What we are doing.

“A magical place with people you will never forget and the experience of seeing a completely different environment, meeting people and spending time with people you wouldn’t normally spend time with was amazing …”

Liam, 16

Kids in The Wild

…is a 13 day adventure in the Maasai Mara ecosystem in Kenya.

We have created this program to inspire teenagers to explore Africa, to broaden their horizons, and to see their own world from a new perspective.

Built around three core themes – Learn, Explore, and Deliver – we are focused on supporting the community-owned Mara North Conservancy with funds raised, work delivered, and cultural exchange.

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Learning, while making a difference.

  • Learn.

    We explore the Mara North conservancy with pre-dawn, twilight and night drives. We aim to find and observe wildlife but do more than just 'point-and-click' – we will observe and learn animal behavior, bushcraft and the intricacies of survival in a beautiful but challenging part of the world.

    Every one of Serian’s vehicles includes an expert Masai guide, both male and female, and drivers who will provide on-the-spot education on every animal and bird we see.

  • Explore.

    We will spend our time in a thriving savanna ecosystem learning from expert guides and trackers who are with us wherever we go. We will also undertake day walks focused on learning about what the land can tell us - tracks, signs, and community life.

    We will also have the opportunity to meet leading figures from the conservation community, reviewing their projects and learning about the challenges they face.

  • Deliver.

    The communities surrounding Mara North Conservancy have chosen to set their ancestral lands aside and pool them. It is an approach designed to ensure wildlife can flourish, and tourism can provide new opportunities for future generations.

    We will spend our time working here – both physically, on development projects, and educationally, with schools and their students. Our focus is on delivering genuine impact.

 

Where we are

Our focus for community service is the Mara North Conservancy, based at Alex Walker’s Serian camp.

But we get there by way of the Maasai Mara National Park, staying at Alex’s Nkorombe bush camp, right on the edge of the Mara River. We want to make sure students understand the context around why the Conservancy was established, with its emphasis on populations living side by side with wildlife in a sustainable manner.

And it’s a good excuse to visit the famed Maasai Mara!

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Key features

  • Our home base is Alex Walker’s Serian, a long-established, safe and secure high-end tented lodge in the Mara North Conservancy, renowned for its stunning location and wonderful team.

  • In 2021 and 2022, our Kids in the Wild raised over $10,000 to purchase materials and contribute to Maasai kids’ education. In 2023, we will continue this work with the Maasai community in an area currently innovating in in community-led development and conservation in East Africa.

  • Our focus is not all about wildlife – although we do some of that! We will learn conservation and guide training, environmental sustainability, and undertake community service projects for local schools and the community.

 A day in the life of a Kid in the Wild…

  • 0530: Wake up! Hot chocolate / tea in room.

  • 0600: Meet in mess for departure on conservation drive, or to school for work, or leave on foot for guide training

  • 0730: Or thereabouts! Stop for a bush breakfast.

  • 0900: Start workday at school / stop for conservation education / raid bush honey :)

  • 1230: Or thereabouts! Head back to camp for lunch on terrace

  • 1400: Self-directed time: doing homework, studying conservation books, downloading photos

  • 1530: Start boma repair at camp, or prepare for afternoon conservation drive. Tea and chocolate cake. Avoid occasional downpours of torrential rain. :)

  • 1700: Mixed soccer at camp pitch. Avoid kicking rocks or losing ball in hippo tracks.

  • 1800: Sundowner, in bush or at camp around campfire down by the river. Conservation & culture training.

  • 1930: Dinner under thatched roof at camp.

  • 2100: Post dinner chats in rooms or in lounge!

  • 2230: Ideally, lights out…

 
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