jotted down insights/notes into a table I quickly drew up in a Word document, interactions through Whats App, emails to and from my mentors, and messages back to loved ones.
Taking the time to make notes and develop insights whenever possible has been a valuable exercise. Having these records enabled me to revisit the moments of learning, which I hope will inform a more comprehensive final reflective research report. At the time, it was also an act of self-care. During my immersive experience abroad, I was regularly challenged both emotionally and physically. These reflections became an anchor, pulling me back to the present. Taking the time to stop and unpack my day, even for a few minutes allowed me to process my experiences and develop a greater appreciation for the purpose of in-country immersion. As an added bonus, I often slept much better after downloading all of this information. Needless to say, it has taken me some time to wade through these notes to determine a critical insight that has shaped my professional and personal development.
Near the beginning of my studies in the Master of ID, I became somewhat fixated on the concept of ‘Progressive Contextualization’ (Guevara 2012). Having read the article multiple times and using it as a key source throughout my academic studies, I thought I fully understood what it meant. Coming into this experience, I understood how this framework is essential for engaging in ethical, responsive development practice. My experience throughout this immersive program has helped me to ground this learned theory in a practical sense and see this concept in a new light.
During my time spent with Gili Eco Trust, I learned from my mentors how they have used the Global Alert in an innovative manner. As previously mentioned, this app was designed to bring attention to the global issue plastic pollution in oceans and waterways (Ocean Recovery Alliance). Gili Eco Trust have gone one step further, demonstrating an innate ability to navigate progressive contextualisation and the process of localisation (Guevara 2012, p.183). Seeing the potential to create a link between the local and the global, they have adapted this tool to suit the needs of the community (Guevara 2012). This tool has since become a critical component of their ongoing educative campaign, creating greater awareness of the socio-political and environmental issue of illegal waste dumping practices. The innovation lies in the way they have used the Global Alert app to bring people together, mobilizing a diverse range of people to take action.
As an IDRP student, I hoped that my involvement would create added value for my host organization, Gili Eco Trust. This has been such a formative experience for me, and I was able to use this experience to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the concept of progressive contextualization. I was thrilled to hear that the developer of the Global Alert App travelled to Gili Trawangan, to meet with Gili Eco Trust and learn more about the situation. During this time, he ran workshops and informational sessions in the community. I am forever grateful to have been a part of this process and I hope to return back to Gili Trawangan someday soon.
Guevara, J 2012, ‘Progressive contextualisation: Developing a popular environmental education curriculum in the Philippines’ in Peter Westoby and Lynda Shevellar (ed.) Learning and Mobilising for Community Development: A radical tradition of community-based education and training, Ashgate Publishing, Surrey, England, pp. 177-190.
It is the end of Week 3 here and things just keep getting busier. I have just finalized one component of my Global Alert Project and am well on the way to completing the other parts. The aim is to have all components completed by mid-next week, to allow myself a few days to hand over my project and conduct final discussions with my project mentors.
In this midst of all this crazy ‘wind down period’, each of the ACICIS interns were required to conduct a debriefing session with our program academic mentor. This session was designed as a quick catch up, to see how things have been going and reflect on our learning experiences so far.
It was during this session realized how much my hyper focused mentality could obscure potential learning opportunities. Initially, I was shocked to discover my experience had been contradictory to that of other another intern. Using my weekly journal for ACICIS to work through this experience, I have asked myself the following questions;
Throughout the Master of ID, we are taught the value of developing skills in critical reflexivity. Brookfield’s (1998) framework for critical reflection provides an effective means for helping me to step outside myself to examine my own practice and assumptions in an objective manner. I have been so focused on my own personal and professional growth as a result of this program, that I had temporarily lost sight of what I could learn from the other ACICIS interns and their experiences so far. This was also an important reminder for me, of my tendency to focus on the positive. I recognize that this is a significant personal blind spot that I must continue to work on. Moving forward, it is critical that I am able to engage with all experiences, both negative and positive, with a view to learn and grow from them.
Brookfield, S., 1998. Critically Reflective Practice. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 18(4), pp. 197-205.
The first two weeks have gone by in a blur, each day filled to the brim with new experiences, challenges and opportunities to learn. From the very beginning it was clear that this would be different from the typical 9-5 office-based internship. While time is spent in the office reading organizational material or conducting administrative tasks, a great deal more is spent outside working in the community. Guided by our organizational mentors, our learning experiences often come about in a shared process of discovery. As an example, we learned about the true impact of rapid uncontrolled tourism development and the challenges associated with solid waste management as a result of the RE-Cycle tours around the island.
