Traveling is a strange thing. On the one hand, it feels like it takes forever – the interminable flight, the bus ride that just won’t end. But in some ways, it also feels like you close your eyes and when you open them, you’re in a completely new world. First impressions can tell you a lot and often, as Vuyelwa has done, it’s good to take a step back and reflect on where you have landed. Who is there? How do you feel? What are you most excited about? What blew your expectations out of the water?

In this Next Gen Voice blog (sent to you from the one and only, Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique), catch up on the first few days of The 2015 Lost Mountain Next Gen Symposium through the eyes of one of our students…

Gorongosa National Pack is a beautiful place because of the large diversity of vegetation and animal species that live here. I feel so grateful when I look around to be surrounded by such beautiful nature.

When we first arrived here at the Community Education Center that is run by Gorongosa National Park, the students and participants were quite shy and conservative. Once we had the chance to have dinner and a good night sleep, we woke up ready to open up to each other. I felt like people were more free and started to share more about who they are and where they come from.

Right away we did a number of activities that had people share stories from our lives and how certain events transformed them – it’s called Pecha Kucha. It was really inspiring and overwhelming because listening to the events that defined each person’s life and what is essential to their story really opened up my mind to look at life from different perspectives.

We have been participating in a program the first few days that is called igolu. It is about developing a personal legacy and I find it quite inspiring because it is a movement not only about developing who you really are as a person and what you desire in life, but it also helps you to consider and support what those around you want to achieve as well. I think it will be very valuable to me as an individual both in my personal life and professionally. 

Being surrounded with such enthusiastic and multi-disciplinary professionals and students who are all committed to finding a more sustainable future for our environment while also considering the future of local communities is inspiring to me.

We may all come from different cultures and countries, but we have similar goals and a similar vision for the future of this planet. While I have been a part of The Lost Mountain Next Gen Symposium for only two days now, I already feel like I belong here.

Vuyelwa Masango is an undergraduate student majoring in Social Science Geography and Environmental Management at the University of KwaZulu Natal, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. She believes that environmental conservation and community development go hand-in-hand and is excited to learn more about their symbiotic relationship here at The 2015 Lost Mountain Next Gen Symposium. Vuyelwa is one of The Lost Mountain’s Positive Tracks Next Gens. Positive Tracks is a national, youth-centric nonprofit that helps Generation Next get active and give back using the power of sport. The Positive Tracks program plugs into charitable athletic events to double dollars and amplify awareness generated by ages 23 and under. In 2015 Positive Tracks, together with our outdoor industry partners, will double every dollar participants at The 2015 Lost Mountain Next Gen Symposium fundraise until we have $90,000 for innovative integrated conservation.