Underdog

Without inspiration, I don’t believe someone can ever truly reach his or her full potential in life. Inspiration encourages motivation, determination and hope. It shares the same word with the action of breathing in, and poets often use it as a metaphor, “without inspiration, we are not breathing” in other words, it keeps us alive, keeps us going. Even an underdog can become an Alphadog simply by finding the inspiration that drives them and motivates them despite their small size. We can all think of a person, place or thing that inspires us in our lives. For me, art, people in my life, books, and movies, are things that Im inspired by on a regular basis. When I think of a list of people that inspire me, there a few people that always come to mind such as my mother, fiancé, mentors and some of my favorite authors such as Dr. David Suzuki, and Dr. Jane Goodall.

“We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place – or not to bother.” – Jane Goodall

Dr. Goodall has been the subject of several television documentaries and is featured in the very famous film “Jane Goodall’s wild Chimpanzees (2002). Other documentaries include Jane Goodall’s Return to Gobe, Jane Goodall’s State of the Great Ape, When Animals Talk, Jane Goodall’s Heroes, and Almost Human. She’s also an author of her best-Selling Autobiography, Reason for Hope, and several other books that can be found on her website: http://www.janegoodall.org/

She also established the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977. The Institute supports the continuing research at Hombe and is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their natural habitats. It’s also wildly recognized for establishing innovative community centered on conservation and development programs in Africa. Her list of achievements never seems to end! One of her latest projects was the creation of Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian youth program that has nearly 150,000 members in 110 countries.

The name comes from her vision for the international organization:

“ Roots creep underground everywhere and make a firm foundation. Shoots seem very weak, but to reach the light they can break open brick walls. Imagine that the Brick walls are all of the problems we have inflicted on the Planet. Hundreds and thousands of roots and shoots, hundreds and thousands of young people around the world, can break through these walls. You can change the world.” -Jane Goodall http://www.rootsandshoots.org/   

This blogpost will be a little bit different than the others because I will be interviewing my supervisor, Tania Rios. This week, she returned from Panama, after attending a 7 day conference where she got to meet Jane Goodall in person. I was so excited when she told me that she had received and invitation for the first annual Roots & Shoots conference a few weeks ago. The goal of the Roots and Shoots organization is to connect the human community with the environment and wildlife.  The Latin American and the Caribbean Rainforest leadership conference for Jane Goodalls R&S organization was held on November 6^th -13^th 2011. It was in Mamoní Valley Nature Reserve in Panama, an area so secluded, you have to drive through a shallow river to arrive there. 

Since it was the first conference in History, I don’t imagine many people know much about what it consists of. My goal with this interview was to provide everyone with information, while feeding my own curiousity to learn went down in Panama during the conference.

Tania Interview:

Tania Rios

How did Pro-Bosque get an invitation to the conference?

Eric Horsteman, the executive director of the Pro-Bosque Foundation, was at a wilderness conference in Mexico 2 years ago, Jane Goodall was there too. She gave a great keynote speech, alongside some other great people such as marine biologist, Sylvia Earl Cholos (record for going the deepest in a man submarine). He felt that hearing their experiences and passion for ecology was amazing and inspiring. 

Rick Asselta, the coordinator of the Roots and Shoots program in Mexico, simply said: “Let’s do more in Ecuador” after an informative conversation between Eric and him. Mr. Horstman instantly agreed, and they have been in contact ever since. It´s amazing how much a simple conversation can lead too, networking can work wonders. (I know I’ve said this already..but its true)

What kind of things did they do?

There were many activities for each representative to introduce him or herself and speak a little bit about their country. They had participants from Bolivia, Grenada, Haiti, Mexico/California, Argentina, Belize, Ecuador (Tania) and many more countries.



Tania presenting the Foundation



 "I was very nervous, I'd already seen most of the other presentations at this point, and they made our small little conservation area seem even SMALLER! ..."

Questions

 They went on several hikes, and did nature connection exercises in order to connect to their natural setting and open up their minds. They also had a few (brief ceremonies with the indigenous people that were present from the rainforest, with song and poem at various locations.) The first nature ceremony was done at the falls.

Here, they were encouraged to listen to nature while meditating, and breathing it all in.

They also went through a series of workshops, where they learned about ways to engage youth effectively, by creating opportunities for them to fall in love with nature. How to monitor and evaluate their success rate, and other interesting techniques to get to know your local communities wants and needs. They were recommended several different activities and campaigns that can help, and give resources for materials as well.

