And so, the journey led me to Green School in Bali where I studied for 2 years in a school where all subjects are taught through a sustainability lens. The experience of living in a developing economy and going to a school focused on solutions really inspired me.  I saw firsthand the devastating effects of pollution, plastic waste and floods resulting from a rapidly changing climate and the effect on people’s lives.  Learning the Indonesian language at school really helped also as I was able to speak to people and learn about their lives.  

Green School is very focused on project-based learning.  The middle school graduation project takes about a year and is community-based.  I loved the experience of doing my QUEST project. I started by addressing the problem that most Indonesian children cannot swim. On an island surrounded by water and full of open irrigation systems for padi fields, this is a problem.  There are many hotels and private club pools in Bali but very few public pools for lessons. I had been part of a swim club in Ireland and in Bali, I began by teaching children from an orphanage near where I lived and developed this into a program called Swim4Survival by joining up with a local NGO called Swimdo.   

I raised money through the sea swimming community in Ireland and the swim4survival program is still running today, with over 600 graduates. Plastic pollution is a big issue in Bali and through the swim program we were able to include teaching about plastic waste.  If you like, here is my video presentation from the time.