During my time here so far, I have worked hard to learn the ropes, find my way around the island and get a handle on my personal project. After asking a million questions and getting lost more times than I care to admit, I feel like I am starting to settle in and find my place. I have gotten to this point relatively unscathed (barring a few mosquito bites and sunburn), thanks to the ongoing support from those around me.
Around half of my working hours have been dedicated to group activities, working collectively with Eco Warriors from around the world. Each morning begins with either helping out at Bank Sampah (Gili Trawangan’s recycling facility), sorting plastic bottles for recycling or conducting a group beach/land-based clean. We were also each responsible for helping out at the Eco Shop and for collecting data for the Anchor Watch Project.
As for my personal project, I have been tasked with developing a report for Gili Eco Trust, detailing my use of the Global Alert App. Developed by Ocean Recovery Alliance, Global Alert is an online collaborative tool that was designed to bring attention to the growing issue of waste accumulation in oceans and waterways around the world. Gili Eco Trust have used this App as a mechanism to report ‘trash hotspots’ in and around the island, highlighting sites where illegal waste dumping and burning practices are taking place.
This project differs from the original information provided to me when I had first been accepted by the host organization. It was during a group meeting on our first day, that I was given a choice between two projects. I chose to work on the Global Alert Project, as it aligned more closely with my interests and objectives as part of my IDRP. I was motivated by the opportunity to learn more about waste management and the emergence of multi-stakeholder partnerships in environmental governance.
To be honest, I was initially concerned about my ability to effectively contribute to this project. I have never worked on a technological project like this before and it has proved to be a bit of a learning curve. So far, it has been a very involved process. This has included me asking many, many questions, a lot of trial and error, problem solving, many km’s spent cycling around the island visiting ‘trash hotspots’ and sheer perseverance. My experience so far has brought home the nature work in grassroots environmentalism. It is essential as a development practitioner that I am flexible and understanding of the needs of the community and organisation that I am engaged with. At the same time, going out of my comfort zone has proved to be a rewarding experience.
When I first started the Master of International Development a few years back, I could never have anticipated just how much my life would change, both professionally and personally. There have been many points throughout my studies, where I have experienced doubt and uncertainty. Coming from a background in Business (Marketing major), I was quickly overwhelmed by a concern of not being able to find my place in development. When I expressed this concern, I received a piece of advice that has broadened my understanding of development and helped guide me to a place where I am prepared to undertake the IDRP. The advice centred around the practice of critical reflection. In reviewing my previous academic and professional experiences, I began to search for projects or placements in development that would enable to draw upon my previous skills and knowledge.
Throughout my studies I became aware of a professional development program run by the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies Practicum, known as ACICIS. Based in Yogyakarta, the first two weeks of the ACICIS program begins with seminars at Sanata Dharma University and an intensive language study component. The final four weeks involve an industry placement at a development organization in Indonesia. I was motivated by the potential opportunity to explore my interests in environmental management and the valuable learning experience gained through this immersive experience. I submitted my application in August 2019 (second round) and received confirmation of my acceptance in early October. It’s been a whirlwind of a journey since then.
On November 1st, I received the exciting news that I had secured my final IDRP placement at Gili Eco Trust. This community-based organization was founded in 2000, with a mandate to support the protection and rehabilitation of the Gili islands coral reef system. Since their inception, they have expanded their operational focus to support the implementation of land-based projects. For my final industry placement, I will be engaged in the local community, contributing to the organization’s Eco Rangers Program. This project was designed to promote sustainable business and tourist practices on Gili Trawangan, with the aim of addressing the overwhelming issue of solid waste on the island.
In preparation for this upcoming placement, I have reflected on my position and the learning experiences that I hope to gain as a result of my time at Gili Eco Trust. As an introspective person, I welcomed this chance to gain greater self-awareness. I have always set high personal standards in everything I do. This drives my need to gain as much knowledge as I can before making a decision, but it can also be a source of stress and anxiety. However, in development practice, uncertainty is inevitable. I will try to remain mindful that things may not always go to plan or how I expect. It is important that I progressively adapt and adjust my outlook and practice as needed. I look forward to sharing my professional and personal learning experiences with you all throughout my industry placement.
Jocelyn Quinn