Question 3 (10 marks)

Scenario: Go wild, have fun and save Australias wilderness: thats the attitude at Wild Mob. Wild Mob is an Australian not-for-profit, non-political organisation focused on environmental conservation. In the words of general manager Andrew Elphingstone, Our mission is to protect Australias most threatened species and ecosystems and we do this by getting out there and getting our hands dirty. The organisations core focus on conservation is reflected in its cultural focus on the four Cs:

ConservationOur work is saving over 90 threatened species.

CultureGains made will only ever be short term unless we respect the culture within which changes are being made.

CommunityWere all about collaboration because no-one can save the world alone.

CommerceLiving is better when the air is cleaner. We make sure that our conservation efforts improve local economies.

Wild Mobs conservation activities include habitat restoration, pest and weed eradication, and rebuilding the populations of key species. Groups of volunteers led by Wild Mob project leaders work on environmental conservation projects in remote and iconic Australian destinations such as Brampton Island and Stradbroke Island in Queensland, the Arthur River and Maria Island in Tasmania, and Norfolk Island in the Pacific Ocean. Projects are typically a week long and involve groups of up to ten volunteers travelling to the site to camp, completing conservation activities and learning about Australias native flora and fauna. Wild Mob describes its project as the middle ground between volunteering work and adventure getaways because the organisation believes in balancing environmental management work with fun and learning.

Wild Mob works with a range of volunteers, including school and university students, international tourists, and even a board of directors who completed a Wild Mob project as a team-building exercise. Managing a group of volunteers and getting them to work together can be challenging for project leaders, especially when working with people who are new to the Australian landscape and each other. Project leaders first guide each group of volunteers through the forming stage of group development by defining the groups assignment and training them to complete their tasks. During the storming and norming stage, volunteers learn about each other, their task and the environment in which they are working. During the performing stage they work together to execute conservation activities. When their assignment is finished they enter the adjourning stage, removing waste, packing up their camp and disbanding the group.

The groups may not work together for long but that doesnt stop them having some powerful learning experiences about waste, pollution and environmental degradation. One school group undertaking a Wild Mob project to remove rubbish from Stradbroke Island was so shocked at the amount of plastic waste polluting the beach they thought the Wild Mob team leaders had deliberately placed it on the beach just to make a point! Another group, working on Brampton Island, took only one week to collect 20 full rubbish bags of weeds and 100 kilograms of plastic waste. Wild Mobs objective is to ensure that our volunteers walk away equipped with new skills in conservation and environmental management and with memories that will last a lifetime and finds that many volunteers also develop new attitudes about reducing their own use of plastic and recycling more waste. Which is exactly what Wild Mob wants to achieve because, as chairperson Graeme Wood explains, If we have any hope of protecting Australias unique ecosystems it is vital that we deliver both the onground action to preserve these threatened habitats, as well as ensure our young people are imbued with the tools, skills and drive to look after them for future generations.

Required:

How have attitudes influenced Wild Mobs operation? How might volunteering for Wild Mob cause someone to experience cognitive dissonance in their attitudes towards recycling and conservation? How might it change their perception of conservation activities? If you were hiring people to work as Wild Mob project leaders, what sort of personality would you be looking for?

Answer this question in not more than 500 words.