Date: 15th September 2018
“25th June; the first meeting of #generationIB. We met at school around 10 AM and saw our team members for the first time. We had all been called individually by our facilitators a few days ago, and were asked to ensure our presence for the meeting. The call was brief so we all had no clue about #generationIB and what we were up against. Upon arrival at school, we were greeted by our facilitators, Ma’am Sabahat K. Taatari, Ma’am Aruj Khaliq, Sir Umar Farooq, Ma’am Aimen Shahid, and Ma’am Saima Anjum. We sat down in the fancy meeting room, and could not resist to think that it all felt like a secret rendezvous where we had all been called for an urgent mission. After the introduction, our facilitators presented to us the idea behind #generationIB and what it stood for. After coming to know that #generationIB aimed at young IB learners and encouraged them to ponder and propose solutions to the greatest issues of today, we all became very much inquisitive and excited even. It felt so great to know that we had been provided with this astounding opportunity to create an impact in our society and thus acknowledged it without a second thought. That was the beginning of an epic adventure. One filled with hardships and success, great friendship and a little stress.
Since the first meeting, the big question was to choose a theme and a project. It was difficult and confusing as we kept twitching from one theme to another, considered one idea but then loved the other. In the beginning we had almost finalized the theme of Education and Literacy, but then after a thought-provoking discussion we realized the one big issue that was the result of our everyday activities and domestic chores, one which seemed to be highly relatable to everyone, yet was not recognized: inefficient garbage disposal causing plastic pollution. After realizing this issue, we finally chose to work under the theme of Environment and Humanity because litter and plastic pollution was a problem that we had all witnessed. On the streets, in landfills, in public parks, you name it. We had all seen garbage littered everywhere, and the worst part, nobody dared to take a step towards changing it. To be completely honest, even we were affected by the same contagious pessimism in the beginning, thinking that we won’t be able to make a difference. But our enthusiastic ideas, continued determination, and the zeal to bring a change cut through and made us see the silver lining.
It was a tough choice to make, but we finally chose to lay the foundation of an astounding adventure: Pro-Cycle. We went around town, held surveys, and created awareness about the inefficient disposal of garbage and encouraged people to sort out and recycle. We also convinced both domestic and commercial buyers to opt for biodegradable bags instead of conventional plastic ones. It was difficult in the beginning, but as we started to plan and research, everything started to settle into place. We met up through collaboration almost every week and reflected on the tasks we had ticked off as well as planned the things that came next in line. Slowly and steadily, we managed to tick off all the boxes that were on the list towards making Pro-Cycle an ever-impactful ripple effect in our vicinity.
The amount of friendship grew within the team as well, and soon the things we did together not only made us feel a sense of accomplishment but also turned into wonderful memories that were to be kept and cherished. It was frustrating at points and we seemed to be lost as we didn’t know where to head next. But in those moments our facilitators stepped up and were always there to guide us and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their support as they always rejuvenated our dulled spirits. This journey shaped us into reflective, caring, communicative, risk taking and principled members of our society. It brought us a chance to inquire and think about the solutions for the problems clouding our community and we are grateful to IB and AIC for this astounding opportunity to improve ourselves and our surroundings.
It wasn’t there at first but after a long while, we finally started to see the fruit of our efforts and we couldn’t have been more proud. The support we gained and the people we impacted will continue to further through Pro-Cycle and us. It is because we believe that you have to be the change you want to see in this world!”
Environmentally Yours,
Team Pro-Cycle
( Fizaa Naveed, Mahnoor Shahid, Shahmeer Shahid, Ali Zar, Ahmed Jamil, Rahima Naveed and Minahil Alvi)
PRO-Cycle 