On the little island at the bottom of Australia, truly feeling on the edge of the world, I sit with my nephew between my legs, looking out onto a never-ending horizon. Fresh (or not so much) from my final long-haul transit of this year as the Small Giants Academy 2024 Impact Safari Season comes a close.
Like all alive things, rest is required — and very much needed — after traversing three continents and eight countries, sharing brave conversations, sense-making the systems we live in, and opening ourselves to the world. As we leap-frogged between cultures, climates, and communities, we collected many insights, energies, and inspirations from our eccentric travel path, propelling us forward into action for a hopeful future.
We began in Bhutan, exploring wellbeing economies guided by Buddhist Practitioner and (former) Program Director of the Gross National Happiness Centre, Dr Julia Kim. We felt the hum of Punakha Dzong at morning prayer, monks rocking and sounding out in layers of plum robe. We stayed in a multi-generational heritage home with a tower of internal family temples. We met with parliament leaders and toured their ornate house rooms, with gold thrones, in case the king happens to drop by, of course. We hiked to the cliffside monastery, Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) and found our own meditation flow throughout our ten days together. The Himalayas always imbue a deep sense of peace within our problems. A pool of calm amongst the storm in your heart, body and mind. Head of Research at Regen Melbourne, Alison Whitten, shared, “It was the framing of the trip itself, the opportunity to experience GNH (Gross National Happiness) as a spiritually and culturally grounded practice, that allowed the tangible and intangible elements to come together in a rich and integrated way.”
Soon after, we found ourselves in Scandinavia, across Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo, exploring The Future of Cities, which was led by Regen Melbourne CEO Kaj Lofgren. We met with the Australian Ambassador to Denmark & Norway, Kerin Ayyajulara. We workshopped with leading researchers at Stockholm Resilience Centre, known widely for sharing the planetary boundary report. We toured ‘the best restaurant in the world’ NOMA, meeting their Head of Fermentation, Kevin, in his colourful, wonderful kitchen. Drawing from each, a hopeful vision for the future of our cities and closing in a sauna floating upon the Oslo harbour, cold plunging into our next chapter.
Overnight, trains, planes and boats brought us to The Isles on Rewilding. Guided by Be the Earth & 42 Acres Founder Seth Tabatznik, alongside Berry Liberman, who shared “practical ways to reweave ourselves back the miracle of nature and remember that we a are part of a living system, and we can also be a part of the repair of that system.” We wild-swam with Rewilding Podcaster Ben Goldsmith, sat with Author George Monbiot, and shared lunch with Isabella Tree following a tour of Knepp, just to name a few.
We ended our sense-making pilgrimage in Uganda, the Cradle of Humanity, to face our humanity in the face of Chimpanzees and Mountain Gorillas, with whom we share over 98% of our DNA. We ask ourselves what the 1.3% between us holds, how we got here, and how do we find our way back to each other? We spent time with the Jane Goodall Institute, conservationists and in sanctuaries, community projects, game driving and the dense forest.
Impact Safari has proven time and time again to exemplify what being in an active, loving ecosystem can do. Experiencing new cultures, ways of thinking, and creativity can often be the circuit breaker needed. Doing so alongside an intimate group of curious change-makers across sectors and backdrops allows for further discovery, digging deep, rejuvenating your purpose, connecting with the world, and better understanding your place in it.
Places for our 2025 Safaris are now open. Limited space. Unlimited awe.
• Bhutan
• The Isles: England & Scotland
• Uganda
• Amazon
