Doñana Trip
During the weekend of the 23rd of February, IE students from both campuses and different programs, undergraduates and masters, took part in a trip to Sevilla whose aim was to help Doñana’s reforestation program.
The group departed at 3 pm from Atocha Station, where all the students met and began to get to know each other as they rode the train. After arriving in Sevilla, they were given a city tour before departing to El Rocío, a small city close to Doñana National Park, where they spent the night in order to be better prepared for the next day.
The following morning, the donation by the IE Foundation took place: the students held the cheque with the money (see above) primarily collected from the Print-on-Demand course pack that students are given the opportunity to purchase every beginning of semester, which includes all the subsequent readings.
Immediately after, they left for the Doñana Park, where the #IEReforestAction program took place. They had approximately 2 hours to plant 200 native species such as Cork Oaks, Olive, Lentisco, Myrtle, and Rosemary, all with diligent guidance and even the involvement of WWF (World Wildlife Fund).
The purpose behind the project was not only to help nature, but also to diminish the effects of man's actions who, years ago, decided to remove almost all of the native vegetation in favour of other, more lucrative plant life. In doing so, students not only rescued our Earth's legacy, but also contributed to a partnership that IE first established in 2013.
All this hard work came with additional benefits; before returning, all the students were taken to the beach where they could relax and enjoy the cold Wintry waters. That was their last taste of the region before their long return journey home.
Since the beginning of the project, 22 hectares of wild life have been successfully reforested.
“It was an amazing experience where I got to bond with all people from all degrees and levels of IE, and get back to mother nature and explore a city that I loved,” says Daniela Cunningham, a 2nd year Communications Student from Segovia. She was one of the lucky 30 students who got to sign up for the free trip posted on Campus Groups.
“The Doñana trip in one word was refreshing. Personally, I signed up for the trip because I had heard so much about Doñana and Seville, it was hard to let this opportunity slide. […] Being at IE, I think we sometimes forget that there is more to the world than businesses, corporations and money. The trip taught us about the need for businesses etc. to take social responsibility. The beauty of Doñana, like much of the planet, is being destroyed due to irresponsible treatment of nature. At Doñana we planted over 200 trees, and though it was a small contribution, it helped us feel as though we were part of something bigger,” said Parishma Shrestha, a third year LLBBIR student in Segovia.
Registration to the Doñana trip opened at 5 pm on the 30th of January, with the event being advertised through university e-mail. The student response was overwhelming, as the thirty spots were filled in less than thirty seconds. Even though demand for this particular trip was high, many students claimed to be unaware of it, which stresses the importance of checking university media to improve engagement and take advantage of this sort of opportunities.
The success of the Doñana trip seems to show that IE students have a high level of awareness and social responsibility, and the university will be happy to keep organizing trips and projects of this nature as long as student engagement proves to enable it.
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