WWF ECO Internship.

Working for the WWF was something I have always wished for. My first introduction with WWF was during the school days when we had these ‘Spellathon’ tests. The amount of marks we scored from hundred was the amount of money we had to pay to preserve the dying species around the world. Thanks to the ECO internship offer I was able to not only refresh those memories but also to learn a lot.

The internship lasted five days and its main focus was environment and the steps we can take to make it better. I was able to learn a lot during this time which I’m sure will help me not only to become a better citizen but guide others as well. Here is a brief summary of what I learnt from this internship.

First day of the internship started with the introduction of internees and WWF itself, its mission and how does it play a role in preserving the environment. I had always thought WWF was all about animals but today I got to know about its wider role. We were also told ways on how can we help in preserving it, what are the small things that we can do at individual level. Like we can grow more trees, how can we preserve them and how can we use alternatives of paper. We also had an activity in which we learnt that all the problems are interlinked and if we solve one problem we can pave way towards the solution of other problems.

One the second day we were lectured on significance of wet lands in change of climate. I got to know how wetlands help in the regulation of river flow, how can they filter pollutants and help with fertilizing. We also were lectured that they are spawning zones for marine life. The best thing about wetlands was that they act as a drinking place for all the animals, trees, birds and humans together. We were also explained a case study on Indus delta. We also had an activity in which we were asked to name 10 people with on another planet and it was interesting to share my views and get to know about the views of others.

On the third day were given the guidelines on how to be a nature photographer. We were also given tips on how to take pictures according to the rule of thirst. We were also told about the concept of explaining pictures on how to find the story hidden in a picture on how to decrypt the meaning behind a still image. The most interesting part of this day was the Eco Magazine. We were asked to compile a magazine which should contain all the varieties of wild life. This magazine will be published and presented to our department administration later.

On the fourth day we learnt about the environmental management system. This is actually a framework of practices and procedures that enables an organization to execute the operations according to the correct environmental manners. We were also told that there are many organizations that do not follow the EMS which leads to the increase in pollution. Most of the big companies though, do follow the system and are ISO certified.  There was an group activity session as well known as “ untie the human knot “ which concentrated on the leadership skills, teamwork and communication skills that appear automatically because no one asked them to choose a leader.

On the last and final day of the internship we had different sessions. First one was the CV building skills. We were guided on how to present an efficient CV, cover letters and etc. The next one emphasized on the interview skills. We were told what the Do’s are and Don’ts while we are being interviewed. The most interesting part was the “paper making activity” in which we made proper paper sheets with the left over and thrown away papers (recycling).

The last part was the Exposure Trip. It was actually a camping sight where we were told how to set up a camp, which things to keep in your camp bag, introduced and worked out the GPS devices and how to read the different parameters. Other survival techniques were also told. The very last activity was setting up and folding a camp between different groups in which we won the second position and GPS activity was also fun in which we had to find the points marked on GPS.

All in all it was a wonderful learning curve; I was able to learn a lot about my surroundings, the environment, the steps we can take to make it better for humans to live. It also helped me become a better citizen and I’m sure my learning will benefit others as well. I hope I’ll get more opportunities like this and to be a part of WWF once again in the future.