GIN - Final meeting and movie

On April 24^th we had our last GIN meeting and the Jane Goodall movie. In our meeting we reviewed what we had accomplished throughout the year, the challenges we faced, and the ideas that we had for the coming school year. We then had a small pizza party, finishing up by setting up the room for the movie.

The Jane Goodall movie, in my view, was a success! A lot more people showed up than I thought, and the audience all seemed very passionate about animal rights and the apes. Mr Cress talked before the movie began, speaking about the plight of the great apes and his work to save them. I thought that Mr Cress was a very strong speaker, and I remember that he was one of the people who originally made me so passionate about animal rights. I recall listening to him speak on career day a few years ago and being utterly enraptured in his work. I really want to do something similar to him in the future.

 

We then proceeded to watch the movie itself. It was just as incredible as I’d hoped – they had taken real footage from the jungle but then added a voiceover that transformed it into a humorous story. It was amazing to see how the abandoned ape was adopted by the dominant male of the group. I loved how he tried to crack nuts open with rocks, and how he lay on the back of his mother. The apes are so human and it was fascinating to watch them interact with each other. I think the movie taught us all just how similar we are to these amazing animals, therefore prompting us to take further steps to ensure that they are protected. I don’t understand how anyone could harm a great ape, or any other animal for that matter, it is the most cowardly act to target someone who has no voice.

I felt that our biggest accomplishments were the GIN talks – these talks were inspirational and were available to the public. I also really enjoyed our day with the Golden Hearts group. I hadn’t really gotten the chance to interact with another GIN-type group before, especially not one made up of local Kenyan students.

I think that we took pretty large steps as a group this year, but we did face a few problems. I think our main issue was the fact that the GIN talks weren’t very well publicized and planned, and that we didn’t get to go on a rhino walk or do many other events. I hope that next year we’re able to involve the community more and can connect more as a group. Doing teamwork activities would help us considerably, especially considering just how large the club is. I also know that a lot of students disliked the fact that our meetings had to be after school, especially considering the fact that they were extremely short.

Next year I feel that the club should work on carrying out more service events, as opposed to merely planning them, and unifying the group members (creating a greater sense of community and passion).

I really enjoyed being in GIN this year, I had always heard about it before and been interested in joining, but I’d never got round to it. I think that the club is very ambitious in its scope (it targets an unbelievable amount of issues), and it has so much potential. I feel like I’ve become more comfortable voicing my opinions and debating since I joined GIN, and I really hope that I can go on the trip next year.