Reflections

Provide a short reflection written in “your” voice regarding each of the experiences. How did the experience (movie & field trip) IMPACT you? What did you learn? What amazed you?

• • Chasing Coral: I found this documentary about coral to be really informative. It opened my eyes to how serious coral bleaching is and the negative effects it has on the entire world. I learned that coral bleaching has been caused by just a few degrees change in ocean temperature. I was really surprised to learn that 30% of the great barrier reef’s coral was lost in 2016. One thing that really impacted me was seeing the time lapse of the coral bleaching. It was really sad to see the colorful ecosystems die.

  • Malama Honu: This field trip was the first time I have ever gotten to touch a turtle. It was really cool to get to assist in the measurement and tagging of the turtles, and it was nice to see a successful conservation project and gave me a sense of the kind of field work I could be doing for my senior project. I was amazed to learn how greatly the program increases the survival rates of the turtles.

Investigating the projects…

2. 1. What mission (or goal) does each project have (Chasing Coral movie’s mission and Malama Honu’s mission)?

      • Chasing Coral: The mission of the documentary was to show people what happens overtime during coral bleaching. It is hard for people to even identify the problem, let alone want to make a difference, when they cannot see what is happening.

      • Malama Honu: The mission of the Malama Honu program is to help increase survival rates of green sea turtles when they are released into the wild.

   2. What is the “need” that this mission is meeting?

      • Chasing Coral: This mission is meeting the need to save all the coral in the world from dying, and essentially saving the entire earth. If we lose our coral, it will not only affect the many organisms that live within the coral, but humans will also be affected.

      • Malama Honu: This mission is meeting the need to save turtles from extinction. At one point, green sea turtles were nearly extinct, and now you can see them regularly all over the island.

   3. Do you feel that the organization is effectively meeting its goals (or mission)? Include evidence to support your claim.

      • Chasing Coral: I think this documentary is doing a great job of raising awareness of coral bleaching. Of course, one documentary cannot end coral bleaching, but by showing its viewers just how serious and devastating coral bleaching has been., it can help get people to make actions to help this problem.

      • Malam Honu: This program has been very successful in helping the green sea turtle population regain its footing. When sea turtles have been in the Malama Honu program, it greatly increases their chances of surviving in the wild.

Reflect on how the pitch process went, the feedback that was given, and how the feedback will/could alter you project moving forward.

• The pitch process went smoothly. It was very well organized and when we delivered out pitches to other peers, there was a very structured time frame which helped keep things on track. I was able to come up with a few ideas for my project and given many ideas as well.

• It was somewhat difficult for people to give me helpful feedback on my pitch without knowing much about turtle cleaning station, however, it did show me that no matter how I spread the research I propose I need to clarify what a turtle cleaning station is and why it is important. I was given positive feedback about the booklet I have proposed to make, and my peers also suggested that I go beyond the dive companies and try to educate people who are going shore diving as well.

• The feedback on my pitch has not altered my project idea much, however, it did give me some ideas about how to narrow down my project.