They also learned how to engage a diversity of shareholders within their organizations. ¨This part was particularly important to me because Pro-Bosque could do so much more if only they had enough funding and materials.¨

They camped during the duration of the trip, and Jane Goodall stayed in a tent with them too. 

"The tents were provided, they were comfortable, and we were under a hut because of the perpetual rainy weather." 

They had many other social, educational and development activities as well such as: several tours around the Mamoni Valley Preserve where they got familiar with several native plants and animal species. 

Brown Throated three toed Sloths

What is Jane Goodall like in person?:

With a big smile on her face, Tania replied, ¨Jane Goodall is amazing, inspiring, passionate. . . she constantly gave me goosebumps with the things that she said. When she spoke, everyone listened because everything she says is so meaningful, and deep. The way that she sees things is absolutely incredible. It sounds like I’m exaggerating, but I’m not, that's the best part. I love the fact that she doesn´t get scientific, she just talks about her experiences, and you never feel inadequate speaking to her.¨

Jane Goodall loves sharing her experiences through personal stories; she says they inspire her, and others. I was a bit nervous about this part, but she has a way of making you feel comfortable. At night we often sat around a fire, and had focus circles, where everyone shared experiences and talked for hours. ¨

Most memorable moment for you?

¨On the very last day there was a play about Jane Goodall, as well as a Biodiverstiy concert. This concert was also part of a celebration festival for Biodiversity that was open to the public. I loved the atmosphere; we were in a theatre with no walls or ceilings, just a stage. Since we were right outside and could hear all of the nature sounds, it was extraordinary! We also watched an hour long Documentary on Jane Goodall, and that was followed by a thank you concert, and a jam session, where everyone was invited up on stage to dance. We were then all thanked for being there and for being the hope of the planet. It was so much fun, and I’ll never forget that moment.¨

Any final words?

“Everything was absolutely perfect Cassie! The reserve and the rainforest were absolutely beautiful. It was so well done, we arrived when it was intact, and left it intact. The building we ate at and had many workshops at as well was made with dead wood (Wood that was already dead, not freshly cut for building purposes). The energy in the building was powered by water pumps from the river, and solar power. There was no waste produced, that was inorganic. 

“I will never forget this experience and the friends that I´ve made in the process. I hope to return the preserved rainforest of Mamoní of Panama, because it was just amazing.”

She then thanked me for being interested in her experience, and for deciding to feature her in my blog, as she handed me a postcard. She needed my help translating it into Spanish, it had a short note from Jane Goodall that said "Keep dreaming big Tania" on the front and the following message on the back:

"Dear Tania,  

I am so glad to have met you at our gathering in Panama. As I said (I think) I was in Ecuador a few years ago. . . I flew over miles and miles of forest with no roads… I heard about the struggle of the indigenous tribes. I want to help you as you grow Roots and Shoots in your amazing forest. I also want to thank you for the fact that I now feel more connected to your country. You have taught me things I didn’t know, and sparked my interest in Ecuador. Looking forward to working with you. Love Jane"

The next Roots and Shoots conference for Latin America and Carribean countries will be held in 2 years, and guess where? ........In ECUADOR! in her message, Dr. Goodall mentioned working with Tania in the future referring to the next conference. Pro-Bosque was most definitely the underdog at the Conference. It was amongst organization that have existed for triple the amount of time as them, and had three times more employees, locations and funding too. Tania did not expect that AT ALL, but she did something differently than the others, she shared her dream with Jane, and that's what got her. Jane Goodall saw something in Tania, that Tania didn’t even see in herself.

One of the reasons Jane Goodall inspires me, is by making me feel strong and significant and capable of making a difference.

"Every Individual Matters.

Every individual has a role to play

Every individual can make a difference

Big or small, young or old, that part doesn’t matter."

- Jane Goodall

Tania with Certificate, and friends

A great friend Tania made at the event from Mexico

Here is a link the video from the event: http://vimeo.com/32185458 it can be found on the Roots and Shoots official website.

Tania also asked me If there is any chance I can return to Ecuador in 2 years to help her with the Roots and Shoots conference, I pinched myself, to make sure I wasn't dreaming, then I promised her I would be there if she doesn't forget me. She sweetly said “Cassie, that's impossible”. And that made my day.

 I also learned a valuable lesson from this great chain of events. . . We all feel insignificant sometimes, but we have to beleive that we are never too small. There are countless examples around us that show us "underdogs" and "little guys" making it far despite the odds. This event ALONE is hard evidence that sharing your thoughts can lead to great things. There are good people out there who are willing to help you, all you have to do is speak up. I have a few ideas in mind, and am currently working on my pitch. . . You never know right?