By: I Gede Sudarma, Youth EMpowerment Program Coordinator
Friday, 3 May was a memorable day for 104 EBPP junior and senior high school students and 10 teachers when they excitedly embarked from EBPP Ban office on a field trip to Bedugul Botanical Gardens and Ulun Danu Beratan Temple to learn about plant diversity and its relation to their lives, as well as to elect the new OSIS (Student Council) Leader for 2024/2025.
Starting at Bedugul Botanical Garden, located at Candi Kuning in Tabanan Regency, the students had the opportunity to learn directly about the biodiversity of 21,658 plant species in this 157.5-hectare conservation garden on the Bali Cultural tour, and to explore the plants which are used for daily Balinese offerings and traditional herbal/medicinal plants. These plants are very important to our students as they use them regularly in their ceremonies at home.
They also learnt close-up about various species of cacti, orchids, ficus (banyan), ferns, and native woody plants and epiphytes. Adopting the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, the trip aimed not only to introduce various plant species but also to teach people to live in harmony in the life cycle of people, nature, and the Almighty.
“I was so happy to join the trip because I could learn about new plants that I had never seen before like the fern, snow fir tree, cacti, and Panca Yadnya plants,” said Darmaji student Lisa, excitedly.
After this, we held the new OSIS leader election for the period 2024/2025, when each student and teacher voted, under the shade of a giant tree. After an anxious wait, Sutami, a grade 10 student from Manikaji School, won the election and officially became the new leader.
The last destination was Pura Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, where the students prayed together and took group photos to conclude the day. It was an unforgettable day, and full of smiles, they went home singing along together on the bus.
