Wild Tomorrow is delighted to announce our new partnership with Lessons in Conservation, a South African youth-led non-profit working with schools and community organizations across Africa. We are excited to watch this partnership grow, teaching thousands of children across Southern Africa about the natural world, why we need it, and what we can do to preserve it- together. Read more about Lessons in Conservation in our latest story below.

*Lessons in Conservation Founder Dean Carlisle in the field, doing what he loves the best - educating children about nature and its beauty and importance.* Photo Credit: Lessons in Conservation.

Around the world from rural South Africa to New York City, young people are becoming more and more disconnected from nature. It was a Senegalese forester, Baba Dioum, who said, "In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." To save nature and begin to dream of a sustainable future, it’s foundational that children have the opportunity to get hands-on learning about nature and wildlife in order to understand, love, and ultimately conserve it.

Kikundi Primary School kids exploring the wild wonders of Mikumi National Park this April thanks to Lessons in Conservation. From spotting majestic elephants to hearing the roar of lions, it was an unforgettable excursion. Photo credit: Lessons in Conservation.

Lessons in Conservation (LiC) answers this call as a youth-led non-profit founded in South Africa in 2018 by Dean Carlisle. Lessons in Conservation’s mission is to identify and establish relationships with schools and community organizations across Africa, to teach children about the natural world, why we need it, and what we can do to preserve it- together. In 2023 the team at Lessons in Conservation plan to touch the lives of 6000 children across Southern Africa through their conservation lessons and excursions. This new partnership enables Wild Tomorrow to significantly expand its educational footprint in Southern Africa

Lessons in Conservation’s founder, Dean Carlisle, always knew that his future would involve wildlife. As a child, he was able to experience wildlife in a way that most children can only dream of, growing up in wildlife reserves with his family and father, conservationist Les Carlisle.

After completing his honors degree in Zoology, Dean realized that his personal passion for wildlife conservation was fostered through first-hand experiences and the ability to acquire knowledge about the things that he found interesting. This was the spark that created Lessons in Conservation, “to share that knowledge, create awareness, and facilitate exposure to children from underprivileged communities in the hope that the fire which burns so bright for conservation in us, may be sparked in them too”, said Dean. His vision, enabled and expanded through his team of youth leaders, is to share passion and knowledge for wildlife and its conservation with children across Africa, who can then share this knowledge with their friends and families, fostering a generation that loves and cares for the natural world.

Wild Tomorrow’s partnership will support the work of Lessons in Conservation to enable it to expand into the future while providing Wild Tomorrow and all its donors with a broader children’s educational cause to support. Wild Tomorrow’s donors have generously committed to funding Lessons in Conservation’s operating expenses for the next two years.

*Smiles and learning about conservation go hand in hand during LiC’s recent lesson at Thembelisha primary in eSwatini.* Photo Credit: Lessons in Conservation.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Lessons in Conservation. From the earliest days of Wild Tomorrow, we wanted to find a way to bring the message of conservation to young people in rural South Africa” said John Steward, Founder and Executive Director of Wild Tomorrow, “Finding and partnering with Lessons in Conservation has been the perfect match”.

“We’re really excited about this new partnership with Dean and his amazing, passionate team at Lessons in Conservation because they are directly focused on educating children, reconnecting their hearts to nature by bringing them from the classroom to the field.” said Wild Tomorrow’s co-founder Wendy Hapgood.

We look forward to a long and successful partnership with Dean and his passionate team at Lessons in Conservation, expanding conservation-focused education for children across central and southern Africa. Follow their journey on Instagram @lessons.in.conservation and learn more at www.lessonsinconservation.com.

LESSONS IN CONSERVATION