Getting off the Ground

One of our favorite things about using the Journey to Freedom as the capstone of our program is that it's new. Which means that while it's safe and dependable, there are still lots of improvements that can be made. And though it's being led by a world-renown conservationist with strong ties to the area, there have still been some hassles in getting it off the ground.

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One of the biggest hindrances to conservation projects is that starting anything new is hard. Having an idea is great, and having a great idea is even better. But getting anything started takes tireless dedication. Convincing people to join you, getting them to care and see through your eyes, and getting them to take action is a huge challenge.

But if you can do it, you can do anything. This is a great lesson for people who are motivated to conserve the environment, but it's also a great lesson for anyone who wants to be a leader. If you want to change things, you have to change other people's actions, which isn't so easy. It means being a role model, an information provider, an example, an inspiration, and sometimes a nag.

Setting up the Journey to Freedom is an ongoing process. It requires the conservationists at the ENP to change the tourist mindset. Instead of wanting a photo of them riding an elephant or a picture painted by an elephant, they could have the chance to save elephants and watch their wild interactions.

It also requires changing the attitudes of the Karen tribe people. These people live on subsistence farming supplemented by a small income. So if they're earning enough to feed their family off renting an elephant to a trekking camp, why would they stop? The quest to replace this income with tourist income for watching the elephants, not riding them, has been a bumpy road.

Hearing from Lek, Pom, and the rest of the founding staff about these challenges should give you an idea of what kind of effort is really involved in making change so that you'll be prepared to do it. We can also help to improve the Journey to Freedom so that it can succeed, which will help prepare you to shape and improve your own projects in the future.