Dear GCC Family,

Welcome to a new year, a new chapter, a new opportunity to wonder, “what if…”. As a team, we’ve been pursuing this milestone for a long time. A tangible moment on the other side of the pandemic, where we find ourselves reinforced and poised to create the change we came to make. As you will read in this letter, 2024 is set to be our best year yet, and here’s why…

We have a growing team dedicated to unlocking the potential of rising conservation heroes through our Future Rangers Program. Our educational curriculum, student field trips, strategic partnerships, and growing learner pipeline is set to reach greater heights than ever before. For the first time, the Future Rangers Program will be impacting grade 12’s, with the goal of connecting top achieving students in their final year of high school into further education and employment opportunities in 2025. After eight years in the making, we’re publicly launching RHINO MAN on global distribution platforms, dedicated to sharing this critical story with the world; amplifying the voices of rangers. Our two podcasts (Voices of Nature and RHINO MAN) have an impeccable line up of local and international changemakers set to talk on the shows, produced to inform and inspire global audiences. We’re offering exclusive opportunities to visit GCC and our partners through the Wildlife Guardians travel program, designed to expose guests to conservation’s frontline heroes and revolutionary organizations. And to top it all off, after 4 years of research and development, we’re officially launching our digital learning platform in Q2; designed to scale equitable access to curriculum, student tracking, and impact reporting across the continent and beyond.

These developments, advancements, and milestones are only possible through the dedicated support of our partners, donors, and advocates around the world. As the GCC name implies, this organization was founded on a belief that it takes a “Corps” or a dedicated group of individuals, to collectively ensure something larger and greater than ourselves can emerge. With GCC’s ninth birthday approaching in May, we’re only here because of you, “the Corps”, the ones who stepped up to answer the call. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for your support, enthusiasm, and passion. Wishing you nothing but the absolute best for the year ahead.

To 2024,

Matt Lindenberg

GCC is thrilled to announce the addition of three new team members in South Africa:

Ashleigh Baker – Product Manager

Ashleigh Baker has joined GCC as the Product Manager. Formerly trained and educated as a high school mathematics teacher, she has a passion for creating online learning content that is both engaging and informative. Her role at GCC is the perfect union of her interests since she considers herself a nature enthusiast, spending as much time as possible on foot in the beautiful, wild spaces of the Greater Kruger region. Ashleigh, or Ash, plays a part in bridging the gap between communities and wildlife by managing the integration of GCC’s digital learning platform with the Future Rangers Program and other programs offered by our partners.

Wendy Collinson – Program Manager

Wendy Collinson, GCC’s new Program Manager, will oversee curriculum and program development for the Future Rangers Program. Originally hailing from the UK, where she taught for 15 years as a Physical Education teacher (ages 11-18) in the east end of London, Wendy came to South Africa in 2006, and began work with a conservation NGO. For almost two decades, she conducted research on the effects of roads and traffic on biodiversity with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). Wendy obtained her MSc thesis in April 2013 (through Rhodes University) which examined the determinants of roadkill in South Africa, and mitigation strategies thereof.

Wendy’s role at GCC combines two crucial domains – education and conservation. As the Future Rangers Program Manager, Wendy is responsible for developing and implementing educational programs that not only inform but also inspire a deeper connection to the environment. Her passion for conserving natural habitats and biodiversity translates into strategic planning and execution of projects aimed at environmental sustainability and progressive transformation in the conservation landscape.

Karabo Ramuhashi – Sound Engineer

Karabo Ramuhashi has come on board as GCC’s Podcast Sound Engineer. His journey as an audio engineer came from his early fascination with his father’s record player as a young child. With his interest piqued, Karabo eventually pursued and received formal education in sound engineering. He has since ventured into audio post-production and editing dialogue.

Karabo has been editing audio for 13 years. In the last 6 years, he has been focused on re-recording mixing skills, podcast editing, sound design and music production for educational apps focusing on African languages.

At present, Karabo oversees the production of both the “Voices of Nature” and “RHINO MAN” podcasts, enabling GCC to continue spreading the messages of conservation heroes around the world.

We are so grateful for our new team members and for the skills and passion they bring to GCC! We have ambitious plans for 2024, and believe that we are putting the team in place to meet and exceed our goals of supporting the conservation heroes of both today and tomorrow.

We are excited to share some images from our recent team-building retreat at Koru Camp, which was held from January 22 to 24, 2024. Surrounded by nature and wildlife, the GCC South Africa team came together to fully integrate our new team members, build and strengthen the bonds between our entire team, and set the stage for a new year of growth and collaboration.

Thank you to Koru Camp for your continued partnership and for being the perfect host for our offsite retreat! Your hospitality played a significant role in making our experience truly remarkable.

In the newest episode of the “Voices of Nature” podcast, we delve into a captivating conversation with M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International. Born in Sri Lanka, raised in West Africa, and educated in the U.K. and the U.S., Sanjayan has seamlessly blended a lifelong passion for nature, an education in science, a powerful gift of storytelling, and a commanding global presence into becoming one of the world’s foremost experts on protecting and expanding nature for the future of humanity.

Listen as we explore a variety of insightful topics including the work of Conservation International, how to unravel the secrets of channeling financial capital to safeguard nature, and Sanjayan’s thoughts on what lies beyond the horizon for nature, for each one of us, and for our interconnected communities.

Listen to the podcast here:
Website
Spotify
Apple Podcasts