Investing in People and Planet
Young leaders today must learn to seek and show the way towards a more sustainable and equitable society in the future. As part of our work to help achieve this, we at Basecamp develop and supports projects focusing on empowering youth through education and practical management training. Our education projects provide unique opportunities and incentives for individuals to grow and develop. Training and job opportunities are provided in the field of responsible tourism. A culture of Learning Basecamp Foundation currently sponsors over 70 students from local communities with scholarships for primary and secondary school, and for university studies. Our efforts also include special training centres’ such as the Koiyaki Guide School in Masai Mara. This is a unique school in Kenya that provides local guide training in a wide range of skills and knowledge, empowering them to be a future custodian of the Masai Mara environment. Another example is our Lamu Boat Building School. At this World Cultural Heritage site, Lamu youth gain specialist skills and the motivation to preserve and develop the Swahili maritime culture. Traditional dhows are renovated and put into tourism use for training and local employment. In rural Rajasthan the Basecamp Foundation supports the building and financing of community computer centres to provide Internet access for local youth. This helps bridge the knowledge and experience gap between poor rural villages and India’s bustling business centres.

A culture of Sharing
Basecamp consciously strives to design and develop our destinations to be global meeting places. Basecamp Spitsbergen operates the old radio station ‘Isfjord Radio’ as a conference centre, hosting seminars on geopolitics, climate change, and natural resource issues. With its innovative energy approach, based on solar, wind and bio-fuel, Basecamp Pyrenees is set to become one of Europe’s leading private training arenas for sustainable energy solutions. Surrounded by 150 ha of sustainably managed forests this mountain lodge serves as an intriguing international meeting place.
The Dharamsala ‘House of Peace and Dialogue’ in the Himalayas of northern India is a sustainable tourism training centre and conference facility for international visitors, Tibetans and the local Indian community. A culture of Leadership The Basecamp Foundation inspires tourism development globally through ten years of practical eco-tourism experience. “EcoStorm” is our own international seminar series. Our seminars facilitate learning, sharing and leadership training in responsible tourism, environmental issues, and the new energy future. (www.eco-storm.net) We welcome you to partner with us, to support us in scaling up our efforts, and to make use of our destinations for your own conferences or seminars, or just for your next ‘responsible’ holiday.