A2A Safaris - Get Involvedhttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/tags/get-involvedenCommunity News – Selinda Reserve, Botswanahttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/community-news-%E2%80%93-selinda-reserve-botswana<div class="body text-field" property="content:encoded"><p><a href="http://www.greatplainsconservation.com/bushbuzz/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Community-3.jpg" rel="shadowbox[sbpost-9463];player=img;"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-9474" alt="Community 3" src="http://www.greatplainsconservation.com/bushbuzz/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Community-3-300x225.jpg" width="460" height="345" /></a></p>
<p>June 2014 COMMUNITY OUTREACH</p>
<p>The Great Plains Conservation team took to the road this June when they visited Gudigwa primary school for their annual Conservation Ambassador Workshop. This year’s workshop deliberately focused on the subject of natural resources. It seemed an essential subject to discuss in order to create awareness of the day-to-day usage of their natural resources, and to empower the students with the capability to differentiate between renewable and non-renewable resources, and how these form part of their daily lives.<br />
The intention of the Outreach Team is to encourage these “future adults” to develop habits and skills that will allow them to make sustainable decisions in their lives, now and in the future. The weekend workshop began with an introduction of the topic, clearly defining what natural resources are, and how they affect/are affected by their immediate community. It was equally important to identify these resources within the context of the village of Gudigwa.<br />
Our young conservation ambassadors were quick to understand the relationship between their natural resources and their basic needs, in that without these resources, our basic needs for water, food, shelter and air, would not be met.<br />
The distinction between renewable and non-renewable resources had to be emphasized, as they both determine the future of their environment, as well as their own lives and those of future generations.<br />
Our ambassadors had never made the distinction between renewable and non-renewable resources and thus were unaware that the impact of rapidly reducing these resources would have a devastating impact on their and their children’s future.<br />
Our lessons on renewable and non-renewable resources consisted of identifying and describing the processes involved in making our day-to-day items such as, paper, tins and plastic. The students understood these processes and that most of the items that they use on a daily basis, derive from natural resources. The Outreach Team educated them on the fact that when it comes to non-renewable resources, we must collectively conserve them for as long as possible. This conversation led to lesson on Recycling, Reducing and Reusing waste (the 3’R) – a subject that was taught at one of our year-end camps to the ambassadors. It was important to make the connection between the 3 R’s, and the Conservation of natural resources. It was highlighted to the students that they could already be practicing these conservation exercises without even knowing. For instance, many of them re-use plastic bottles when they go to their cattle posts (cattle farms) to store milk in. Another means of conserving natural resources that was discussed is that of reducing the amounts of fire wood used in each household. The entire group agreed that it would be better to use dead trees, or those that have fallen over (pushed over by the elephants in the area when feeding), again depicting the inter-dependence of all things in the environment. A lot of time was spent making sure that all understood the issue of deforestation, as it affects them and their immediate environment. All of the households in Gudigwa, as well as the Primary School, depend on wood for fire, to cook, and to heat water for bathing, so it was essential for the students to realise the impact that they were making within this environment, and that they can make a significant change by reducing the amount of trees used.</p>
<p>Apart from the class lessons, the students conducted some field research in various areas around the school identifying renewable and non–renewable resources. The class was split into groups that conducted investigations in various areas around the school. They did a fantastic job of identifying the different resources, and describing the health of each area. The outreach team took this opportunity to discuss the recent killings of Vultures within the Gudigwa area. It was important to address the danger and impact that killing these scavengers have on the environment. Each group gave presentations on the importance of not killing these creatures, and that it has the potential of devastating their natural environment. In order to drive the message through further, the outreach team explained the devastation that the poison used could cause not only to the lives of the wild animals in their area, but also to them as people.</p>
<p>The workshop ended on a high note, with amazing positive energy from both students and teachers. The outreach team intends on continuing on their mission to enlighten the conservation ambassadors of Guidgwa Village, and to encourage them to come up with creative ways of conserving their natural resources, for themselves and future generations.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.greatplainsconservation.com/bushbuzz/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Community-2.jpg" rel="shadowbox[sbalbum-9463];player=img;" title="Community 2"><img width="150" height="129" src="http://www.greatplainsconservation.com/bushbuzz/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Community-2-150x129.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Community 2" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.greatplainsconservation.com/bushbuzz/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Community-1.jpg" rel="shadowbox[sbalbum-9463];player=img;" title="Community 1"><img width="150" height="129" src="http://www.greatplainsconservation.com/bushbuzz/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Community-1-150x129.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Community 1" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
