Learning by Doing / Experience by Ana
By Ana Jesus, Poverty Activist team August 2023
Hello, my name is Ana and I am going to tell you a bit about Learning by Doing.
At CICD, "Learning by Doing" does not mean just today, but it is also about the future. As a student you are part of the daily activities like cooking, cleaning, and working in the garden. So you will learn many practical and soft skills which are useful in the future, especially within community development projects.
You are about to get ready to contribute to the creation and realisation of changes in the world. Through experience, you learn how to work in a team, solve problems, and finally take on leading responsibilities. These experiences prepare you for any challenges you may encounter in the projects: educational awareness, creating a sustainable farm or organising some community event.
You will also prepare mentally and emotionally. We encourage you to take on new challenges and not be afraid to fail. This increases your resilience and adaptability, as important skills in community development where things do not always happen as planned.
At CICD, you are not merely learning for today but are preparing to go out into the world and contribute to communities.To be able to inspire others and not be afraid to face upcoming challenges with inner confidence and compassion.
It is about people getting together, being aware of the challenges, and finding ways of creating sustainable solutions. This is why at CICD we insist on taking up of real responsibility. When you are part of running the school, you learn time management, resource management, and people management. These are the same skills you will need when you leave these doors to start working in community projects.
But it is not just the skills that you are learning, it's also the mindset. At CICD, we let you to know it is okay to make mistakes. As a matter of fact, mistakes are an important part of learning. When you try anything and it does not work, you are able to analyse what happened, think creatively about how to make it better, and do it again in a different way. This is also an important part of community development, since unexpected challenges are always present. We also focus on your emotional and social preparations. Community development work may be conducted in unfamiliar environments, sometimes far from home, and often with people from different cultures and backgrounds. You practive to be articulate, understand various points of view, and work well with others. you develop empathy and cultural sensitivity, important ingredients in the building of strong supportive communities.
Additionally, there is learning about sustainable development and ethics. For example, in the organic garden you learn how to use farming methods that are sustainable and replicable in future projects, even in other parts of the world. You understand the need to take care of the environment and to ensure that hat you do is worthwhile not only for today but also for future generations.
At CICD, you get more than education - we are Another Kind of School for future change-makers.
You prepare to step out into the world with confidence to take up the challenge that community development projects may present. Equipped with practical skills, emotional resilience, and ethical awareness by the time you leave CICD, you make a positive and sustainable impact in the communities in which you serve. You strive to inspire, enable, empower others and bring change toward a better future wherever you may be.
Until next time, see you soon.
