Project Week: “A perfect learning opportunity”
Our student Garima from Nepal participated in her first Project Week (PW) at RBC this October. As a non-swimmer, she challenged herself by joining the local “Learn to Swim” Project Week, which was initiated for the first time at RBC and allowed 10 students to learn the basics of swimming. In the following, she reflects on her first PW experience.
Life at UWC RBC isn’t just restricted to the Kartause, the student houses or the garden; it extends beyond the confines of this safe environment in order for us to fully come to terms with responsibility and adulthood. At RBC, one of the ways this is done is through project weeks. Once every term, both first- and second-years take a week to travel together, around the Freiburg region and across Europe to carry out a project. Our projects must fulfill the school’s requirements by either being a creativity, a service, an outdoor or physical activity, and at least one of your project weeks must be regional. The challenge? We are confined to a modest budget, meet unpredictable obstacles and must yet persevere through it.
My first project week was based not far from the campus; we stayed just 2 kms away from College. I, along with 9 other students who identified as swimming beginners, was placed in the ‘Learn How to Swim’ team. Our objective was to acquire the basics of swimming by the end of the week. We stayed in an accommodation 30 minutes away from the sports centre where we were taking the courses. Every day, we attended 1-3 hours of the swimming lessons, accompanied by an instructor. Apart from the swimming lessons, we cooked dinners together and socialised whenever the physical exhaustion allowed us to.
The project week wasn’t devoid of challenges; it was monotonous and tiring in many instances. We faced challenges while communicating amongst ourselves, managing the budget or just simple tasks like grocery shopping. However, the light at the end of the tunnel were rewarding moments like learning how to float confidently after days of trying, helping each other in the kitchen, and taking evening walks to the sports centre together. Being completely on my own without the supervision of adults for the first time compelled me to place more trust upon my peers, and ultimately upon myself. The project week was far from perfection, but it is precisely why it makes it the perfect learning opportunity.
