LOUIS LACOUR ⎮Student Involvement

This chapter showcases that as a new student in Green School in my sophomore year, the best way of being integrated was to get involve in many roles possible in the community. From being a part of GSSA, to being an MC in WOAH Festival, or becoming a delegate for Yale MUN, I have been invovled in many in and out of school events.

Astungkara Way is a company that is trying to make regenerative farming more prominent in Bali. They believe in restoring the harmony between nature and humans. As a part of that mission, they also installed solar panels a few years ago to be powered by renewable energy. However, with time, and no maintenance, the system stopped working. So for my internship, my sole mission was to get this system up and running again. 

I began by figuring out what was working and what was not. (See video below) I tested the batteries to see if they still had a charge and checked continuity in the system. 

As of writing this (oct 9, 2024) I have not yet finished the solar project but do intend to continue my work with astungkara way and hopefully get their operation back onto renewable energy. Overall, I've enjoyed my time with them and have had a lot of personal and professional growth from this internship. 

I started with exploring the documentary form and honing my critical analysis skills in the process. I have looked at ways of layering my analysis so that it flows and builds in complexity rather than stopping at simplicity. Then I was tasked with going out into Bali and finding a story to tell; one that had an educational richness that would allow the viewers’ worldview to develop and grow as well as tell a powerful story. My documentary has been part of a screening during the Documentray Film Festival.

During my time in Bali, being so close to the ocean, I was given the opportunity to learn about the fascinating world of coral. They are vital indicator species on the health of our entire planet eventhough they cover less than 1% of the earth. For two months I helped propagate and maintain the coral by developing very elaborate nurseries for the polyps to grow.  Over the course of the project, I learned so much about how important these animals are to life and out of water.

I attended my first Model United Nations Conference in 2022. This extracurricular that sets up a mock conference for students to be put in a situation to role play what it's like to be a UN delegate. It was a chance for me to learn more about global politics, diplomacy and academic debating. I was assigned to act as the representative delegate of Ukraine in the United Nations committee.

The service components were the following:

• Planting Mangroves in the conservation area,

• Campaign to the local communities for No single Use Plastic,

• Build a surf shack for the locals (designed, pre-cut bamboo was made prior to the trip), build a rescue tower

• Teaching the locals how to swim and be safe in the water

• Training the locals how to become rescuers themselves

• Organizing a beach clean up

• Activities and projects designed and led by students for the local community. 

Foundation Bahasa Indonesian and First Aid Surf Rescue were required to participate.

The GSSA is a group of students, whose mission is to inform, inspire, and energize student participation in a manner that sustains the health and vitality of Green School and its community.

In working towards this mission, the GSSA recognizes that a foundation of open communication between the student community and the educators and the school governance committee (GSEC), is key to collaboration and successful outcomes.