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Help Needed! Send us some love...Ashoka Changemakers Competition

Posted February 23rd, 2008 by PhilanthropicTr...

in Arts, Civic, Education, Environment, Health, International. Tags: ashoka, Philanthropic Travel.

We invite you to participate in Ashoka's Changemakers collaborative competition through several actions.

* Nominate Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel

* Comment on Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel in the online discussion, throughout the competition, to help us refine and improve our ideas.

Exploration is at the core of human nature. For thousands of years travel has been the source of unparalleled experiences. We express the wonder of discovering places in the exchange of photography, stories, music, craft, recipes, and design. As travelers, we gain wisdom and knowledge from this cross-cultural engagement. In recent decades tourism has exploded into one of the largest, most all pervasive industries on Earth. Hundreds of millions of us now travel. When done well, tourism can alleviate poverty, educate the public, and motivate preservation and conservation of unique cultural, natural, and historic resources. But when done poorly, tourism may destroy environmental and cultural distinctiveness, perpetuate great disparities in wealth, and educate few.

Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel answers to entry questions:

What is the goal of your innovation?
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide connects people at the Heart. Collaboration Creates Prosperity.

How does your approach support or embody geotourism?
The Exquisite Safaris philanthropic travel mission integrates a guided visit to a humanitarian outreach project into every private, luxury, epicurean experience we create. These personal introductions create authentic cross cultural friendships that generate trust, respect, and generous donations funding philanthropic travel projects worldwide.

Describe your approach in detail. How is it innovative?
"There are times when we share with others a special, fully interconnected consciousness. When great music thrills us, or we are mutually inspired by an awesome sunset, or when we fall in love, we are transported temporarily into a shared world which is remarkable. This state of true intermingling is rare, for most of us, but it is experiential, and that means we know it for what it is; we feel it immediately as real and filled with meaning. When such an experience is past and we return to our normal, separated perceptions, the experience becomes a vulnerable memory, and our educated personality may reject the consciousness that knew this deeper connection. Yet, the suspicion remains that there is something of mind that is not just inside our heads. We feel interconnected with each other and the world in a profound and important way. We know at some level that we are not isolated, but interdependent, so that a subtle energy of mine can reach out and mingle with yours, allowing us to share a heart to heart connection." Exquisite Safaris is a pioneer in Philanthropic Travel -our mission is to include philanthropic intent, inspiration, education & empowerment into every luxury experience we create. We believe philanthropic travel should enlighten and enrich both traveler and host, while serving as a bridge over which passes friendship, peace, ancient wisdom and respect.

What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?
"Ultimately conservation is about people. If you don't have sustainable development around these (wildlife) parks, then people will have no interest in them, and the parks will not survive." -Nelson Mandela
1. Philanthropic Travelers," who seek to learn, share and celebrate collaboration using Exquisite Safaris as their trusted adviser."
2. Grassroots Humanitarian Project Partners: "Exquisite Safaris is committed to uplifting world communities by supporting your efforts through meaningful personal introductions."
3. Corporate CSR Initiative Leaders, Stakeholders and Donors: "We get stakeholders on the ground visiting communities where they have business and philanthropic interests."

In one sentence describe what kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
"Philanthropic Travel represents the most significant innovation in the travel industry in 50 years -The Globalization of Empathy."

Describe the degree of success of your approach to date. Clearly define how you measure quantitative and qualitative impact in terms of how your approach contributes to the sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How does your approach minimize negative impacts?
"We appeal as human beings to human beings: Remember your humanity, and forget the rest." -Albert Einstein

Philanthropic Travel builds bridges through intimate person to person, heart to heart experiences that spark inspired donations which create sustainable humanitarian projects. Our travelers are delivering angel funding for clean water, medical and dental facilities, schools, training, jobs, homes, micro-finance and micro-entrepreneurial guidance. Exquisite Safaris Corporate Donor Travel Services provides organizations with professional stakeholder visits to NGO projects that are aligned with their company's humanitarian, economic and environmental CSR goals initiatives. Exquisite Safaris Corporate Donor Travel leverages the creative capitalism model to create, manage and support international Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives supporting indigenous communities worldwide. "Exquisite Safaris donates an industry leading $250 per traveler to our humanitarian project partners as well as philanthropic travelers loose change.."

How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
"Visiting the Matare slum outside Nairobi was a powerful experience for our family. What we encountered grabbed our hearts. Living there does not make for an easy life, and it is so much different from what we know. And yet we found our hearts warmed from this unforgettable experience. Franklin opened the community up to us in ways we would have never been able to see ourselves. We enjoyed a chance to hear people's stories, to learn about their hopes and dreams, and to enjoy playing sports with local youth. Franklin's outreach is powerful, and since our visit we now feel like we can help him make a difference through our growing friendship. Our lives will never be the same."

In what ways are local residents actively involved in your innovation, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
"We are very proud to have partnered with Exquisite Safaris, a pioneer in private, luxury, philanthropic travel. Through their partnership with the Q fund, philanthropic travelers to Africa will be taken to see the work at Chimoza Community school first-hand, and given the opportunity to contribute to the effort there. Sustainability is the key to the longevity of any and all projects. 'Charity' in the long run fails. With sufficient resources used in an innovative and compassionate manner, these children represent not disaster, but opportunity. They can become in Africa what the economist would call the new middle class.." -Chellie Kew QFund

Describe how your innovation helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area's cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues. How do you motivate them to act responsibly in their future travel decisions?
"Ultimately conservation is about people. If you don't have sustainable development around these (wildlife) parks, then people will have no interest in them, and the parks will not survive." -Nelson Mandela
Conserving the environment will never be a success until those who live in the environment are empowered to protect it themselves. Exquisite Safaris believes that seeding sustainable humanitarian projects: in education, healthcare & entrepreneurship that enable people to get beyond the daily march for survival is a prerequisite to their participation in conserving their environment.

Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? What is the potential demand for your innovation?
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel has been financially viable since it was founded in 2004. "Historically, the worldwide travel industry has generated large profits and delivered culturally insulated travel experiences while ignoring the welfare of the local communities their clients visit. Those greedy corporate practices excluded economically challenged communities from sharing a reasonable percentage of the prosperity created when travelers visit their World Heritage Sites, enjoy their culture and recreate in their unique environments. The World is ready for change: "Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel Worldwide: Collaboration creates Prosperity."

What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito." -Anita Roddick
1. The usual global suspects ending in the letters "ism." Nationalism and the politics of fear, militarism which is the antithesis of philanthropic travel. Philanthropic Travel cannot compete head to head with dictators who suppress human rights and murder their countrymen as in Burma, Kenya.
2. The Travel Industry Please support the travel industry's rush to embrace the marketing value of Philanthropic Travel by gently reminding them to increase their commitments to community in at least direct proportion to their marketing campaign budgets. Defining and demanding the full potential of philanthropic travel lies quietly in the hands of you -the enlightened consumer.