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Day 1, 2018

Participants arrive in Tanzania and make their own way to the hotel in Mwanza for a two-night stay. The Mentor will be present at the hotel to greet participants and a group dinner will be held in the evening for participants to introduce themselves and get to know one another. A briefing will also be given by the Mentor.

Mwanza is the second largest city in Tanzania situated on the shores of Lake Victoria and located about 2 hours drive from the western-most gate to Serengeti National Park as well as 10 minutes boat ride away from Saanane Island National Park. It is a mid-sized port city and plays a significant economic role in the lake region. Mwanza is perhaps best known internationally for the controversy surrounding the introduction of Nile perch into Lake Victoria during the 1950s which subsequently devastated the local ecosystem and drove hundreds of endemic species to extinction. The controversy is the subject of the 2004 Academy-nominated documentary Darwin's Nightmare which documents the irreparable change that the local fishing industry underwent in which a small number of companies benefited from the processing of the introduced fish at the expense of the local populace who were left to languish in poverty, an irony made more senseless by the fact that the massive Nile perch were shipped exclusively to the European consumer market while the starving locals were left to face impending famine.

Day 2, 2018

Morning 

Participants will travel with the Mentor to the office of Peace for Conservation where they will meet David Kabambo, the founder of Peace for Conservation, for introductions and a meet and greet with the NGO staff. Since 2005, David has been working with rural communities, sharing his experiences in natural resources management, biodiversity enterprises, trans-boundary ecosystems management among many other focus aspects.

Afternoon / Evening

Participants will have the opportunity to see more of the city. Participants will visit Bujora Museum, an open air museum showcasing African history and culture. Created to promote and celebrate the traditional arts of the Sukuma culture, the museum is a community based organisation that aims to ensure the passing of traditional Sukuma culture from one generation to the next. The Sukuma people are a Banthu ethnic group who commonly inhabit the southeastern areas of the African Great Lakes Region; in Tanzania they make the the largest ethnic group in the country, comprising about 16% of the population.

Day 3, 2018

Morning / Afternoon

Visit to Saanane Island National Park. This park is located on an island in the middle of Lake Victoria and can be reached by a 10 minute boat ride from the mainland. Home to the De Brazza's monkeys, other mammals such as impalas, hydrax, and velvet monkeys as well as numerous reptile species such as Agama lizards, pythons, leopard tortoises and crocodiles can also be found in the national park.

Evening

Free time. Participants can work on their portfolios in preparation for the first individual feedback session with the mentor.

Day 4, 2018

Morning 

Leave Mwanza city. Participants and the Mentor will travel 1.5 hours towards Serengeti National Park where they will be embedded within a local community situated near the park for the next four days. The accommodation over these four days will either be in a hotel or lodge in the town of Lamadi, on the shores of Lake Victoria.

Afternoon 

Photography workshop for the participants with the Mentor. This session addresses the basics of photography techniques as well as a quick overview of equipment functions. The workshop will also be used to examine editing techniques as well as creating and designing a workflow. 

Evening

Individual 1-on-1 portfolio session with the Mentor discussing participant's current body of work as well as participant's expectations and ambitions. This is an important session for participants to address their personal goals and begin examining the methods to reach those objectives.

Day 5, 2018

Morning 

Participation in Peace for Conservation workshop. Peace for Conservation uses innovative programs to raise awareness in combating the problem of poaching whilst promoting conservation initiatives. (Tentative schedule) This morning's event will see participants take part in the Motor Bike Drivers (BODABODA) for Conservation Campaign. Boda Boda drivers live in communities in protected areas and transport poachers to and from the national parks, engaging in wildlife crime and the transportation of bushmeat and ivory. This campaign advocates educating boda boda drivers to learn about the adverse impacts of poaching and the importance of protecting  elephants, rhino and other wildlife in Tanzania. Former poachers will take part in this campaign, acting as ambassadors for the elephant and rhino conservation campaign and relaying the anti-poaching message to clients and community members.

Please note that this activity may be modified and finalised closer to the date of the program.

Afternoon 

Photography workshop for the participants with the Mentor. The second photography workshop on the itinerary examines portraiture photography - one of the most in-demand forms of photography as required by organisations as well as by local communities. Participants will be guided in techniques relating to lighting, utilisation of available resources in setting up a scene, troubleshooting in changing light environments, managing subject backgrounds in addition to other technical considerations. This workshop will also begin addressing issues concerning ethics and codes of conduct, which are the major topics that will be covered in the third workshop.

Evening

Free time. Participants may choose to work on their portfolio and begin the process of photo editing and colour grading. 

Day 6, 2018

Morning 

Photography workshop for the participants with the Mentor. The third photography workshop is an important session that examines issues concerning ethics, responsible behaviour and codes of conduct. The NGO Photographers Alliance emphasizes on the notion of "photography with empathy", an understanding that photography can be used as a powerful medium to elicit a better change in the world if told through a humanly and interconnected approach. This photography workshop will therefore address important topics regarding consent, methods of approaching subjects  as well as issues regarding permissions and ethics in a digital world. This workshop is discussion orientated and participants are encouraged to contribute their thoughts and concerns throughout the course of the workshop.

Afternoon 

One of the major programs that Peace for Conservation implements is called Dance for Conservation, a creative and unique concept that involves empowering local women and men’s dance groups to be the voices of anti-poaching. Participants on our Mentorship Program may have the opportunity to attend this event which Peace for Conservation periodically organises.

Along with the aim of promoting conservation and sustainability, Peace for Conservation are also involved in community development projects and grassroots initiatives which are vital to improving the lives of local communities that are living close to protected areas of the national park.

Evening

Free time. Participants may choose to work on their portfolio.

Day 7, 2018

Day Activity (9:00AM to 4:00PM)

Peace for Conservation will be facilitating a Soccer for Conservation tournament between local teams comprising of zookeepers as well as a team of 15 zookeepers visiting from the United States. The tournament will be held in the town of Lamadi and involve communities from both Lamadi as well as two villages from the ward of Mkula which are close to the game reserves. In addition, the tournament will be covered by a filming crew from the United States as well as local broadcaster ITV in Tanzania.

Today's youth will become either tomorrow's conservationists or poachers, and by undertaking the ideals of wildlife conservation at a young age, they are more likely to become good conservationists within their community than embark on the road of poaching. The youth can effect change in our community by raising their voices against wildlife poaching and by utilizing sports as a way to promote social change, this helps in drawing youth and raises awareness to the topics of wildlife community to the larger community as a whole. 

Please note that this activity may be modified and finalised closer to the date of the program.

Evening

Free time for participants to edit their current body of images produced over the course of the week.

Day 8, 2018

Excursion

Participants will embark on a 2 day safari to Serengeti National Park. The safari trip is designed to raise awareness on the conservation of biodiversity and will allow participants the opportunity to photograph the many magnificent species that inhabit the park whom unfortunately face the constant threat of poaching. Serengeti National Park is renowned worldwide for the annual wildebeest migration that takes place in the park year round, an event often called "the greatest show in the world".

Evening

Overnight stay at Serengeti National Park.

Day 9, 2018

Excursion

Second day of the 2 day safari to Serengeti National Park. The safari trip is designed to raise awareness on the conservation of biodiversity and will allow participants the opportunity to photograph the many magnificent species that inhabit the park whom unfortunately face the constant threat of poaching. 

Evening

Overnight stay at Serengeti National Park.