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</div><div class="field-tags field-items"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/botswana-camps" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Botswana Camps</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/bushbuzz" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">BushBuzz</a></div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/community-submitted-news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Community Submitted News</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/get-involved" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Get Involved</a></div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/selinda-camp" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Selinda Camp</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/selinda-canoe-trails" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Selinda Canoe Trails</a></div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/selinda-explorers-camp" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Selinda Explorers Camp</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/zarafa-camp" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Zarafa Camp</a></div></div>Tue, 01 Jul 2014 14:14:06 +0000Anonymous1002 at https://www.a2asafaris.com/africahttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/community-news-%E2%80%93-selinda-reserve-botswana#commentsArt of Travel (Germany) Interview with Dereck & Beverly Jouberthttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/art-travel-germany-interview-dereck-beverly-joubert<div class="body text-field" property="content:encoded"><p>Art of Travel in Germany did a wonderful interview with Dereck & Beverly, posing some unique questions.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.greatplainsconservation.com/bushbuzz/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Joubert-interview-on-camps-and-lions.pdf">Read it</a> and learn even more about what motivates Great Plains Conservation’s founders in conservation and the safari industry.</p>
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</div><div class="field-tags field-items"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/bushbuzz" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">BushBuzz</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/conservation-updates" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Conservation Updates</a></div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/get-involved" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Get Involved</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/media-centre" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media Centre</a></div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/safari-experiences-news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Safari Experiences News</a></div></div>Wed, 26 Mar 2014 17:22:07 +0000Anonymous878 at https://www.a2asafaris.com/africahttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/art-travel-germany-interview-dereck-beverly-joubert#commentsKids Conservation Camp in Year 3 – Botswanahttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/kids-conservation-camp-year-3-%E2%80%93-botswana<div class="body text-field" property="content:encoded"><p>Koketso S Mookodi, Great Plains Conservation’s Community Liaison Officer recaps the 3rd Annual Kids Conservation Camp held in our Botswana camps in December.</p>
<p>Once again this year, Great Plains Conservation hosted its third annual Kids Conservation Camp. To follow tradition, 20 kids from Gudigwa camp were driven from their school in Gudigwa village to Great Plains’ Selinda Explorers Camp on the banks of the drying Selinda Spillway.</p>
<p>The theme of this year’s camp focused around the importance of animals in terms of the ecosystem; the help that animals provide to people, as well as their importance to the Batswana culture. The aim of this amazingly important subject was intentionally brought forward in light of Botswana’s recent hunting ban. Our Great Plains Outreach team found the opportunity and setting ideal to bring up this sometimes difficult to discuss issue. It had become apparent to the team that this year’s Kids Camp needed to stress the incredible importance of animals, as well as help the kids realize the empathy that they already have for animals.<br />
During the lessons the kids were given an opportunity to see animals from all over the world, including those in the North Pole and those swimming in the deepest oceans. In these lessons that kids were genuinely intrigued by these “strange” creatures, and for most part, desired an opportunity to see them in real life. The message given to them was that if these animals are not respected and protected, the chances of us seeing them will be nothing, and in turn there are those that have never seen animals such as elephants and lions, and have a similar desire to see them, therefore we must play our part in protecting those animals that are within our environment.</p>
<p>Among the conservation education, lessons that were taught to the kids includeddefining and explaining in detail what terms such as extinct and endangered meant to them and to the entire world. It was imperative that the kids understood what the consequences would be if most of the animals they had seen were to be endangered or even extinct. During the lessons kids were given facts about the status in populations of many of the world’s threatened animals, and challenged the kids to imagine a world without them.</p>
<p>Of course we could not have a camp without a number of exciting activities, and some of those that the kids enjoyed were, game drives. In fact the kids had a the amazing opportunity to see a pack of wild dogs, which was extremely appropriate considering the lessons that were being taught. Other activities included, making beads with magazine cuttings, nature walks, soccer, obstacle course race, as well as a scavenger hunt.</p>
<p>After three years of hosting and facilitating the Great Plains Conservation Education camps, it has become apparent that this is a program that needs to continue, and grow. Grow into other areas that are affected and in turn affect the environment that is so precious to their future. This year the Great Plains Foundation was established, with the aim to pursue more educational initiatives as well as other community based and related projects. The funds raised thought the Great Plains Foundation, will ensure that these projects continue and become sustainable thanks to Botswana’s young Conservation Ambassadors.</p>
<p>Thank you for your support,</p>
<p>Koki</p>
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</div><div class="field-tags field-items"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/botswana-camps" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Botswana Camps</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/bushbuzz" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">BushBuzz</a></div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/conservation-updates" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Conservation Updates</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/get-involved" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Get Involved</a></div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/selinda-camp" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Selinda Camp</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/selinda-canoe-trails" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Selinda Canoe Trails</a></div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/selinda-explorers-camp" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Selinda Explorers Camp</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/zarafa-camp" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Zarafa Camp</a></div></div>Thu, 09 Jan 2014 21:38:14 +0000Anonymous770 at https://www.a2asafaris.com/africahttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/kids-conservation-camp-year-3-%E2%80%93-botswana#comments