Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel announces Americans helping Americans Philanthropic Travel: Leaving the Mines Behind Empowering Appalachia: May 31 to June 7, 2009

“Creating positive change in a democratic society requires a comprehensive understanding of how to present a compelling case to the public using an ever expanding spectrum of media. Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel is especially excited to organize philanthropic travel for the financial benefit of AMI.

The Make it Real Foundation intends to raise $50,000 dollars and a matching $50,000 CSR corporate donation to fund the AMI Summer 2009 program in full.” If you are a corporation ready to make a difference contact us. -David Chamberlain CEO/Founder Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel

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The Appalachian Media Institute (AMI), a media training program for central Appalachian youth. Using the technological and artistic resources of Appalshop, AMI helps young people explore how media production skills can be used to ask, and begin to answer, critical questions of themselves and their communities. With opportunities to have input into community dialogues, and frame those dialogues themselves, young people develop the skills and critical thinking abilities necessary to become leaders in creating sustainable futures for their communities. Since its inception AMI has directly engaged over 600 young people in media production.

1. Build the confidence levels and creative capacity of central Appalachian youth

2. Position youth from central Appalachia as initiators of dialogue and social action around crucial community issues

3. Highlight rural voices and to inform national audiences and diverse communities of the unique challenges that face rural Appalachian communities

4. Enable our participants to become informed, tolerant, and engaged citizens and to recognize the interconnections between central Appalachia and the rest of the world

Reaching for Higher Ground, produced by AMI youth, tells the story of a group of young people who are fighting to save their communities water:

Learn More:
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel announces Americans helping Americans Philanthropic Travel: Leaving the Mines Behind Empowering Appalachia: May 31 to June 7, 2009

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Appalshop
Appalachia Media Institute
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“If you are coming to help me, you are wasting your time but if you are coming because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” -Indigenous Saying

Philanthropic Travel: Enlightened Experiences

The Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel experience integrates indigenous local culture into every personalized luxury trip we recommend. These personal introductions create authentic cross cultural friendships that generate trust, respect, and generous donations funding philanthropic travel projects worldwide.

When we see a person in need, we may want to give them something as a way of helping them, but if we give without taking the time to see who they really are -honoring that most of all our gift is nowhere near as powerful as it could be.

We may want to give a homeless person a sandwich, for example, but if we give it without also taking a moment to look the person in the eye, making authentic contact, we rob them of the experience of being human.

Being in a position of need leaves a lot of people feeling vulnerable and full of self-doubt.

The greatest gift we can give is to meet people in need without judgment and with the awareness that we are not superior to them simply because we are not currently in their position.

If we take the long view, we can see that we all began life in need of a lot of care and attention, and many of us end life in the same way.

Giving and receiving are companion energies that take turns throughout our lives, and we all get a chance to be on both sides of the exchange from time to time.

It’s important to be aware of our own tendency to give from a desire to feel good about ourselves, rather than from an acknowledgment of our connection to all people.

Letting go of our self-importance allows us to see that, regardless of appearances, we are all givers and receivers.

When we are in the position of the giver, we honor those we are helping when we remember the many people who have helped us.

Then we can look the person we are helping in the eye, aware that we are making contact with a human being who is our equal.

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“If you are coming to help me, you are wasting your time but if you are coming because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” -Indigenous Saying

Philanthropic Travel: Enlightened Luxury

The Exquisite Safaris philanthropic travel experience integrates indigenous local culture into every personalized luxury trip we recommend. These personal introductions create authentic cross cultural friendships that generate trust, respect, and generous donations funding philanthropic travel projects worldwide.

Why has Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel partnered with Black Rock Solar? Black Rock Solar is a non-profit with a simple goal: take on climate change, and speed the adoption curve of renewable energy by building low or no cost solar power in unlikely places.

We believe if we’re going to solve the climate crisis, everyone has to be part of the solution, which is why they are installing renewable energy at schools, hospitals, and other public buildings in places that would otherwise never be able to afford it.

Black Rock Solar allows the schools and medical clinics keep all the money they save to support their communities as they see fit.

Why Black Rock Solar vs. buying carbon offsets? Carbon offsets may become an important contribution to the fight against global climate change. However, the carbon offset marketplace is still developing -slowed down by a lack of transparent standards.

“It’s hard to understand how donating $20 to a carbon offset firm using their ‘proprietary calculator,’ can make it OK to drive/fly from A to B, and still define it as “carbon neutral.”

Black Rock Solar has a different approach: they build solar power -lots of it, and they do it for less than anyone else, which allows them to build even more! When Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel donates cash to Black Rock Solar we know exactly where our money is going -and we can walk up to the panel we helped fund and install

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“In concrete terms, Black Rock Solar has an unbeatable return on investment, turning every $1 donated into $15 of clean green solar value.”

Here’s how: It costs BRS around $6 to build a watt of solar power, and they can get $5 of that in rebates from the public utility in Nevada. Then they match that with $3 in donated labor value, and it turns into $6 in free green energy over the life of the system.

“Every Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel $1 leverages $5 in rebates, and $3 in donated labor, to create $6 in free energy; 1+5+3+6= $15! Try finding that kind of ROI on Wall Street these days!”

Who are the people Black Rock Solar and Exquisite Safaris help? Like ES, BRS works almost exclusively in rural areas that tend to be economically disadvantaged -and certainly off the map when it comes to high dollar renewable energy projects -but that’s exactly why we need to be there.

For decades, the only people that have had renewable energy have been either large institutions with deep pockets, or the wealthy. But as Al Gore stated July 17, 2008 we need every single part of our society engaged in the fight against climate change. By changing the face of renewable energy, we’ll make it accessible to hundreds of communities that would otherwise never consider it. After all, if Gerlach, Nevada can go green, anyone can!

Is it working?
To answer that, just check with any of the communities BRS has helped so far. To date, the solar power they have built will generate over $1,000,000 in savings for those communities over the next 25 years -money that sustains communities in ways those communities decide they need it most.

It’s that kind of impact that made People Magazine choose Black Rock Solar as one of three “Environmental Heroes” for 2008 -and they are just getting started.

Donate to Black Rock Solar!

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“If you are coming to help me, you are wasting your time but if you are coming because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” -Indigenous Saying

Philanthropic Travel is the Ultimate Luxury

The Exquisite Safaris philanthropic travel experience integrates indigenous local culture into every personalized luxury trip we recommend. These personal introductions create authentic cross cultural friendships that generate trust, respect, and generous donations funding philanthropic travel projects worldwide.

“Exquisite Safaris is wonderful because it combines the best of everything. You get world-class accommodations, the top notch activities, and then end up at a project that is life changing.” -Travel Connoisseur Magazine

“Visiting the Matare slum outside Nairobi was a powerful experience for our family. What we encountered grabbed our hearts. Living there does not make for an easy life, and it is so much different from what we know. And yet we found our hearts warmed from this unforgettable experience. Franklin opened the community up to us in ways we would have never been able to see ourselves. We enjoyed a chance to hear people’s stories, to learn about their hopes and dreams, and to enjoy playing sports with local youth. Franklin’s outreach is powerful, and since our visit we now feel like we can help him make a difference through our growing friendship. Our lives will never be the same and we look forward to visiting again.” -Amber Dowd

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